Nakamura Utaemon VI
Encyclopedia
was a Japan
ese kabuki
performer and an artistic director of the Kabuki-za
in Tokyo. He was a prominent member of a family of kabuki actors from the Keihanshin region.
Nakamura Utaemon was a stage name with significant cultural and historical connotations. The name Utaemon indicates personal status as an actor. Such a title can only be assumed after the death of a previous holder, under restrictive succession conventions.
Utaemon VI was the son of Nakamura Utaemon V. The actor's name was Fujio Kawamura when he was born in the sixth generation of a line of famous Kabuki actors. In the conservative Kabuki world, stage names are passed from father to son in formal system which converts the kabuki stage name into a mark of accomplishment. The name Utaemon VI was formally proclaimed in a 1951 ceremony at the Kabuki theater in Tokyo.
Lineage of Utaemon stage names
In a long career, he acted in many kabuki plays; but he was best known for his oyama
roles.
, which was a title acknowledging him as a "bearer of important intangible cultural assets."
/WorldCat
encompasses roughly 6 works in 6 publications in 2 languages and 9 library holdings
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese kabuki
Kabuki
is classical Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for the stylization of its drama and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers.The individual kanji characters, from left to right, mean sing , dance , and skill...
performer and an artistic director of the Kabuki-za
Kabuki-za
' in Ginza was the principal theater in Tokyo for the traditional kabuki drama form.-Architecture:The original Kabuki-za was a wooden structure, built in 1889 on land which had been either the Tokyo residence of the Hosokawa clan of Kumamoto, or that of Matsudaira clan of Izu.The building was...
in Tokyo. He was a prominent member of a family of kabuki actors from the Keihanshin region.
Nakamura Utaemon was a stage name with significant cultural and historical connotations. The name Utaemon indicates personal status as an actor. Such a title can only be assumed after the death of a previous holder, under restrictive succession conventions.
Utaemon VI was the son of Nakamura Utaemon V. The actor's name was Fujio Kawamura when he was born in the sixth generation of a line of famous Kabuki actors. In the conservative Kabuki world, stage names are passed from father to son in formal system which converts the kabuki stage name into a mark of accomplishment. The name Utaemon VI was formally proclaimed in a 1951 ceremony at the Kabuki theater in Tokyo.
Lineage of Utaemon stage names
- Nakamura Utaemon INakamura Utaemon Iwas a Japanese kabuki performer. He was the progenator of a family of kabuki actors from the Keihanshin region. He was the son of a provincial doctor...
(1714–1791) - Nakamura Utaemon IINakamura Utaemon IIwas a Japanese kabuki performer in the lineage of a family of kabuki actors from the Keihanshin region. Nakamura Utaemon is a stage name.In 1782, Utaemon I presented this name to a favored apprentice, who was formerly known as Mizuki Tōzō or Nakamura Tōzō...
(1752–1798) - Nakamura Utaemon IIINakamura Utaemon IIIwas a Japanese kabuki performer. He was a prominent member of a family of kabuki actors from the Keihanshin region. Nakamura Utaemon was a stage name with significant cultural and historical connotations.Utaemon III was the natural son of Nakamura Utaemon I...
(1778–1838) - Nakamura Utaemon IVNakamura Utaemon IVwas a Japanese kabuki performer. He was a prominent member of a family of kabuki actors from the Keihanshin region. Nakamura Utaemon was a stage name with significant cultural and historical connotations....
(1798–1852) - Nakamura Utaemon VNakamura Utaemon Vwas a Japanese kabuki performer and "dean of kabuki actors at the Kabuki-za in Tokyo. He was a prominent member of a family of kabuki actors from the Keihanshin region. Nakamura Utaemon was a stage name with significant cultural and historical connotations....
(1865–1940) - Nakamura Utaemon VI (1917–2001)
In a long career, he acted in many kabuki plays; but he was best known for his oyama
Oyama (Japanese theatre)
Onnagata or oyama , are male actors who impersonate women in Japanese kabuki theatre. The modern all-male kabuki was originally known as yarō kabuki to distinguish it from earlier forms...
roles.
Living National Treasure
In 1968, the government of Japan designated him a Living National TreasureLiving National Treasure
Living National Treasure or Living Human Treasure is a title awarded in several countries, and denotes a person or a group which is regarded as a national treasure while still alive....
, which was a title acknowledging him as a "bearer of important intangible cultural assets."
Selected works
In a statistical overview derived from writings by and about Nakamura Utaemon VI, OCLCOCLC
OCLC Online Computer Library Center, Inc. is "a nonprofit, membership, computer library service and research organization dedicated to the public purposes of furthering access to the world’s information and reducing information costs"...
/WorldCat
WorldCat
WorldCat is a union catalog which itemizes the collections of 72,000 libraries in 170 countries and territories which participate in the Online Computer Library Center global cooperative...
encompasses roughly 6 works in 6 publications in 2 languages and 9 library holdings
- 2006 — 10-ISBN 4835615980/13-ISBN 9784835615981; OCLC 70233503
- 1993 — OCLC 054923943
- 1989 — OCLC 029849646
- 1984 — OCLC 054925804
Honors
- Japan Art AcademyJapan Art Academyis the highest ranking artistic organization in Japan. The Academy discusses art-related issues, advises the Minister of Education on art-related issues, and promotes art is the highest ranking artistic organization in Japan. The Academy discusses art-related issues, advises the Minister of...
, 1963 - Order of CultureOrder of CultureThe is a Japanese order, established on February 11, 1937. The order has one class only, and may be awarded to men and women for contributions to Japan's art, literature or culture; recipients of the order also receive an annuity for life...
, 1979 - Praemium ImperialePraemium ImperialeThe Praemium Imperiale is an arts prize awarded since 1989 by the imperial family of Japan on behalf of the Japan Art Association in the fields painting, sculpture, architecture, music, and theatre/film...
, 1995 - Grand Cordon of the Order of the Sacred TreasureOrder of the Sacred TreasureThe is a Japanese Order, established on January 4, 1888 by Emperor Meiji of Japan as the Order of Meiji. It is awarded in eight classes . It is generally awarded for long and/or meritorious service and considered to be the lowest of the Japanese orders of merit...
, 1996
External links
- Waseda University, Tsubouchi Memorial Theatre Museum; Permanent exhibit, Nakamura Utaemon VI
- Online digitized photograph: "Nakamura Utaemon VI meets Rin-Tin-Tin" — Los Angeles, California, July 2, 1960
- Online digitized photograph: Yukio Mishima with Nakamura Utaemon VI, 1954
- World Digial Library: Nakamura Utaemon no Katō Masakiyo, woodblock print c. 1818-1830
- Find-A-Grave: Utaemon Nakamura, Aoyama Cemetery, Tokyo
- Japan Art Academy