Nakamura Utaemon V

Nakamura Utaemon V[lower-alpha 1] (中村歌右衛門 (5代目), 1865 — September 11, 1940) was a Japanese kabuki performer and "dean of kabuki actors at the Kabuki-za in Tokyo".[1] He was a prominent member of a family of kabuki actors from the Keihanshin region.[2]

Nakamura Utaemon V
Born1865 (1865)
Tokyo, Japan
DiedSeptember 11, 1940(1940-09-11) (aged 74–75)
SpouseTama Kawamura
ChildrenNakamura Fukusuke V (son)
Nakamura Utaemon VI (son)
ParentNakamura Shikan IV (adoptive father)
RelativesNakamura Shikan VII (grandson)
Nakamura Fukusuke IX (great-grandson)
Nakamura Shikan VIII (great-grandson)
Nakamura Kankurō VI (great-great-grandson)
Nakamura Shichinosuke II (great-great-grandson)
Nakamura Kōtarō VI (great-great-grandson)
Nakamura Hashinosuke IV (great-great-grandson)
Nakamura Fukunosuke III (great-great-grandson)
Nakamura Utanosuke IV (great-great-grandson)
Nakamura Kantarō III (great-great-great-grandson)
Nakamura Chōzaburō II (great-great-great-grandson)

Nakamura Utaemon was a stage name with significant cultural and historical connotations.[3]

Life and career

Utaemon V was the artistic heir of Nakamura Utaemon IV. He was born in the fifth 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.[4]

Lineage of Utaemon stage names

In a long career, he played many roles; but he was best known for his oyama or onnagata roles.[1]

  • Utaemon V as Yodo-gimi in the kabuki play Hototogisu Kojō no Rakugetsu
    Utaemon V as Yodo-gimi in the kabuki play Hototogisu Kojō no Rakugetsu
  • Sanguine and charcoal drawing by Alexander Yakovlev of Utaemon V dressed as a young bride for the marriage ceremony
    Sanguine and charcoal drawing by Alexander Yakovlev of Utaemon V dressed as a young bride for the marriage ceremony

Selected works

In a statistical overview derived from writings by and about Nakamura Utaemon VI, OCLC/WorldCat encompasses roughly 7 works in 7 publications in 2 languages and 20+ library holdings.[8]

  • 1950 — Styles of Acting in Kabuki (歌舞伎の型, kabuki no kata) OCLC 033711674
  • 1935 — Autobiography of Nakamura Utaemon Gosei (歌右衛門自傅, utaemon jiten). OCLC 44435876

Notes
  1. Real Name: Hidetaro Nakamura (Japanese: 中村榮太郎, Hepburn: Nakamura Hidetaro).

See also

References
  1. Utaemon Nakamura", New York Times. September 11, 1940.
  2. Nussbaum, Louis Frédéric et al. (2005). Japan Encyclopedia, p. 691., p. 691, at Google Books
  3. Kurkup, James. "Nakamura Utaemon VI," The Independent (London). April 6, 2001.
  4. Scott, Adolphe C. (1999). The Kabuki Theatre of Japan, p. 159., p. 159, at Google Books
  5. Leiter, Samuel L. (2006). Historical Dictionary of Japanese Traditional Theatre, pp. 263-264., p. 263, at Google Books
  6. Leiter, Samuel L. (2002). A Kabuki Reader: History and Performance, p. 78, p. 78, at Google Books
  7. Strom, Stephanie. Nakamura Utaemon VI, 84, International Star of Kabuki", New York Times. April 4, 2001.
  8. WorldCat Identities: 中村歌右衛門 1865-1940

Bibliography
  • Leiter, Samuel L. (2006). Historical Dictionary of Japanese Traditional Theatre. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-5527-4; OCLC 238637010
  • __________. ( 2002). A Kabuki Reader: History and Performance. ISBN 9780765607041; ISBN 9780765607058; OCLC 182632867
  • Nussbaum, Louis Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005). Japan Encyclopedia. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-674-01753-5; OCLC 48943301
  • Scott, Adolphe Clarence. (1955). The Kabuki Theatre of Japan. London: Allen & Unwin. OCLC 622644114

Further reading
  • 中村歌右衛門. (1935). Autobiography of Nakamura Utaemon V (歌右衛門自伝, utaemon jiden). Tokyo: Shūhōen Publishing (秋豊園出版部, shūhōen shuppanbu).
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