Nakamura Kangyoku (初代中村莟玉, Shodai Nakamura Kangyoku, b. 12 September 1996) is a Japanese kabuki actor and the adopted son of Nakamura Baigyoku IV[a], one of the most prominent kabuki actors, known for being one of the leading tachiyaku (male role specialists) in kabuki, and a current Living National Treasure.
Nakamura Kangyoku 初代中村莟玉 | |
|---|---|
| Born | Morimasa Takuma （森正 琢磨） 12 September 1996 |
| Other names | Nakamura Umemaru |
| Notes | |
Yagō (guild): Takasago-ya | |
Nakamura Kangyoku was first introduced to kabuki when his parents, both of whom worked in the publishing industry, brought him to see a play at the age of three. When he was six, he met Nakamura Baigyoku and began helping backstage at the theatre.[1]
Taken under Baigyoku's guidance, he made his stage debut in 2005 under his birth name, playing Tōgashi's page in a production of Kanjinchō.[2] At the same time, he officially became Baigyoku's apprentice, and in 2006, he was granted his first kabuki stage name, Nakamura Umemaru.[1]
In 2019, it was announced that Baigyoku would formally adopt Umemaru as his son and successor. Following the adoption, Umemaru took on the stage name Kangyoku. The "gyoku" (玉) part of the name comes from Baigyoku, while "Kan" (莟) means "bud," a reference to Baigyoku's adoptive father Nakamura Utaemon VI's self-produced theatre program, 莟会 (tsubomi-kai), as "Bai" (梅) in Baigyoku means "plum blossom."[3]
Notes
edit- ^ Real Name: Toshiyuki Kawamura (Japanese: 河村 順之, Hepburn: Kawamura Toshiyuki, b. 2 August 1946 in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan)
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "So you want to become a kabuki actor?" Mainichi Shimbun. 1 November 2009. Accessed 1 November 2009.
- ^ Japan Actors' Association. "Shodai Nakamura Umemaru. 歌舞伎俳優名鑑 (Kabuki Haiyū Meikan, 'Kabuki Actors Directory'). Accessed 1 November 2009."
- ^ "Nakamura Umemaru to take the name "Shodai Nakamura Kangyoku" starting with November's Kabuki-za performance". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). 2019-08-23. Retrieved 2019-09-05.