Stage names:

Nakamura Nakazô I
Nakayama Kojûrô VI
Nakamura Nakazô
Nakamura Ichijûrô
Nakayama Manzô

Other name: Shigayama Mansaku VIII

Guilds: Sakaeya, Sakaiya

Line number: SHODAI (I)

Poetry name: Shûkaku

Existence: 1736 ~ 23rd day of the 4th lunar month of 1790

Connections:

Adoptive father: Nakayama Kojûrô V

Master: Nakamura Kanzaburô VIII

Adopted son: Nakayama Kojûrô VII

Career:

1736: born in Edo in the district of Fukagawa. His father is a rônin named Saitô.

1740: He is adopted by Oshun, a dance mistress of the Shigayama school. Her family are costumers to the Nakamuraza. Oshun's husband is the Nagauta music master Nakayama Kojûrô V. They give him the name of Nakayama Manzô.

1743: he becomes disciple of Nakamura Katsujûrô I and receives the name of Nakamura Ichijûrô.

11th lunar month of 1745: he takes the name of Nakamura Nakazô at the Nakamuraza, playing in the drama "Suehiro Izu Nikki", which celebrates the arrival in Edo of the Kamigata actor Fujikawa Heikurô and the shûmei of Ôtani Hiroemon II and Nakamura Denkurô II.

5th lunar month of 1748: the drama "Yoshitsune Senbon Zakura" is performed for the first time in Edo, at the Nakamuraza; Nakazô plays the role of Zentarô [casting].

11th lunar month of 1750: Nakazô plays as a wakashugata at the Nakamuraza in Tsuuchi Jihê II's kaomise drama "Wakaki no Ume Taira no Kiyomori" .

1751: he leaves the theater world and becomes the manager of a sake shop in the district of Ningyô-chô.

1752: he marries the daughter of the music master Kineya Kichisaburô VI.

11th lunar month of 1754: Nakazô is back on stage, at the Nakamuraza, playing in the kaomise drama "Miura no Ôsuke Bumon no Kotobuki". His performance is bad and he is in despair. His personal and professional problems lead him to think about suicide. He fortunately receives the patronage of the actor Ichikawa Danjûrô IV, who takes him under his wing and let him work as a dance choreographer at the Nakamuraza.

11th lunar month of 1761: he changes the first ideogram of his first name Nakazô, when he plays at the Nakamuraza in the kaomise drama "Nihongahana Hôgan Biiki":

11th lunar month of 1762: Nakazô moves to the Moritaza and plays in the kaomise drama "Tôzai Tôzai Wagakuni no Ume Yashiki".

2nd lunar month of 1763: first Kabuki adaptation of the puppet theater drama "Ôshû Adachi-ga-Hara", which is staged at the Moritaza; Nakazô plays the role of Hachiman Tarô [casting|illustrations].

9th lunar month of 1766: Nakazô achieves a great success at the Ichimuraza by playing the role of Ono no Sadakurô in the fifth act of the drama "Kanadehon Chûshingura". He gives a new dimension to this role, getting rid of all the original sentences (his line is limited to the exclamation "50 ryô!") and turning his performance into a bloody pantomime. Thanks to Nakazô, this role, which was performed before by minor actors, becomes a star role. The scene, which was a "box lunch scene" (an uninteresting scene within a long drama used by the members of the audience to eat their box lunches), becomes a key one in this drama. It is said that Nakazô's performance is so good that he blows away the cheap box lunches.

7th lunar month of 1768: the play "Natsu Matsuri Naniwa Kagami" is produced for the first time at the Nakamuraza; Nakazô plays the role of Mikawaya Giheiji [casting].

11th lunar month of 1768: Nakazô plays at the Nakamuraza in the kaomise drama "Ima o Sakari Suehiro Genji", which celebrates the arrival in Edo of the Kamigata star Nakamura Utaemon I and the shûmei of Osagawa Tsuneyo II.

11th lunar month of 1769: Nakazô plays at the Nakamuraza in the kaomise drama "Kawaranu Hana Sakae Hachinoki".

1st lunar month of 1770: Nakazô plays in the same theater the role of Kudô Saemon Suketsune in the new year sogamono "Kagamigaike Omokage Soga". His stage partners in the roles of Soga Gorô Tokimune and Soga Jûrô Sukenari are Ichikawa Yaozô II and Ichikawa Komazô II.

11th lunar month of 1770: Nakazô plays at the Nakamuraza in the kaomise drama "Nue no Mori Ichiyô no Mato", which celebrates the shûmei of Matsumoto Kôshirô II, Ichikawa Danjûrô V, Nakamura Shôchô and Ichikawa Monnosuke II.

1st lunar month of 1771: Nakazô plays in the same theater the roles of Kudô Saemon Suketsune in the new year sogamono "Sakaichô Soga no Nendaiki". His stage partners in the roles of Soga Gorô Tokimune and Soga Jûrô Sukenari are Ichikawa Danjûrô V and Ichikawa Komazô II.

11th lunar month of 1774: Nakazô plays the roles of Eboshiori Daitarô, Oniô Shôji Saemon and Okazaki Shirô at the Nakamuraza in the kaomise drama "Kaomise Ama no Iwato".

2nd lunar month of 1775: Nakazô plays in the same theater the roles of Nakazô no Matsuwaka, Kudô Saemon Suketsune and Honda Jirô in the new year drama "Iromoyô Aoyagi Soga".

3rd lunar month of 1775: Nakazô plays in the same theater the role of the woman selling shinobu, in reality the ghost of the evil monk Dainichibô, in Kawatake Shinshichi I's dance-drama "Shinobu-gusa Koi no Utsushie"; this dance is both a futa-omotemono and a dôjôjimono [more details].

11th lunar month of 1775: premiere at the Nakamuraza of Kanai Sanshô's Tomimoto-based dance-drama "Shijûhatte Koi no Showake", the first version of "Oshidori", which is staged within the kaomise drama "Hana Zumô Genji Biiki"; Nakazô plays the role of Matano Gorô Kagehisa [more details].

3rd lunar month of 1776: Nakazô's rank in the Edo hyôbanki, jitsuaku section, is jô-jô-kichi (superior - superior - excellent). He is the kanjiku for jitsuaku actors.

3rd lunar month of 1776: first Kabuki adaptation of Matsu Kanshi I's puppet theater drama "Koi Musume Mukashi Hachijô", which is staged at the Nakamuraza; Nakazô plays the role of Akizuki Ikkaku [casting].

5th lunar month of 1776: the play "Honchô Nijûshikô" is performed for the first time in Edo, at the Nakamuraza; Nakazô plays the roles of Takasaka Danjô and Yokozô [casting].

Summer 1777: the book "Yakusha Sensakuron" ("About actors prying") is published in Edo. It gives some private information on actors. Edo readers learn that Nakazô lives in the district of Izumi-chô and his annual salary is 700 ryô.

11th lunar month of 1777: premiere at the Ichimuraza of the Tomimoto-based dance-drama "Meotozake Kawaranu Nakanaka" (commonly called "Kurama Jishi"); Nakazô plays the role of Kisanta [casting].

4th lunar month of 1780: first Kabuki adaptation of Utei Emba, Kijô Tarô and Yô Yôdai puppet theater drama "Go Taiheiki Shiraishi Banashi". The play is staged in Edo at the Moritaza; Nakazô plays the role of Uji Hyôbunosuke Jôetsu (in reality Kusunoki Masayuki) [casting].

11th lunar month of 1784: premiere at the Kiriza of the drama "Tsumoru Koi Yuki no seki no To", which is performed within the kaomise drama "Jûni Hitoe Komachi Zakura"; Nakazô plays the roles of Sekibê and Ôtomo no Kuronushi [casting].

1st lunar month of 1785: Nakazô's rank in the Edo hyôbanki, jitsuaku section, is shi-jô-jô-kichi (unique - superior - superior - excellent).

11th lunar month of 1785: Nakamura Nakazô I and his adopted son Nakamura Mansaku respectively take the names of Nakayama Kojûrô VI and Nakamura Nakazô at the Nakamuraza, playing in the kaomise drama "Yuki Motsutake Furisode Genji".

1st lunar month of 1786: Kojûrô's rank in the Edo hyôbanki, sôkanjiku section ("all kanjiku"), is hakudai-jô-jô-kichi (almost grand - superior - superior - excellent).

11th lunar month of 1786: Nakayama Kojûrô VI and Nakamura Nakazô take back their previous names, Nakamura Nakazô I and Nakamura Mansaku, at the Kiriza, playing in the kaomise drama "Mutsu no Hana Izu no Hataage".

12th lunar month of 1786: Nakazô goes to Ôsaka.

1st lunar month of 1787: Nakazô plays at the Ônishi no Shibai in the new year drama "Keisei Keisei Sakura no Jindate", which is produced by Nakamura Kumetarô II. He also performs in solo the auspicious dance "Kotobuki Sanbasô".

2nd lunar month of 1787: Nakazô plays in the same theater the roles of Tadanobu and Gonta in the drama "Yoshitsune Senbon Zakura". The performance is a huge success and a 42 days long run.

4th lunar month of 1787: Nakazô plays in the same theater the roles of Yuranosuke and Sadakurô in the drama "Kanadehon Chûshingura".

10th lunar month of 1787: Nakazô goes to Kyôto.

1st lunar month of 1788: Nakazô's rank in the Kyôto hyôbanki is dai-jô-jô-kichi (grand - superior - superior - excellent).

Fall 1788: Nakazô goes back to Edo.

11th lunar month of 1788: Nakazô plays at the Nakamuraza the role of Ishikawa Goemon in Sakurada Jisuke I's kaomise drama "Tôzumô Hana no Edokata". Premiere at the Nakamuraza of the Tokiwazu-based dance-drama "Modori Kago Iro ni Aikata" (commonly called "Modori Kago"); Nakazô plays the role of Naniwa no Jirosaku (in reality Ishikawa Goemon) [casting].

1st lunar month of 1789: Nakazô plays at the Nakamuraza in the new year drama "Edo no Fuji Wakayagi Soga" but he suddenly falls ill and has to be replaced.

7th lunar month of 1789: Nakazô plays in the same theater the roles of Shunkan and Taira Morikuni in the drama "Heike Hyôbanki", which celebrates the 77th, 13th, 37th, 37th, 60th and 7th memorial services of late Nakamura Denkurô I, Nakamura Denkurô II, Kineya Kisaburô VI, Nakayama Kojurô V, Nakamura Denjirô I and Nakamura Denjirô III. Nakazô's performance suffers from his health problems.

8th lunar month of 1789: Nakazô appears on stage for the last time, at the Nakamuraza, performing in the dance "Kotobuki Yotsugi Sanbasô".

23rd day of the 4th lunar month of 1790: Nakazô dies in Edo; his tombstone is located in the precincts of the Jôzaiji Temple, in the district of Shitaya.

Comments:

Nakamura Nakazô I was an amazing jitsuaku actor, who started as an unknown low-ranking actor and rose to the top, becoming a senryô yakusha during the Tenmei era. He studied as a pupil of Ichikawa Danjûrô IV, often shared the same stage with Ichikawa Danjûrô V and his style was said to be similar to Ichikawa Danjûrô II's one. He was also an outstanding dancer and he wrote several books about his life and his art.

Nakamura Nakazô I's best roles: Sekibê/Kuronushi ("Seki no To") Kakogawa Honzô/Sadakurô ("Kanadehon Chûshingura"), Matsuômaru/Kan Shôjô ("Sugawara Denju Tenarai Kagami"), Kudô Saemon Suketsune (sogamono).

"The career of Nakamura Nakazô is one of the most varied of all the actors. He was possessed of many theatre gifts, but he had inherited a samurai temperament and exercised his genius just when social conditions had begun to dampen the enthusiasm of the people for the theatre." (Zoë Kincaid in "Kabuki, the Popular Stage of Japan")

Nakamura Nakazô I playing the role of Mikawaya Giheiji in the drama "Natsu Matsuri Naniwa Kagami", which was staged in the 7th lunar month of 1768 at the Nakamuraza (print made by Katsukawa Shunshô)

Prints & Illustrations

Four faces

Print made by Katsukawa Shunshô in 1768

Print made by Katsukawa Shunjô in 1781

Print made by Katsukawa Shunshô in 1785

Print made by Katsukawa Shunshô in 1787

Print made by Utagawa Toyokuni in the 1860s

The Nakamura Nakazô line of actors