BANDÔ RAKUZEN

Stage names:

Bandô Rakuzen [1] In Japanese
Bandô Hikosaburô VIII In Japanese
Bandô Kamezô II In Japanese
Bandô Shinsui VIII In Japanese
Bandô Kamesaburô IV In Japanese

Real name: Bandô Teruhiko

Guild: Otowaya

Birthday: 31 March 1943

Connections:

Great-great-great-grandfathers: Onoe Kikugorô III, Ichimura Uzaemon XI

Great-great-grandfather: Ichimura Takenojô V

Great-grandfather: Onoe Kikugorô V

Grandfather: Bandô Hikosaburô VI

Father: Ichimura Uzaemon XVII

Brothers: Ichimura Manjirô II, Kawarasaki Gonjûrô IV

Sons: Bandô Hikosaburô IX, Bandô Kamezô III

Grandson: Bandô Kamesaburô VI

Career:

June 1950: he made his first appearance on stage at the Shinbashi Enbujô, receiving the name of Bandô Kamesaburô IV and performing in the "Terakoya" scene of the classic "Sugawara Denju Tenarai Kagami"

May 1965: shûmei at the Kabukiza for 3 young actors of the Otowaya guild; Onoe Ushinosuke V, Bandô Kamesaburô IV and Onoe Sakon I respectively took the names of Onoe Kikunosuke IV, Bandô Shinsui VIII, and Onoe Tatsunosuke I; the new Shinsui played the roles of Kobayashi no Asahina and Take-no-Kimi in "Soga no Taimen" and "Kimi-ga-Yo Shôchikubai".

October 1965: Shinsui took part in the first Kabuki tour in Western Europe; he played the role of Momonoi Wakasanosuke in the drama "Kanadehon Chûshingura" [casting].

December 1969: revival at the Kabukiza of the Tokiwazu-based dance-drama "Kumo no Ito Azusa no Yumihari"; Shinsui played the role of Usui Sadamitsu [more details].

April 1971: revival at the National Theatre of Nagawa Shimesuke I's drama "Sumidagawa Gonichi no Omokage"; Shinsui played the role of Hitachi Taijô [casting].

May 1972: Bandô Shinsui VIII and Ichimura Takematsu V took the names of Bandô Kamezô II and Ichimura Manjirô II at the Kabukiza, where the 26th anniversary (27th memorial service) of the passing away of Ichimura Uzaemon XV was celebrated; the new Kamezô played the roles of Kiyohara no Takehira and Kajiwara Heizô Kagetoki in the dramas "Shibaraku" and "Ishikiri Kajiwara".

June 1973: revival at the National Theatre of Tsuruya Nanboku IV and Sakurada Jisuke II drama "Kokoro no Nazo Toketa Iroito"; Kamezô played the role of Kanbara Sagorô [casting].

March 1975: revival at the National Theatre of Kawatake Shinshichi II's drama "Jiraiya Gôketsu Monogatari"; Kamezô played the role of Fûki Tarô [casting].

February 1976: revival at the Kabukiza of a 5-act revised version of Funahashi Seiichi's drama "Ejima Ikushima"; Kamezô played the role of Manabe Echizen-no-Kami Akifusa [casting].

February 1980: Bandô Kamezô II took the name of Bandô Hikosaburô VIII at the Kabukiza, playing the roles of Rokusuke and Saitô Bettô Sanemori in the dramas "Keya-mura" and "Sanemori Monogatari".

March 1981: revival at the National Theatre of Kawatake Mokuami's drama "Jitsugetsusei Kyôwa Seidan"; Hikosaburô played the role of the priest Nisshô [casting].

July 1981: revival at the Kabukiza of Tsuruya Nanboku IV's drama "Hitori Tabi Gojûsan Tsugi"; Hikosaburô played the role of Ishii Sanai [casting].

January 1983: revival of "Nanatsu Men" at the National Theatre; Hikosaburô played the role of Minamoto no Yoritomo [casting].

January 1984: historic revival at the National Theatre of the play "Sankai Nagoya"; Hikosaburô played the role of Yokogawa Unzai [casting].

January 2002: the National Theatre produced the revival of Kawatake Shinshichi II's drama "Koharunagi Okitsu Shiranami", which has not been played in its full length since 11th lunar month of 1864; Hikosaburô played the roles of the warrior Araki Samonnosuke and the hunter Kibazô [casting].

January 2008: revival at the National Theatre of Sakurada Jisuke I's kaomise drama "Komachi-mura Shibai no Shôgatsu"; Hikosaburô played the role of Ono no Yoshizane [more details].

January 2010: revival at the National Theatre of Namiki Gohei's long-forgotten drama "Keisei Kogane no Shachihoko", which was revised and entitled "Asahi-ni Kagayaku Kin no Shachihoko"; it was staged to commemorate the 400-year anniversary of the establishment of the city of Nagoya; Hikosaburô played the role of the Ashikaga karô Ishidani Kachizaemon [more details | casting].

January 2014: premiere at the National Theatre of "Sanzen Ryô Haru no Komahiki", a revival of Tatsuoka Mansaku's 1794 drama "Keisei Haru no Tori"; Hikosaburô played the role of Shioya Tôemon [more details].

May 2017: 3-generation shûmei for the Bandô branch of the Otowaya guild at the Kabukiza; Bandô Hikosaburô VIII, his two sons Bandô Kamesaburô V and Bandô Kametoshi respectively took the names of Bandô Rakuzen [1], Bandô Hikosaburô IX and Bandô Kamezô III; Rakuzen played the roles of Ôba Saburô Kagechika and Kobayashi no Asahina in "Ishikiri Kajiwara" and "Soga no Taimen" [more details]. There was also the hatsubutai of Rakuzen's grandson Bandô Kamesaburô VI. Terajima Maholo, the grandson of Living National Treasure Onoe Kikugorô and son of the actress Terajima Shinobu made his first stage appearance (omemie). Moreover, the 22nd and 16th anniversaries (23rd and 17th memorial services) of the passing away of Onoe Baikô VII and Ichimura Uzaemon XVII were commemorated.

January 2019: revival at the National Theatre of Namiki Gohei I's 1779 drama "Sode Nikki Banshû Meguri"; this Otowaya-powered revision was entitled "Himeji-jô Oto-ni Kiku Sono Ishizue"; Rakuzen played the role of Momonoi Shuridayû [casting | more details].

Comments:

Bandô Rakuzen is a talented supporting tachiyaku, katakiyaku and oyajigata actor of the Otowaya guild.

Bandô Rakuzen's best roles : Fujiwara no Shihei/Shundô Genba ("Sugawara Denju Tenarai Kagami"), Lord Matsue ("Kôchiyama"), Soga no Iruka ("Imoseyama Onna Teikin"), Benkei ("Yoshitsune Senbon Zakura"), Tarôkaja's master ("Suô Otoshi") and Yakushiji Jirozaemon ("Kanadehon Chûshingura").

[1] Rakuzen was the haimyô of Bandô Hikosaburô III.

The mon of Bandô Hikosaburô VIII

The Bandô Kamesaburô line of actors

The Bandô Shinsui line of actors

The Bandô Kamezô line of actors

The Bandô Hikosaburô line of actors

 
Search this site powered by FreeFind
  Site map | Disclaimer
Contact | Main | Top | Updates | Actors | Plays | Playwrights | Programs | Links | FAQ | Glossary | Chronology | Illustrations | Prints | Characters | Derivatives | Theaters | Coming soon | News