Stage names:
Nakamura Utaemon IV
Nakamura Shikan II
Nakamura Tsurusuke I
Nakamura Tôtarô
Others names:
Nakamura Kanjaku I
Fujima Kamesaburô (dance)
Hirano Kichitarô
Nicknames:
Narikomaya Utaemon
Shijaku Utaemon
Guild: Narikomaya
Poetry names: Kanjaku (1), Shijaku
Line number: YODAIME (IV)
Existence: 1796 ~ 15 February 1852
Connections:
Adopted father: Nakamura Utaemon III
Father-in-law: Ichikawa Yaozô IV
Adopted sons: Nakamura Shikan IV, Nakamura Kanjaku III, Nakamura Kanjaku II, Nakamura Fukusuke II
Disciple: Nakamura Shibajaku I
Career:
1796: born in Edo in the family of the owner of a tea house located in the district of Shitaya. His name is Hirano Kichitarô.
1807: he is adopted by the dance master Fujima Kanjûrô I, who is none other than his uncle (the husband of his mother's sister). He receives the name of Fujima Kamesaburô.
1811: he becomes disciple of Nakamura Utaemon III, who gives him the name of Nakamura Tôtarô.
1812: Tôtarô and his master go together to Kamigata.
March 1813: Nakamura Tôtarô takes the name of Nakamura Tsurusuke I in Ôsaka.
November 1825: Nakamura Tsurusuke I takes the name of Nakamura Shikan II in Kyôto.
September 1827: Shikan plays at the Kado no Shibai the roles of Honda Dainaiki, Sawai Matagorô, Narumi and Ishidome Busuke in the drama "Igagoe Norikake Gappa".
October 1827: Shikan performs his onagori kyôgen in Ôsaka at the Kado no Shibai, playing the roles of Kuzu-no-Ha and the yakko Yokampei in the drama "Yomeiri Shinoda Zuma". He also performs all the roles of a 5-role hengemono called "Rangiku Tsuyu no Adamakura".
Winter 1827: Shikan goes to Edo.
January 1828: Shikan plays at the Nakamuraza the roles of Kawazu no Saburô Sukenari, Usami no Ichigorô (in reality Izu no Jirômaru) and the spirit of the mandarin duck of the Aso swamp in the new year drama "Suikoden Soga no Fûryû".
March 1828: Shikan plays in the same theater the role of the warrior Kumagai Jirô Naozane in the drama "Ichi-no-Tani Futaba Gunki". He also performs all the roles of a 7-role hengemono called "Nijirigaki Nanatsu Iroha". One of the role, "Tomo Yakko", is still part of the current Kabuki repertoire.
May 1828: Shikan plays in the same theater the roles of Ôboshi Yuranosuke, Kô no Moronô, Yazama Jûtarô, Ichimonjiya Saibei, the taiko mochi Ichihachi, Yasaku and Horibe Yajibei in the drama "Kanadehon Chûshingura".
September 1828: premiere at the Nakamuraza of the drama "Nochi no Tsuki Shuen no Shimadai" (commonly called "Kakuemon"). The main roles are played by Shikan and Segawa Kikunojô V.
October 1828: the Kabuki world is targeted by the authorities, which implements some sumptuary laws. Shikan and others actors are punished because of their ostentatious luxurious way of life. Shikan is placed for a little while under house arrest in a shop located in the district of Sakai-chô.
November 1828: Shikan becomes zagashira and plays at the Nakamuraza 8 roles, including Aku Genta, in the drama "Motomishi Hana Otogi Heike"; his yearly salary is 700 ryô.
January 1829: premiere at the Nakamuraza of Tsuruya Namboku IV's drama "Kin no Zai Saru Shima Dairi". The main roles are played by Segawa Kikunojô V (Takiyasha) and Shikan (Bandô Tarô).
March 1830: premiere at the Nakamuraza of the 9-role hengemono "Minokoshite Haru no Kokonoe"; Shikan plays all the roles, including the Yashima Court Lady, which is still part of the current Kabuki repertoire under the title "Kanjo".
March 1831: premiere at the Nakamuraza of the five-role hengemono "Rokkasen Sugata no Irodori"; Shikan plays the five roles of Sôjô Henjô, Ariwara no Narihira, Bun'ya no Yasuhide, Kisen and Ôtomo no Kuronushi [more details].
March 1832: premiere at the Nakamuraza of the 3-part Kiyomoto-based dance "Yayoi no Hana Asakusa Matsuri", starring Bandô Mitsugorô IV and Nakamura Shikan II in the leading roles. This dance is still sometimes performed in its entirety but the first part, "Sanja Matsuri" is frequently staged independently.
September 1833: Shikan performs his onagori kyôgen at the Nakamuraza, which is titled "Tamukeyama Momiji no Mitegura". He also dances in duo with Ichikawa Komazô V in the Kiyomoto-based dance "Mata Kuru Haru Suzuna no Tanemaki". He also plays in the dôjôjimono "Ranbyôshi Oni-mo Furisode".
Fall 1833: Shikan goes back to Ôsaka.
December 1833: Shikan plays at the Kado no Shibai the role of Kumagai Jirô Naozane in the drama "Ichi-no-Tani Futaba Gunki".
January 1835: premiere at the Kado no Shibai of the dance "Wake Futatsu Ninin Dôjôji", which stars Shikan and Nakamura Tomijûrô II.
Winter 1835~1836: Nakamura Utaemon III decides to confer his name upon Shikan but many disciples of the star, led by Nakamura Tomijûrô II, are righteously indignant because they do believe that this name should be given to Nakamura Utaemon III's grandson (and adopted son) Nakamura Tsurusuke II. It follows that the dispute gets hotter and hotter and Nakamura Utaemon III has to invite all his followers to his home in order to definitively settle the matter. The star ends his explanation by a famous sentence: "I will not give my name to Fujima Kichi, but I will give it to Kichi's art" (Kichi is a diminutive of Kichitarô, the real first name of Shikan). As a consequence of the dispute, Shikan is also adopted by his master.
January 1836: Nakamura Utaemon III and Nakamura Shikan II respectively take the names of Nakamura Tamasuke I and Nakamura Utaemon IV at the Kado no Shibai. The two actors play together in the drama "Keisei Haru no Tori", which is produced by the zamoto Nakamura Umezô.
Winter 1837~1838: Utaemon and the actors Arashi San'emon IX, Nakamura Tsuruzô I, Nakamura Kan'emon, Nakamura Tsurugorô, Nakamura Komasuke, Nakamura Kaei and Asao Okuyama go together to Edo.
March 1838: Utaemon plays at the Nakamuraza in the drama "Sanmon Hitome Sembon".
November 1838: premiere at the Ichimuraza of Nakamura Jûsuke IV's Tokiwazu-based dance "Hanabutai Kasumi no Saruhiki", commonly called "Utsubo Zaru"; Utaemon plays the role of the monkey-showman [casting].
March 1839: premiere at the Nakamuraza of the 8-role hengemono "Hana Goyomi Iro no Showake", which is performed by Utaemon. One of the role, "Toshima", is still part of the current Kabuki repertoire.
January 1843: premiere at the Ichimuraza of the dance "Kashiragaki Ise Monogatari" (commonly called "Noriaibune"), which is staged within the new year drama "Kioi Uta Soga no Hanadashi"; Utaemon is one of the seven dancers [more details].
December 1849: Utaemon and his adopted son Nakamura Fukusuke I settle in Ôsaka.
May 1850: Utaemon plays at the Naka no Shibai the role of Danshichi Kurobei in the drama "Natsu Matsuri Naniwa Kagami". His stage partners are Jitsukawa Enzaburô I (Tsuribune Sabu) and Mimasu Daigorô IV (Issun Tokubei).
January 1852: Utaemon appears on stage for the last time, at the Naka no Shibai, performing in the drama "Yotsu no Umi Taira no Yozakari" and the dance "Yosooi Rokkasen". He suddenly falls ill and dies the followng month.
Comments:
"The fourth Utaemon was large of stature, had fine eyes and good features, and excelled his master, the third, in many respects. His rivals were the fourth Bandô Mitsugorô and the fifth Sawamura Sôjûrô, but he won for himself a higher place on the stage than either of these Edo actors." (Zoë Kincaid in "Kabuki, the Popular Stage of Japan")
Nakamura Utaemon IV's best roles: Kumagai Jirô Naozane ("Ichi-no-Tani Futaba Gunki"), Matsuômaru ("Sugawara Denju Tenarai Kagami") and Ishikawa Goemon ("Sanmon Gosan no Kiri"). He was not at ease in sewamono but he excelled in jidaimono.
Nakamura Utaemon IV was just like his adopted father Nakamura Utaemon III a kaneru yakusha, able to perform a broad range of male or female roles. He was also an outstanding dancer. He was the first actor to use the yagô Narikomaya instead of the usual Kagaya. This new yagô was related to a present made by Ichikawa Danjûrô IV to Nakamura Utaemon I when he was on tour in Edo: the Edo star gave to the Kamigata actor a beautiful costum decorated with a Chinese chess piece pattern (koma in Japanese). The yagô of Ichikawa Danjûrô IV was Naritaya. Narikomaya was therefore created using the ideograms koma and nari, the first ideogram of Naritaya. This new yagô was a way for Nakamura Utaemon IV to express the fact that he felt more like an Edo actor than a Kamigata actor.
Nakamura Utaemon IV playing the role of Komakine Hachirô in the drama "Keisei Hime Hajime" in a print made by Utagawa Kunikazu in 1861
Print made by Utagawa Kunihiro in 1823
Print made by Toyokawa Yoshikuni in 1827 (courtesy of V.)
Print made by Utagawa Kunisada in 1828
Print made by Utagawa Kunisada in 1833
Print made by Utagawa Kunisada in 1833
Print made by Shumbaisai Hokuei in 1835
Print made by Shumbaisai Hokuei in 1835
Print made by Utagawa Toyokuni in 1848
Print made by Utagawa Hirosada in 1848
Print made by Utagawa Toyokuni in 1849
Print made by Utagawa Hirosada in 1851
The Nakamura Shikan line of actors
The Nakamura Utaemon line of actors