NAKAMURA KANZABURÔ XI

4th lunar month of 1787: Nakamura Kanzaburô X, who became zamoto in the 6th lunar month of 1786, runs away because of the Nakamuraza debt; Denkurô gets married with Okiku, the daughter of late Nakamura Kanzaburô VIII, takes the name of Nakamura Kanzaburô XI and becomes the new manager of a theater in turmoil.

Fall 1793: the debt-burden Nakamuraza goes bankrupt; Kanzaburô gives the license for Kabuki performances to the Miyakoza, his hikae yagura.

11th lunar month of 1797: the Nakamuraza reopens.

8th lunar month of 1799: his son-in-law Nakamura Denkurô IV dies.

4th day of the 11th lunar month of 1802: a fire breaks out in Edo in the district of Naniwa-chô and destroys the Nakamuraza.

13th day of the 11th lunar month of 1806: a fire breaks out from the shop of the hair-dresser Tomokurô in the district of Nihonbashi Fukiya-chô. It spreads and burns the Nakamuraza to ashes, killing many members of the audience.

1st day of the 1st lunar month of 1809: a fire breaks out in the district of Nihonbashi Sanai-chô and destroys the Nakamuraza.

5th lunar month of 1810: Nakamura Kanzaburô X dies.

29th day of the 11th lunar month of 1813: a fire breaks out in the district of Takasago-chô and destroys the Nakamuraza.

12th day of the 1st lunar month of 1817^[1]: a fire breaks out in the district of Norimono-chô and destroys the Nakamuraza.

7th lunar month of 1825: premiere at the Nakamuraza of Tsuruya Nanboku IV's ghost play "Tôkaidô Yotsuya Kaidan" [casting]; the performance is a big comercial success.

8th day of the 12th lunar month of 1825^[2]: a fire breaks out in the puppet theater Yûkiza, district of Fukiya-chô, and destroys the Nakamuraza.

3rd day of the 1st lunar month of 1827^[3]: a fire breaks out from the third floor of the Ichimuraza and destroys the Nakamuraza.

21st day of the 3rd lunar month of 1829^[4]: a fire breaks out from the shop of Owariya Tokuemon, in the district of Kanda Sakuma-chô. It spreads and destroys the Nakamuraza.

4th day of the 8th lunar month of 1829: Kanzaburô dies.

Comments:

Nakamura Kanzaburô XI was an actor up to 1787 and became the zamoto of the Nakamuraza. He managed his theater for 38 seasons but often had hard times to keep the Nakamuraza up and running because of the heavy burden of the theater debts and several fires, which burnt his theater to ashes. He had to close his business from Fall 1793 to Fall 1797.

[1] The 12th day of the 1st lunar month of the 14th year of the Bunka era was the 27th of February 1817 in the western calendar.

[2] The 8th day of the 12th lunar month of the 8th year of the Bunsei era was the 15th of January 1826 in the western calendar.

[3] The 3rd day of the 1st lunar month of the 10th year of the Bunsei era was the 29th of January 1827 in the western calendar.

[4] The 21st day of the 3rd lunar month of the 12th year of the Bunsei era was the 24th of April 1829 in the western calendar.

Nakamura Denkurô III in a print made by Utagawa Toyokuni III (1862~1863)

The Nakamura Denzô line of actors

The Nakamura Denkurô line of actors

The Nakamura Kanzaburô line of actors and theater managers