Stage names:

Nakayama Kiraku I
Nakayama Shinkurô III
Nakayama Raisuke III
Nakayama Shinshichi
Nakayama Tatsuzô

Other name: Nakayama Icchô III

Guild: Oriya

Line number: SHODAI (I)

Poetry names: Kiraku, Icchô (3)

Existence: 1761 ~ 25th day of the 10th lunar month of 1827

Connections:

Father: Nakayama Otojûrô

Son: Nakayama Shinkurô IV

Career:

1761: born in Ôsaka. He is the son of Nakayama Otojûrô, a low-ranking disciple of the star Nakayama Bunshichi I.

1781: he starts his career, playing under the name of Nakayama Tatsuzô in Ôsaka in hama shibai.

2nd lunar month of 1794: Nakayama Tatsuzô takes the name of Nakayama Shinshichi at the Naka no Shibai, playing in Namiki Gohei I's drama "Shima Meguri Uso no Kikigaki".

4th lunar month of 1794: Shinshichi plays in Kyôto at the Nishi no Shibai in the drama "Wada Gassen Onna Maizuru".

5th lunar month of 1794: premiere at the Nishi no Shibai (Kyôto) of Namiki Gohei I's drama "Godairiki Koi no Fûjime"; Shinshichi plays the role of Hachiemon [casting].

8th lunar month of 1796: Nakayama Shinshichi takes the name of Nakayama Raisuke III at the Minamigawa no Shibai.

11th lunar month of 1802: Nakayama Raisuke III takes the name of Nakayama Shinkurô III at the Kitagawa no Shibai, playing the role of Tsukuma Saemon in the drama "Fûryû Kokusen'ya", which is produced by Azuma Tomijirô. His stage partners are Ichikawa Danzô IV, Arashi Sangorô III, Arashi Kichisaburô II, Sawamura Kunitarô I, Yoshizawa Iroha I, Nakayama Bungorô I and Kanô Minshi I.

9th lunar month of 1809: Shinkurô plays at the Kado no Shibai the role of Mashiba Hisayoshi in the drama "Sanmon Gosan no Kiri", which is produced by Mimasu Kumesaburô; the role of Ishikawa Goemon is played by Kataoka Nizaemon VII.

11th lunar month of 1809: Shinkurô plays at the Kado no Shibai in the kaomise drama "Keishoku Yuki-miru Yama", which is produced by Mimasu Kumesaburô and stars Nakayama Hyakka, Yoshizawa Ayame V, Arashi Kichisaburô II, Asao Kuzaemon I, Nakamura Daikichi I, Kanô Minshi I and Asao Okuyama III.

11th lunar month of 1810: Shinkurô plays at the Minamigawa no Shibai the roles of Mitsuhide and Kaheiji in Chikamatsu Tokuzô's drama "Sangoku Busô Yakko Ukejô".

11th lunar month of 1816: Shinkurô plays at the Naka no Shibai the role of Tosabô in the drama "Gosho Zakura Horikawa no Youchi".

8th lunar month of 1822: tour in Nagoya for a troupe led by the Edo star Iwai Hanshirô V and the Kamigata actors like Shinkurô, Nakayama Icchô IV and Bandô Jûtarô; they perform at the Tachibana no Shibai in "Ranjatai Nitta Keizu" and "Edo Murasaki Naniwa no Iroage".

1st lunar month of 1826: Nakayama Shinkurô III and his son Nakayama Icchô IV respectively take the names of Nakayama Kiraku I and Nakayama Shinkurô IV; Kiraku plays at the Kita-Horie Ichi-no-Gawa Shibai (Ôsaka) in the drama "Katakiuchi Ura no Asagiri".

4th lunar month of 1827: Kiraku appears on stage for the last time, in Ôsaka at the Naka no Shibai, playing in the dramas "Ken Mawashi Sato no Daitsû" and "Kuni Namari Futaba no Oizuru".

Comments:

Nakayama Kiraku I was a tachiyaku actor, who spent all his career in Kamigata and was a specialist in jitsuaku (his first field of excellence), jitsugotoshi and budôgoto roles. He was famous for his great voice and for delivering his lines perfectly.

Nakayama Shinkurô III playing the role of Ashikaga Masaemon in the drama "Hira-ga-Dake Yukimi no Jindate", which was staged in the 8th lunar month of 1814 at the Kado no Shibai (print made by Asayama Ashiyuki)

The Nakayama Raisuke line of actors

The Nakayama Shinkurô line of actors

The Nakayama Kiraku line of actors