Nakamura Kichiemon II
| Nakamura Kichiemon II 二代目中村吉右衛門 |
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|---|---|
| Born |
Tatsujirō Namino 22 May 1944 Tokyo, Japan |
| Other names | Harimaya, Nakamura Mannosuke, Matsu Kanshi II |
Nakamura Kichiemon II (二代目 中村 吉右衛門 Nidaime Nakamura Kichiemon?, born May 22, 1944), born Namino Tatsujirō, is a Japanese actor, kabuki performer and costume designer. He is a so-called Living National Treasure.
Nakamura Kichiemon is a formal kabuki stage name. The actor's grandfather first appeared using the name in 1897; and Nakamura Kichiemon I continued to use this name until his death. Kichiemon I was the maternal grandfather of Kichiemon II.
In the conservative Kabuki world, stage names are passed from father to son in formal system which converts the kabuki stage name into a mark of accomplishment. In choosing to be known by the same stage name as his grandfather, the living kabuki performer honors his family relationships and tradition.
Born in Kōjimachi, Chiyoda, Tokyo. His elder brother is Matsumoto Kōshirō IX. His father was Ichikawa Somegorō V, later known as Matsumoto Kōshirō VIII, and finally as Matsumoto Hakuō I. His mother was Seiko Fujima, Nakamura Kichiemon I's daughter and only child. According to Kichiemon II himself, his grandfather was "furious" and couldn't accept that his only child was a girl (due the fact that in Kabuki there are no actress it meant that he couldn't give his name to his daughter), and treated her like a boy during her childhood. As a result, when she got married, Seiko promised her father that she would have at least two sons: the first would have carried his husband's traditions, while the second would have carried his name. She kept her promise and gave to adoption Kichiemon II to his grandfather. Unlike the most of Kabuki actors, who are only formally adopted when joining an acting family, he was legally adopted by his grandfather.
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