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context: theatre > kabuki
The Ichikawa Dynasty
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a statue of Ichikawa Danjuro IX |
The Ichikawa family are still the most popular actors in Kabuki. They are traditionally identified by three white squares on red, as in this Shunsho print. The dynasty was started by Ichikawa Danjuro 1660-1704, who mainly played warriors in a very vigorous style, and was also an author. He was killed on stage by a fellow actor. The Danjuro name is given to the greatest current member of the family. I saw the young scion of this family, Ebizo Ichikawa XI (who is likely to become Danjuro XIII), performing in 2010, and he is dazzling: gorgeous, immensely athletic, exciting and a great dancer.