| Nakamura Kichiemon I | |
| Birth Name: | Tatsujirō Namino (波野辰次郎) |
| Birth Date: | 24 March 1886 |
| Birth Place: | Asakusa, Tokyo, Japan |
| Occupation: | Kabuki actor |
| Father: | Nakamura Karoku III |
| Relatives: | Nakamura Karoku I (grandfather) Nakamura Tokizō III (younger brother) Nakamura Kanzaburō XVII (younger brother) Masako Fujima (daughter) Matsumoto Hakuō I (son-in-law) Matsumoto Hakuō II (grandson) Nakamura Kichiemon II (grandson/adoptive son) Matsumoto Koshirō X (great-grandson) Kio Matsumoto (great-granddaughter) Takako Matsu (great-granddaughter) Yoko Namino (great-granddaughter) Ichikawa Somegorō VIII (great-great-grandson) Mio Matsuda (great-great-granddaughter) Onoe Ushinosuke VII (great-great-grandson) |
was a Japanese actor and kabuki performer. In 1945, he became the senior living kabuki actor in Japan.[1]
Kichiemon construed his career in terms of "lifelong study" (gei) of that which cannot be seen in an actor's performance.[2]
Nakamura Kichiemon is a formal kabuki stage name. The actor first appeared using the name in 1897; and he continued to use this name until his death.[3]
He was the maternal grandfather of Nakamura Kichiemon II.[4] 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.[5] In choosing to be known by the same stage name as his grandfather, the living kabuki performer honors his family relationships and tradition. In a long career, he acted in many kabuki plays, including the role of Matsuō-maru in the July 1951 production of Sugawara Denju Tenarai Kagami.[6]
In a statistical overview derived from writings by and about Nakamura Kichiemon I, OCLC/WorldCat encompasses roughly 10+ works in 20+ publications in 2 languages and 80+ library holdings.[7]