November at the Kabuki-za celebrated the 50th death anniversary of famed tachiyaku (立役) and nimaime (二枚目) actor Ichikawa Danjūrō XI (1909-1965). According to Samuel Leiter, Danjūrō XI was an unassuming man humble and quiet.1 His successful career, marred with illness, was part of an important transition in post-war kabuki history . His work with the Department Store Theatres was an important time for kabuki … More November Kabuki – Vestiges of Narita in Edo Flowers (江戸の花成田の面影)

Winter is fast approaching here in Tōkyō, a few weeks ago I had the opportunity to visit Ikebukuro at the Toshima Civic Centre to see the exhibition of kabuki photographer Fukuda Naotake (福田尚武). Naotake began to take photo’s as a hobby which quickly grew into an obsession.  Having watched Nakamura Kanzaburō XVII (1909-1988) on stage for … More The photography of Fukuda Naotake