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Eno Ichikawa, who brought back the extravagant Kabuki performances in Japan to appeal to younger and international audiences, has passed away. He was 83.
Ichikawa passed away on Wednesday in Tokyo from heart issues. According to a statement made on Saturday by the entertainment company Shochiku Co. A significant Kabuki producer.
Ichikawa, or Masahiko Kinoshi, became well-known for “Super Kabuki,” reviving the circus-like aspects of the tradition. That had been abandoned over time, such as the “flying” supported by ropes. He focused on speed, story, and spectacle, the three Ss.
Eno Ichikawa
Kabuki, a genre of live music and dance on a rotating stage that dates back to the Edo period of the 17th century, is often only performed by men. So throughout his career, Ichikawa portrayed lovely damsels in addition to witches, samurai, and even animals.
He is well known for reviving the act known as “chunori,” which translates to “lifted into space,” in which a happy fox is given a tiny drum carved from the hide of its murdered parents by a princess.
In 2000, Ichikawa was recognized by Guinness Book of World Records for having “flown across the stage and audience for 5,000 performances since April 1968.”
Ichikawa, dubbed “the rebel in Kabuki” by Japanese media, also produced fresh works.
In 1986, the Japanese mythology-inspired film “Yamato Takeru,” about a prince battling evil spirits, made its debut. The protagonist eventually changes into a stunning white bird and soars through the auditorium.
Along with working with contemporary authors and composers, Ichikawa also cast and taught actors from outside the Kabuki families. That had never happened before, but because to Ichikawa’s efforts, similar partnerships are now commonplace.
Teruyuki Kagawa, a well-known actor in films and TV series, and his father, Ichikawa, became estranged after Ichikawa’s divorce from actress Yuko Hama. They eventually got back together, and when Kagawa was in his 40s, he began studying Kabuki as Chusha Ichikawa.
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