Kabuki star Ichikawa Ebizo is back on stage. The actor is currently touring the country with "Koten e no Izanai" (An invitation to classics), an assortment of famous kabuki scenes and dances. He leads the cast of the show.
Ebizo explained that he decided to go on with the tour despite COVID-19 concerns because he has strong feelings for the kabuki scene, which has been hit hard by the pandemic.
"We planned the tour ourselves so that the audience can appreciate Ebizo the actor at a reasonable price," he said.
He started the "Koten e no Izanai" project in 2012 and has staged scenes from famous kabuki classics and productions arranged by himself. This year, he kicked off the tour in Kumamoto Prefecture in September. It will end this month in Kanagawa Prefecture.
"Because I'm a kabuki actor, I use kabuki to entertain people. I want to cheer up people coming to watch the show. That's the bottom line," he said.
This year's show is significant for yet another reason: the strong sentiment he has for people who support kabuki behind the scenes.
Theatrical performances, including kabuki, were hard hit by the pandemic. Many theater jobs disappeared, and one staff member Ebizo knows told him his earnings had all but dried up. He saw some other staff members doing part-time jobs to make a living.
"Things are strained, aren't they? Here's my priority: offering jobs to our staff, people involved in kabuki, all those people full of talent," he said, showing his sense of responsibility as a member of the Ichikawa family, which has sustained the mainstream of Edo kabuki.
The program this time starts with the kabuki dance "Kotobukishiki Sanbaso" (The ceremonious Sanbaso dance). The ritual dance consists of two parts: a prayer for peace by two characters, Okina (a divine elder) and Senzai (a young man), and a prayer for fertility danced by Sanbaso (a comic). It is often performed on celebratory occasions, such as the New Year or the inauguration of a theater.
"It invokes the gods by standing firm on the ground. I wish to bring back the vitality of Japan by performing Sanbaso," Ebizo said.
It is followed by an address to the audience by the members of Naritaya, the guild name of the Ichikawa kabuki family. Then comes "Otoko Date Hanano Yoshiwara" (A dashing man in Yoshiwara), a new short play by Ebizo based on the kabuki play "Soga Moyo Tateshi no Goshozome" (The gallant commoner Gosho no Gorozo). Gorozo, a dapper guy, talks about his relationship with his girlfriend, a courtesan, on his way to visit her. According to Ebizo, the theme of this play is kakkoyosa, or the coolness of a man.
"My father and my grandfather were good at playing Gorozo in the original play. But I thought maybe I could do it in a bit of a different way. I want to portray only his cool bit," the actor said.
So what kind of coolness is he after?
"A cool guy these days must be able to do everything, like being good at his job and a gentleman. 'Cool' in the old days meant being popular with women. That's it," Ebizo said.
He is definitely enthralling the audience with this classic "cool."
He said the novel coronavirus brought about changes to his mind-set. He was most devastated by the postponement of the performance commemorating his succession to the stage name Ichikawa Danjuro XIII, Hakuen. The kabuki scene was going to have a celebratory year this year. But it is yet to be decided when the performance will take place.
"I'm sure many people were looking forward to it, so I was feeling apologetic as well. It took a long time for me to come to terms with it emotionally," he said, pouring out his honest feelings.
However, that period also gave him time to rethink what he was supposed to do. In June, he launched his own YouTube channel, Ebizo TV, and began streaming his everyday life and other content. It is there that viewers can see him as an unpretentious person, the father of two children.
"I started [posting on] YouTube because of the coronavirus. I've been working on stage all my life, ever since I was born. So I had no time for my children," he said.
And in September, he started an online school for training people who wish to work in traditional performing arts, including kabuki. He said he would not have launched the project were it not for the virus. He was pushed by a strong sense of crisis for the future of traditional performing arts.
"I questioned myself about what I was doing as a kabuki actor. I have to do what I really want to do," he said.
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
