Takanosuke’s Asakusa Debut at New Year Showcase for Rising Kabuki Stars

A Fresh Lineup at Asakusa

Asakusa is a historic neighborhood in eastern Tokyo famous for the temple Sensōji, founded some 1,400 years ago, that attracts tourists from around the world. It was also a thriving center of kabuki theater during the Edo period (1603–1868).

One vestige of the district’s ties to kabuki is the staging of performances at the Asakusa Public Hall, located just south of the famed temple’s grounds, in January each year. On January 2, 2025—the first day of the month-long run of New Year Asakusa Kabuki—a traditional kagami-biraki (symbolic breaking open of a sake cask) ceremony was held in front of the theater, where featured actors offered their New Year’s greetings.

Seven young kabuki actors take part in the kagami-biraki ceremony in Asakusa on January 2: from left, Onoe Sakon, Nakamura Tamatarō, Nakamura Takanosuke, Nakamura Hashinosuke, Nakamura Kangyoku, Ichikawa Somegorō, and Nakamura Tsurumatsu. (© Nippon.com)

The annual event began in 1980 to give promising, younger actors a chance to perform in some of the most coveted roles in the repertoire, which are usually played by kabuki’s biggest names in larger productions. Asakusa kabuki is considered a “gateway to success,” with up-and-coming actors engaging in friendly rivalry and learning the skills essential for the continuation of this artistic tradition.

There is a new group of actors headlining the performances this year. The troupe is led by 29-year-old Nakamura Hashinosuke and includes Nakamura Takanosuke, 25, Nakamura Kangyoku, 28, Nakamura Tsurumatsu, 29, Nakamura Tamatarō, 24, Ichikawa Somegorō, 19, and Onoe Sakon, 18. Takanosuke, Tamatarō, Somegorō, and Sakon are participating in the event for the first time.

Takanosuke at the January 2 ceremony, happy to be among his young peers in the kabuki world. (© Nippon.com)

Historic Ties to Kabuki

“Kabuki has deep-rooted ties to Asakusa,” notes Takanosuke. Over a year starting in 1842, the shogunal government granted official approval to three kabuki playhouses northeast of Sensōji in Saruwaka-chō (around present-day Asakusa 6-chōme), so named after Saruwaka (Nakamura) Kanzaburō, the founder of kabuki in Edo. They had been moved to this part of town to preserve public morals in areas closer to Edo Castle, and when venues for the puppet theater also sprang up in the neighborhood, Asakusa emerged as the city’s leading entertainment district, drawing visitors to not only Sensōji but also nearby playhouses.

The temple Sensōji is thronged by New Year visitors. (© Nippon.com)

Following the Meiji Restoration, the new government instructed the playhouses to relocate, and by the middle of the Meiji period, all three had shut down, and kabuki vanished from Asakusa.

It was not until January 1980 that kabuki returned to the district. Other major theaters in Tokyo—notably, Kabukiza and Shinbashi Enbujō—already featured New Year’s performances, so Asakusa was positioned as a venue where the next generation of stars could gain experience in major roles. Asakusa became an opportunity for young actors to hone their skills, and the fresh faces in the cast also helped to attract new fans.

“Asakusa has many distinguished businesses that have been around for hundreds of years,” Takanosuke points out. “It’s a historic district that retains an Edo-period feel. That means that there are quite a number of discerning theatergoers who can offer not only encouragement to younger actors but also good advice. There’s something special about performing here that makes it unlike any other venue.”

The Asakusa Public Hall, decorated festively with banners advertising the kabuki shows and their performers. (© Nippon.com)

In Different Roles with Somegorō

The highlight at this year’s Asakusa kabuki is the “Retreat in Amagasaki” scene from the play Ehon Taikōki (Picture Book of Taikō), which is being performed in both the morning and afternoon programs with alternating cast members. The play is a tale of filial love and sorrow, based on the experiences of the family of Sengoku-period general Akechi Mitsuhide’s following his ill-fated rebellion against the warlord Oda Nobunaga.

The “Retreat in Amagasaki” scene is from the tenth act of the 13-act play depicting the 13 days between the revolt and Mitsuhide’s eventual capture and death. In the morning show, Takanosuke portrays Mitsuhide’s son, Jūjirō, while in the afternoon, he switches roles to play Satō Masakiyo, a retainer seeking to avenge the death of Harunaga (as Nobunaga is named in the play).

The scene opens with Mitsuhide’s cloistered mother brooding over the rebellion led by her son. She is visited by Mitsuhide’s wife Satsuki and son Jūjirō, along with Jūjirō’s fiancée Hatsugiku. A simple ceremony is held to mark Jūjirō’s marriage to Hatsugiku, after which Jūjirō heads off to battle in support of his father, fully prepared to die. Mitsuhide, meanwhile, learns that the enemy general has disguised himself as a wandering monk and has sought lodging for the night at his mother’s cottage. Mitsuhide approaches his mother’s home late at night and thrusts a bamboo spear at the figure whom he believes is his pursuer. He learns to his dismay, however, that he has just fatally stabbed his own mother. Jūjirō, seriously wounded in combat, now hobbles home to report with his last breath that the battle is going badly. Mitsuhide is filled with grief over the tragic loss of both his mother and son.

“Taikōki is a very difficult play, so actors our age wouldn’t normally be able to perform it convincingly. That’s what makes Asakusa kabuki so valuable. It’s a great chance to learn the classics, even if the roles we’re given are, admittedly, a bit over our heads. We can absorb a lot just by watching the performances of seasoned veterans, of course, but here, we get to learn by doing.”

Takanosuke performing as Jūjirō. (© Matsuda Tadao)

Fellow actor Ichikawa Somegorō, meanwhile, is cast as Mitsuhide in the morning program and as the enemy general in the afternoon performance. This means that Somegorō—who is six years younger than Takanosuke—will be playing the part of Takanosuke’s father in the morning and his lord in the afternoon.

“It’s not at all unusual in kabuki for actors to be cast in roles that reverse real-life age differences. And sometimes, a father and son may even perform as lovers. I think that the ability to be compelling on stage, regardless of age or relationship, is the real measure of an actor’s skill. Somegorō, for one, may be known for his soft demeanor, but he has a very forceful stage presence, and this comes through in his portrayal of Mitsuhide. My job, meanwhile, is to convey the innocence and anguish of an eighteen-year-old and thereby highlight the tragedy that has befallen a father and son.”

Takanosuke turns in a stunning performance as Jūjirō, here injured in his first battle. (© Matsuda Tadao)

The finale of the afternoon program is Bōshibari, an adaptation from a kyōgen play. It is a comical dance drama about two servants whose hands are tied to prevent them from drinking the master’s sake while he is away. They use their wits to steal drinks, nonetheless, and end up dancing together in a drunken stupor. Takanosuke performed the same piece with Onoe Sakon at a privately organized recital called Shōnokai in 2024, but this time he is partnering with Somegorō. “I’m performing with Somegorō in three different roles,” Takanosuke notes of the Asakusa cast, “and I find it quite amusing to be working with a single actor in this range of characters who have such contrasting relationships to one another.”

Some of the playful action in Bōshibari. (© Matsuda Tadao)

“In Bōshibari, the actors really have to work well together on stage to make it fun. Naturally, when we partner with someone else, the energy that comes across will be quite different. Sakon and Somegorō have their respective approaches, and I enjoy working with both styles.”

Takanosuke and Somegorō play servants finding ways to outfox their master and enjoy his sake. (© Matsuda Tadao)

Big Aspirations

Takanosuke says he hopes to perform again in Asakusa, particularly in a role in “Kurumabiki.”

The piece is a famous scene from the play Sugawara denju tenarai kagami, based loosely on the banishment of court official Sugawara no Michizane, and depicts the confrontation between triplets serving different lords. The scene is considered archetypical of the aragoto style of kabuki acting featuring exaggerated, dynamic movements and flamboyant kumadori makeup.

“I had a chance to perform ‘Kurumabiki’ with Somegorō and Sakon at a one-day event in 2023. I think it went very well, so I’d love to team up with them again in Asakusa.”

Posters advertising the young stars in the lobby of the Asakusa Public Hall. (© Nippon.com)

There are many more plays Takanosuke aspires to perform, and not just in Asakusa. “My biggest goal,” he proclaims, “is to play the role of Benkei in Kanjinchō. This is something my father [Nakamura Tomijūrō V] did when he was twenty, and I hope to do so myself one day.”

He goes on to note: “Generations of kabuki actors before me have used Asakusa as a stepping stone, performing many of kabuki’s most coveted roles for the first time here and subsequently refining their skills over the years. In a sense, what we perform in Asakusa can be regarded as a declaration of a young actor’s future aspirations.”

Asakusa is a forum where the next generation of kabuki stars eagerly devote their energies to learning the classics they someday hope to perform on kabuki’s grandest stage: Kabukiza. For those who have never seen kabuki, it can also be a great introduction to this traditional stage art. Attending a show in person—perhaps during a sightseeing visit to the historic neighborhood—would surely make for a highly memorable experience.

Takanosuke performing as Jūjirō. (© Matsuda Tadao)

New Year Asakusa Kabuki

• https://www.kabukiweb.net/theatres/other/asakusa/asakusa_january_2025/
• When: Through Sunday, January 29, 2025, with performances twice daily at 11:00 and 15:00
• Where: Asakusa Public Hall, 1-38-6 Asakusa, Taitō, Tokyo
• Venue website: https://asakusa-koukaidou.net/en

(Originally reported and written in Japanese by Hashino Yukinori and Itakura Kimie of Nippon.com. Banner photo: Nakamura Takanosuke, at right, performs with Ichikawa Somegorō in Bōshibari. © Matsuda Tadao.)