Ichikawa Ebizo XI (Ichikawa Shinnosuke VII)

etoile wrote:Hi guys!!

Found this thread and am telling you that I am soooo thrilled as I looove this guy!!!
Thanks a millions for the great pics!! Enjoying all them all. He surely has really nice smile :inlove:
I know a bit that he's a famous Kabuki actor. Never see kabuki :shamefulcry: Wish could see him...hhh (sigh)
What's the lattest news on him?

Hi etoile !!!! Really glad to see Ebizo has a new fan !!!!! :victory: :victory: :victory: And glad to know you're enjoyin' the pics. There's much more to come, I just wish I could have more time to update the gallery as I wanted to ... :puppydog:

He has such a nice nice smile, right ??? :smitten:
And yeah, he's now one of the most famous Kabuki actors. I wish I could watch a Kabuki play with him too ...
Well, now he's busy doing his first role in a movie. The movie is called "Deguchi no nai Umi" ("The Sea With No Exit"), and it will be on japanese theaters on next year's fall. He's playin' the role of Namiki Koji, an young Baseball player who has his career interrupted by the World War II: Koji and his team mates were convocated to join the Japanese Army. Koji is chosen to be the pillot of a Kaiten (suicide submarine, kind of "Kamikaze" of the sea), but he keeps his faith to back to the Baseball fields after the end of the War. Looks like it will be a great movie, I'm crazy to watch that !!!! :bonk: :bonk:
And in January he'll play Oda Nobunaga in a play called "Nobunaga", witch will be performed on Tokyo's Shinbashi Enbujo.
And about his father's health condition: his father is under treatment and looks like his condition is good.

Talkin' about updating the gallery, and talkin' about the movie "Deguchi no nai Umi", more of it's press conference:

Poster of the upcoming play "Nobunaga" (will be performed at Shimbashi Enbujo in Tokyo, from january 2 to january 26, 2006) - from the site

A bit of a new CM for Ito-en's Oi-Ocha. To watch the CM:

"Musashi" cap by bmwracer:

The photographer Sugimoto Hiroshi (left) and Ebizo (right) - From Gentry Magazine, issue July 2005:

One last pic from Gentry Magazine:

Betsy Hayashi wrote:Yeah, I've watched that. And it's pretty good, so so touching !!!!!! They did a wonderful job there !!!!

Good to know... I've got the movie, but haven't had time to watch it yet... That fact that it has no subs is a problem, too. :sweat: :puppydog:

Hi Betsy, I don't quite understand here, perhaps I am new to this kabuki stuff. But how come he has so many names? Ichikawa Shinnosuke, Ichikawa Ebizo and Horikoshi Takatoshi...whoa! I like them all though :love_eyes:

dang, i'd be great if he came to LA (san diego or SF even), i'd totally go see him in a performance.

Luuuuv all the pics you have posted, Betsy!! You're the best! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
More pics on Ebizo pleeeaaase... onegaishimasu...s'il te plait the latest ones. In Indonesia, being so far and so remote, I am gonna have to rely on you guys to provide me with lots and lots of info on Ebizo. Luv him :love_eyes:

bmwracer wrote:
Good to know... I've got the movie, but haven't had time to watch it yet... That fact that it has no subs is a problem, too. :sweat: :puppydog:

Ah, you already have the series ??? I would ask if you have that.
No problem, I will make a synopsis to you. But be a bit patient, because I will have to watch the series again. :bonk: :bonk: :bonk:

etoile wrote:Hi Betsy, I don't quite understand here, perhaps I am new to this kabuki stuff. But how come he has so many names? Ichikawa Shinnosuke, Ichikawa Ebizo and Horikoshi Takatoshi...whoa! I like them all though

Hi etoile !!!! Well, Horikoshi Takatoshi is his real name. Ichikawa Shinnosuke was his first and previous stage name, witch he received when he started his career (all the Kabuki actors, when they start the career on stage, receive stage names, according to the tradition of their families). Ichikawa Ebizo is his current stage name, since May 1st, 2004 (when Kabuki actors reach to a point of excellence on their acting, receive new stage names, also according to the tradition of their families, until they receive, finally, the lead stage name of his family of acting. In Ebizo's case, the lead name of his family of acting is Ichikawa Danjuro. This name is currently owned by his father).
Understood ??? :mrgreen:

krim wrote:dang, i'd be great if he came to LA (san diego or SF even), i'd totally go see him in a performance.

I would love to see a Kabuki performance with him too. Everyone who had seen his performances said that was an extraordinary experience, he's totally splendid on stage !!!!! :thumbsup:
And welcome to the thread, krim !!!!! :woot:

etoile wrote:Luuuuv all the pics you have posted, Betsy!! You're the best!
More pics on Ebizo pleeeaaase... onegaishimasu...s'il te plait the latest ones. In Indonesia, being so far and so remote, I am gonna have to rely on you guys to provide me with lots and lots of info on Ebizo. Luv him

Hehe, thanks etoile !!!!!
Don't worry, I'll provide you with the latest news and pics of Ebizo !!!!! :thumbsup: :victory: :victory: :victory:

I see. So Ichikawa Ebizo is his stage name. And is there a ceremony held for changing a kabuki actor? Betsy, you mentioned about changing name performances that Ebizo did, were they some kind of ceremonies? Sorry for asking too many, Betsy. I have very little knowledge on this kabuki thing. I only know that it's a sort of traditional japanese play where the actors wear thick make-up :bonk:

Is kabuki like dance company? Does Ebizo belong to a certain kabuki group?

etoile wrote:I see. So Ichikawa Ebizo is his stage name. And is there a ceremony held for changing a kabuki actor? Betsy, you mentioned about changing name performances that Ebizo did, were they some kind of ceremonies? Sorry for asking too many, Betsy. I have very little knowledge on this kabuki thing. I only know that it's a sort of traditional japanese play where the actors wear thick make-up :bonk:

Yeah, when an actor assumes a new name, he gives special performances to celebrate the name change. These performances are called "Shumei Hiro" and usually features the most important roles that are speciality of the actor's family. For example, Ebizo, in his special performances, played, among others, the roles of Kamakura Gongoro Kagemasa (lead character of the play "Shibaraku"), Sukeroku (of the play "Sukeroku Yukari no Edo Sakura") and Benkei ("Kanjincho"), that are some of the most famous roles of his family of acting (the Ichikawa Danjuro's line of actors).
During these special performances, there's always a ceremony, named "Kojo" (or "announcement"), in witch other actors tell stories about the actor who's changing the name, congratulate him and invite the audience to congratulate the actor either. Only on the "Shumei Hiro" of Ebizo's family of acting, there's also an moment on the "Kojo" in witch he poses and glances to the audience with his eyes crossed. This pose is called "Nirami" and, as I said before, is exclusively done by the members of Ichikawa Danjuro's line of actors.

etoile wrote:Is kabuki like dance company? Does Ebizo belong to a certain kabuki group?

No, Kabuki is a form of japanese performing art, like Noh and Bunhaku. Ebizo, like all the actors of Kabuki, belongs to a family of acting. And works for the Entertaiment and Movie Company Shochiku, that owns the most of the theaters in where Kabuki is performed (like Kabukiza in Tokyo, Minamiza in Kyoto, among others). There are only a few Kabuki troupes (like Ichikawa Ennosuke's troupe), but those troupes also work for Shochiku and the actors are members of families of acting.

One recent pic of Ebizo. From the site

Ebizo posing in full costume, as Oda Nobunaga. This pic came from the same site as the pic above:

And talking about the play "Nobunaga", a pic of the press conference to promote the play. From the site