The moment I looked up at the Minamiza with its maneki signboards in place, my heart did a little “here we go!” December in Kyoto means kaomise season. And this particular year was as special as it gets: the name-succession celebration of Ichikawa Danjuro XIII Hakuen and the stage debut of his son, Ichikawa Shinnosuke VIII.
Read about the matinee here → Kaomise at Kyoto’s Minamiza Theatre: Matinee (December 2023)
A small confession: I’m writing this a while after the performance. What follows is only what has stayed with me over time, recorded honestly!
A Kaomise for a Name Succession
The Kichirei Kaomise at the Minamiza is one of Kyoto’s beloved year-end traditions. That year, with Ichikawa Ebizo formally becoming Danjuro XIII Hakuen and his son debuting as Shinnosuke VIII, the celebratory mood was doubled.
The evening program was a luxurious lineup: the Ichiriki Teahouse scene from Kanadehon Chushingura, the celebratory Kojo (a ceremonial piece in which the actors line up on stage in formal dress to greet the audience and mark the name succession), and the kabuki classic Sukeroku.
Watching from Dead Center of the Second Floor
My seat that evening was right in the middle of the second floor, with a full view of the stage. One of my favorite spots in the house.
Oboshi Yuranosuke in the Ichiriki Teahouse scene was played by Kataoka Nizaemon. And oh my. It was sublime. The kind of performance that makes you go “the best!” no matter how many times you’ve seen it. The details have faded, but one impression remains vivid: Nizaemon’s Yuranosuke was the best. That’s not a review, that’s a fact. Common knowledge, really.
Then came the Kojo. Danjuro, Shinnosuke, Nizaemon, Nakamura Baigyoku… seeing that illustrious lineup on one stage nearly brought me to tears on its own. What each of them actually said? Honestly, I no longer remember. But the memory of simply having seen that lineup still fills my chest.
Sukeroku, and Shouting “Naritaya!” Together
Danjuro’s Sukeroku was almost unfairly cool. So this is what iki—Edo-style chic—means, I thought, utterly won over.
But the most fun moment of the evening belonged to Nakamura Ganjiro as the dandy Satoake. He turned to the audience and called out, “Let’s do a kakegoe together, everyone—on three!” And so we all shouted “Naritaya!” in unison. A kakegoe is a shout of an actor’s guild name (Naritaya is the Danjuro line’s), traditionally called out from the audience by seasoned connoisseurs at just the right moment—something I could never dare to do on my own in a lifetime. Being given permission to join in, all together, was an absolute delight. When I tell friends this story, they are jealous 100% of the time.
Danjuro deadpanning “You’re a strange one” at Ganjiro was another highlight for me.
Intermission: A Two-Tier Wakuden Bento
My intermission treat was a two-tier bento from Wakuden, reserved in advance at the Takashimaya department store near Shijo-Kawaramachi. I adore their food.
The thing is, it’s a lot of food. I ate through both intermissions and only just finished. It felt like crossing a marathon finish line. Photos? None. I was too busy eating.
Final Thoughts
After the show, elegantly dressed ladies were gathered near the stage door, waiting for Danjuro. I didn’t catch a glimpse of him, but I did see Nakamura Hayato come out. Lucky me! Imagining how dashing Danjuro must have looked, I headed off into the Kyoto night.
What a luxurious December: both the matinee and evening programs of a name-succession kaomise. The memories that have survived the passage of time are “Nizaemon’s Yuranosuke was the best,” “that Kojo lineup,” and “shouting Naritaya! together.” Memory really does keep only the best parts, doesn’t it? Though Somegoro’s adorable triple “Nanjai” from the matinee deserves a mention too.
More maneki fun here → The Kaomise Maneki Boards at the Minamiza Theatre (December 2024)
