Nakamura Utaemon VI

Who was Nakamura Utaemon VI?

Nakamura Utaemon VI was a Japanese kabuki performer and an artistic director of the Kabuki-za in Tokyo. He was a prominent member of a family of kabuki actors from the Keihanshin region.

Nakamura Utaemon was a stage name with significant cultural and historical connotations. The name Utaemon indicates personal status as an actor. Such a title can only be assumed after the death of a previous holder, under restrictive succession conventions.

Utaemon VI was the son of Nakamura Utaemon V. The actor's name was Fujio Kawamura when he was born in the sixth generation of a line of famous Kabuki actors. In the conservative Kabuki world, stage names are passed from father to son in formal system which converts the kabuki stage name into a mark of accomplishment. The name Utaemon VI was formally proclaimed in a 1951 ceremony at the Kabuki theater in Tokyo.

⁕Nakamura Utaemon I

⁕Nakamura Utaemon II

⁕Nakamura Utaemon III

⁕Nakamura Utaemon IV

⁕Nakamura Utaemon V

⁕Nakamura Utaemon VI

In a long career, he acted in many kabuki plays; but he was best known for his oyama roles.