Nakamura Utaemon V

Who was Nakamura Utaemon V?

Nakamura Utaemon V was a Japanese kabuki performer and "dean of kabuki actors at 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.

Utaemon V was the artistic heir of Nakamura Utaemon IV. He was born in the fifth 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.

⁕Nakamura Utaemon I

⁕Nakamura Utaemon II

⁕Nakamura Utaemon III

⁕Nakamura Utaemon IV

⁕Nakamura Utaemon V

⁕Nakamura Utaemon VI

In a long career, he played many roles; but he was best known for his oyama or onnagata roles.