page_title: Kabuki
section_title: Actors
hierarchical_section_title: Kabuki / Actors
caption_attribution_description: English: Shūmei name-taking ceremony (襲名) Ichikawa En'ô II, Ichikawa Ennosuke IV and Ichikawa Chûsha IX at the Misono-za theatre in Nagoya. This was the last kabuki performance week before renovation work.
context_page_description: Kabuki is a classical Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for the stylization of its drama, the often-glamorous costumes worn by performers, and for the elaborate kumadori make-up worn by some of its performers.
  Kabuki is considered to have begun in 1603 when Izumo no Okuni formed a female dance troupe to perform dances and light sketches in Kyoto, but developed into an all-male theatrical form after females were banned from kabuki theatre in 1629. This form of theatre was perfected in the late 17th and mid-18th century.
  In 2005, the "Kabuki theatre" was proclaimed by UNESCO as an intangible heritage possessing outstanding universal value. In 2008, it was inscribed in the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
context_section_description: Every kabuki actor has a stage name, which is different from the name they were born with. These stagenames, most often those of the actor's father, grandfather, or teacher, are passed down between generations of actors' lineages, and hold great honor and importance. Many names are associated with certain roles or acting styles, and the new possessor of each name must live up to these expectations; there is the feeling almost of the actor not only taking a name, but embodying the spirit, style, or skill of each actor to previously hold that name. Many actors will go through at least three names over the course of their career.
  Shūmei (襲名) (lit., name succession) are grand naming ceremonies held in kabuki theatres in front of the audience. Most often, a number of actors will participate in a single ceremony, taking on new stage-names. Their participation in a shūmei represents their passage into a new chapter of their performing careers.
  Kabuki actors are typically part of a school of acting, or are associated with a particular theatre.
caption: Shūmei (襲名) ceremony of Ichikawa En'ō II, Ichikawa Ennosuke IV and Ichikawa Chūsha IX at the Misono-za in Nagoya (March 2013)
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