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Ichikawa Danjûrô II was a prominent [[kabuki]] actor of the [[Genroku]] period, son and heir to kabuki pioneer [[Ichikawa Danjuro I|Ichikawa Danjûrô I]].
Ichikawa Danjûrô II was a prominent [[kabuki]] actor of the [[Genroku]] period, son and heir to kabuki pioneer [[Ichikawa Danjuro I|Ichikawa Danjûrô I]].
He was 16 years old and held the name [[Ichikawa Kuzo|Ichikawa Kuzô I]] on [[1704]]/2/19, when his father was killed onstage, possibly before young Kuzô's eyes. At the suggestion of friends and family, he immediately adopted his father's name, becoming Danjûrô II and establishing the name [[Ichikawa Danjuro|Ichikawa Danjûrô]] as a hereditary name held by the top actor in the community. He famously gave an extemporaneous memorial speech several days later which included a discussion of famous historical swords in which, through the use of wordplay, he named his father's killer.
==Names==
Like most kabuki actors, and many artists, of his time, Danjûrô had a number of names. He was the second to be called [[Ichikawa Danjuro|Ichikawa Danjûrô]]. His ''[[yago|yagô]]'' was [[Naritaya]]. Other names he used on stage include Ichikawa Ebizô II and Ichikawa Kuzô I. In poetry circles, he often used the names Saigyû, Sanshô, and Hakuen.
==Lineage==
Danjûrô was the son of the first Ichikawa Danjûrô. He had a son who, in turn, followed him as [[Ichikawa Danjuro III|Ichikawa Danjûrô III]], as well as an adopted son who later became [[Ichikawa Danjuro IV|Ichikawa Danjûrô IV]]. Through them, Danjûrô II had numerous descendants who were also actors on the kabuki stage, alongside his numerous disciples.
==Life and Career==
The boy who would later become Danjûrô II was born in [[Edo]] on [[1688]]/10/11, after his father prayed to [[Fudo Myoo|Fudô Myôô]], god of [[Narita-san Shinsho-ji|Narita-san Shinshô-ji]], for a son.
He made his first appearance onstage in [[1697]]/5, at the [[Nakamura-za]], taking the name [[Ichikawa Kuzo|Ichikawa Kuzô I]]. Three years later, he and his father began performing more exclusively at the Nakamura-za; Kuzô delivered his first lines onstage in a performance in [[1700]]/11. Father and son moved to the [[Morita-za]] in [[1702]]/11, and then to the [[Ichimura-za]] in [[1703]]/11.
He was 16 years old on [[1704]]/2/19, when his father was killed onstage by [[Ikushima Hanroku]], possibly before young Kuzô's eyes. At the suggestion of friends and family, he adopted his father's name at a ceremony at the [[Yamamura-za]] in 1704/7, becoming Danjûrô II and establishing the name Ichikawa Danjûrô as a hereditary name held by the top actor in the community. He famously gave an extemporaneous memorial speech several days later which included a discussion of famous historical swords in which, through the use of wordplay, he named his father's killer.
For a number of years after his father's death, up through [[1709]], Danjûrô suffered a slump in his career, as enemies of his father with influence among the theatre managers denied him major roles and shut him out from playing any prominent part in the kabuki world.
Danjûrô returned to prominence circa 1709, and four years later, in [[1713]]/3, played the lead role in the debut of the first [[Sukeroku]] play, ''Hana Yakata Aigo Zakura''. Over the course of his career, Danjûrô moved between the major Edo theatres, performing in many different plays, including, on occasion, prominent premieres. The first month of [[1719]] marked the kabuki debut of [[Chikamatsu Monzaemon]]'s ''[[Sonezaki Shinju]]'', in which Danjûrô played the lead role.
On key anniversaries of his father's death, Danjûrô led public performances and private ceremonies in memory of his father. As was typical, guests to these private family affairs would donate "incense money" to help support the costs of the gatherings, and the family would prepare small gifts in return. The woodblock-printed volume ''[[Chichi no on]]'' was produced in [[1730]] as one such gift, setting a precedent for memorial albums for kabuki actors.
On key anniversaries of his father's death, Danjûrô led public performances and private ceremonies in memory of his father. As was typical, guests to these private family affairs would donate "incense money" to help support the costs of the gatherings, and the family would prepare small gifts in return. The woodblock-printed volume ''[[Chichi no on]]'' was produced in [[1730]] as one such gift, setting a precedent for memorial albums for kabuki actors.