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[[Image:Nakamuraza.jpg|right|thumb|350px|A life-size reproduction of the theatre, at the Edo-Tokyo Museum.]]
*''Built: [[1624]]''
*''Built: [[1624]]''
*''Destroyed: [[1893]]/1/22''
*''Destroyed: [[1893]]/1/22''
The Nakamura-za was one of the three chief licensed [[kabuki]] theatres in [[Edo]].
The Nakamura-za was one of the three chief licensed [[kabuki]] theatres in [[Edo]].
It was established by [[Nakamura Kanzaburo I|Nakamura (Saruwaka) Kanzaburô I]] in [[1624]], at Nakabashi in Edo. Over the years, it moved from Nakabashi to Negi-chô, then to Sakai-chô, then to Saruwaka-chô, along with the city's other major theatres.
It was established by [[Nakamura Kanzaburo I|Nakamura (Saruwaka) Kanzaburô I]], who obtained a formal license from the shogunate in [[1624]], and built his theatre at Nakahashi ([[Nihonbashi]]) in Edo. Over the years, it moved from Nakabashi to Negi-chô in [[1632]], then to Sakai-chô in [[1651]], then to Saruwaka-chô, along with the city's other major theatres.
As was the case for most buildings in Edo, the Nakamura-za was destroyed or severely damaged by fire numerous times over the course of its history; some particularly notable fires were the [[1657]] [[Great Meireki Fire]], the [[Oshichi Fire]] of [[1682]], the fires caused by the [[Genroku Earthquake]] of [[1703]], and those created by the [[Ansei Earthquake]] of [[1855]].
In [[1670]], the number of licensed theatres permitted in the city was increased to four. The Nakamura-za maintained its license, and was accompanied by the [[Ichimura-za]], [[Morita-za]], and [[Yamamura-za]] as the chief kabuki theatres in Edo. The four theatres began a tradition in [[1709]] of co-organizing a ''[[sogamono]]'' New Year's performance, a tradition which continued somewhat regularly down to the present day.
Over the course of its history, the Nakamura-za also saw the premieres of a great many famous kabuki plays. [[Ichikawa Danjuro I|Ichikawa Danjûrô I]] played the title role in ''[[Narukami]]'' for the first time at the Nakamura-za, in 1684, and performed the famous scene ''[[Shibaraku]]'' there for the first time in 1697. Other plays which made their debuts at the Nakamura-za include ''[[Zohiki|Zôhiki]]'' in [[1701]], the kabuki adaptation of ''[[Sonezaki Shinju|Sonezaki Shinjû]]'' in [[1719]], ''[[Kagekiyo]]'' in [[1732]], ''[[Natsu Matsuri Naniwa Kagami]]'' in [[1768]], ''[[Yotsuya Kaidan]]'' in [[1825]], and the three most popular kabuki plays of all time, ''[[Sugawara Denju Tenarai Kagami]]'', ''[[Yoshitsune Senbon Zakura]]'', and ''[[Kanadehon Chushingura|Kanadehon Chûshingura]]'', in [[1747]], [[1748]], and [[1749]] respectively.
The Nakamura-za saw numerous innovations in kabuki as well, including the first use of ''[[seri]]'' (trapdoors used for actors' entrances/exits) in [[1727]]. The ''[[hikinuki]]'' costume change technique, by which a few threads are pulled to allow one costume to be quickly removed, revealing another underneath, debuted in [[1731]].
The Nakamura-za went out of business in [[1793]], losing its license to the [[Miyako-za]], but reopened and regained its license in [[1797]]. When the theatre district of Sakai-chô was destroyed by fire in [[1841]], the theatres were forbidden to rebuild there, and were moved to Saruwaka-chô, where a rebuilt Nakamura-za opened in [[1842]].
The theatre went bankrupt and closed in [[1876]]; it reopened a number of times afterwards, under names including Miyako-za, Saruwaka-za, and Torigoe-za, but it struggled severely and was never successful again. When the building was destroyed by fire in [[1893]], it was not rebuilt.
Today, a Maruzen department store stands on the site of the original Nakahashi/Nihonbashi Nakamura-za.
==References==
==References==
