Actor Ichikawa Danjuro VII in a “Shibaraku” Role

No image is more instantly recognizable than that of an actor of the Ichikawa Danjuro lineage playing the "Shibaraku" scene in which he strides onto the stage, shouting "Shibaraku!" (Wait a moment!). Danjuro VII (1791-1859) is shown here in a "Shibaraku" performance, a specialty of his family since its invention by the great founder of the line, Danjuro I (1660- 1704). Wearing a distinctive persimmon red costume with oversized, stiff sleeves emblazoned with the Ichikawa family crest, the actor's fierce features are emphatically accentuated by kumadori, stage makeup that follows the contours of the face. With his gigantic sword, the hero proceeds to lop off the heads of his enemies in a performance that exemplifies the bravura aragoto style associated with the Ichikawa family and Edo kabuki. Danjuro VII was a great actor who lived in fame and luxury, which led to a seven-year exile from Edo in 1842. He returned to Edo after living and acting in the Kamigata (Kyoto-Osaka) theaters. Danjuro VII compiled The Kabuki Eighteen (Kabuki juhachiban), a collection of the finest plays performed by the Ichikawa Danjuro line. Other acting families followed suit, identifying their most famous plays as a central repertoire of definitive plays and roles.