Ichikawa Danjūrō VIII was a Japanese kabuki actor of the prestigious Ichikawa Danjūrō line. He was a tachiyaku actor in the aragoto style, like all members of the lineage, but particularly specialized in the roles of young lovers, for which he was extremely popular.
Names
Like most kabuki actors, Danjūrō had a number of names over the course of his career. He was a member of the Naritaya guild, and could be called by this name. He began his career as Ichikawa Shinnosuke II and soon afterwards took on the name Ichikawa Ebizō VI before becoming the eighth Ichikawa Danjūrō at the young age of nine. He also used the name Ichikawa Hakuen III at times; his haimyō, or poetry name, was Sanshō.
Born in Edo, he appeared on stage barely a month after being born, being introduced as Ichikawa Shinnosuke II at the Ichimura-za's kaomise performance, in which the troupe for the following year is introduced. He then took on the name Ichikawa Ebizō VI at the age of two, and becomes Danjūrō VIII in 1832, at the age of nine. This is the same age at which his father took on this prestigious name, the two receiving the name at a younger age than any other Danjūrō has ever done. Danjūrō VIII performed for the first time in Sukeroku Yukari no Edo Zakura at the shūmeinaming ceremony, and in the lead role in Shibaraku later that year. After appearing in a number of minor roles for the next several years, Danjūrō plays Minamoto no Yoshitsune in the 1840 premiere of Kanjinchō at the Kawarazaki-za. From then on, he played more prestigious roles, including Katō Masakiyo in Ehon Taikōki and the lead role in Narukami. In 1844, he played Sukeroku for the first time, alongside Iwai Hanshirō VII, Matsumoto Kōshirō VI and Onoe Kikugorō IV. Danjūrō continued to be quite active for the next ten years, playing a number of major roles including Narukami and Katō Masakiyo again, Benkei in Kanjinchō, and the young lover Yosaburō in the new Kirare Yosa by Segawa Jōkō III. His popularity in these young lover roles are said to have been such that when he played Sukeroku, a role which involves immersing himself in a barrel of water in one scene, the water was sold afterwards to clamoring female fans. In 1854, however, shortly after arriving in Osaka for a performance tour with his father, Danjūrō was found in his room at the inn with his wrists slashed. Some scholars surmise that he suffered from extensive debts as a result of the extravagant lifestyle he and his father led, and that his early successes and popularity attracted the envy or ire of other actors, worsening his relationships with them and complicating his personal problems.
