Shochiku : “Ennosuke Ichikawa, Will Comeback on October and Scandal will Not Stop this”

Toshio Ishikawa, entertainment reporter, reports on the entertainment world: “The other side of the story:”

The unprecedented heart-to-heart incident involving Ennosuke Ichikawa, a very popular figure in the Kabuki world. His father, Danshiro Ichikawa, and mother, Nobuko, died, and Ennosuke was rescued while unconscious.

Furthermore, he was in the middle of a “Ennosuke Ichikawa Struggle Kabuki Performance” at the Meijiza Theater in Tokyo. An understudy was hastily substituted, and Danko Ichikawa performed the daytime performance and Hayato Nakamura performed the nighttime performance, and the theater was filled to overflowing.

The audience could be heard sobbing in response to their passionate performances.

The mystery surrounding the death of his parents remains unanswered, and the exact cause of their deaths is still unknown.

When interviewed by the police, Ennosuke said, “We talked about dying and being reborn as a family. My parents took drugs.

However, the truth about his motive has not been revealed.

Some say that the incident was a major factor in the alleged sexual harassment and power harassment.

Some say, “It was a big part of the sexual harassment and power harassment. It will take some time for the truth to come out.

However, the kabuki performances in which Mr. Ennosuke was scheduled to appear are not yet over, and the “June Grand Kabuki” began on June 3 at the Kabuki-za Theater in Ginza, Tokyo.

The role of Otoku (the wife), which was to be played by Ennosuke in the daytime performance of “Kijo Antikonka,” has been given to Ichitaro Nakamura, with some kabuki insiders saying, “If it’s Ichitaro, he’ll be able to play the role of Otoku.

Ichitaro has Ennosuke’s trust. He is one of the leading young onnagata actors.

and a Kabuki insider also gave the nod to Ichitaro.

However, the search for a replacement for Ichitaro was difficult in the July Grand Kabuki production of “Kiku-en Tsukihaku. Ichikawa Chuguruma (Kagawa Teruyuki), a member of the Ichikawa troupe, was to understudy the role of Axe Sadakuro, which was to be played by Ennosuke in the daytime performance of “Kiku Banquet Tsuki Shiranami,” but …… was unable to find a replacement.

The role that Ennosuke was supposed to play was very difficult, and it is a family art that was revived by Ennosuke III of “Sawasabasaya” after unraveling the classics. So it is very difficult to find actors who can do it.

Due to the personal relationships within the family, Nakaguruma was chosen as the understudy, but to be frank, he must have a heavy load to carry. I’m mixed feelings of excitement and anxiety about how he will finish the role in the next month. 

The current Ennosuke has made the name “Ennosuke” big, and the actress Murasaki Fujima, who supported him, was also a big part of that. She put her life on the line to make the name bigger.

Murasaki helped bring Ennosuke and Kagawa, who had been separated from each other, closer together. However, it is a well-known story that she was reluctant to allow Mr. Kagawa to join Nashien.

If she were alive today, I wonder what she would say about Mr. Kagawa playing the role of Axe Sadakuro in “Kiku Banquet Moon Shiranami,” which was revived by the third generation. I am sure she would have opposed this as well.

In addition to the July Grand Kabuki, in which Mr. Nakaguruma will understudy, Shochiku has announced that Mr. Ennosuke will take a leave of absence until October.

The company, Shochiku, remains committed to protecting Mr. Ennosuke no matter what. Even if he is found guilty, they will wait for years for Mr. Ennosuke to return to the Kabuki stage,” said a Shochiku official.

Ask anyone around him and he will admit that Mr. Ennosuke, who assumed the name of the fourth generation, contributed to the development of Kabuki by cutting down on his life. Has he been defeated by the scandal of power harassment and sexual harassment?

I was told by a “Sawasaya” official after all this time

‘I could never do something embarrassing like that. I wouldn’t want to.”

I wonder what will happen to the 152-year-old “Sawasaburoya” in the future.