Three problems to be cleared before Ichikawa Ebizo assumes Danjuro’s name

Ebizo Ichikawa, 44, performed “Nigarashi” at the top of the Skytree, 634 meters above the ground, on May 22 to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the opening of Tokyo Skytree Town. He also played the role of Kamakura Gongoro Kagesada in Kabuki No. 18 “Awhile.

Ebizo had been making a lot of noise in the media recently about his personal life, and this was the first kabuki-related news for him in a long time,” said the entertainment desk of a sports newspaper.

Recently, Ebizo has been the subject of a series of unfavorable reports outside of Kabuki, including multiple relationships with several women, a dubious relationship with a qigong master who follows him around the clock, and revelations by Maya, the sister of his late wife, Mao Kobayashi. At a press conference held prior to the Dangiku Festival May Grand Kabuki, Onoe Kikugoro commented on the succession of the name “Ichikawa Danjuro,” saying, “Originally, I would have assumed the name a long time ago. But this year, Danjuro is going to be born.

The succession was originally scheduled for May 2020, but has already been postponed two years due to the spread of the new coronavirus. Now that the corona has settled down, I think there is a growing momentum that it is ‘about time. I think Kikugoro’s statement is probably true, although I am sure it is also based on expectations.

Although this is a big event that should be welcomed by the Nashien, Ebizo has a number of problems to clear up before then.

There are roughly three problems. If we boil down the most recent problems, we can say that the ‘good husband’ facade he has maintained so far has been shattered by Maya’s repeated accusations, the ‘allegations of adultery’ resulting from his reported relationships with several women at the same time, and the failure of his ‘good father’ act in which he allegedly updated his blog while he was meeting with them as if his children were right there in front of him. The failure to ‘stage-manage’ the women’s relationship,” said the desk clerk.

How does Ebizo plan to resolve these three issues?

Maya told us that Mao had spilled the beans about wanting a divorce before his death, but we don’t know the truth of this and there seems to be no further revelations from Maya, so it looks as if things will settle down. As for the “good dad act,” there are quite a few sympathetic voices as an extremely busy person who carries the Ichikawa Soke on his shoulders, and it does not seem to be developing into such a serious problem. It seems that what is being talked about among the sources concerned is the ‘promiscuity’ part.

Women’s issues do not seem to be serious in the world of Kabuki. However, those involved in the Nashien are said to be very concerned.

The people involved in the Kabuki world believe that Ebizo’s inability to control his desires has led to the recent reports of his multiple relationships. The latest reports are likely to prompt him to exercise a certain degree of self-restraint, but it is the shared hope of his loyalists that he will not become too stressed as his successor to the title of Kabuki actor approaches.

The people involved are said to be watching Ebizo’s every move with a prayerful mind.