was a Japanese actor and kabuki performer. In 1945, he became the senior living kabuki actor in Japan.
Born into a renowned Kabuki acting family, Kichiemon I comes from a long line of Kabuki actors with roots in the Kamigata region (present-day Kansai region) but who became most popular in Edo (present-day Tokyo).
His grandfather, Nakamura Karoku I (Ã¥ÂÂ代 ä¸ÂæÂÂæÂÂå Â) was a legendary onnagata actor who specialized in keisei (i.e., high-class courtesan) roles and who was the first actor to bear the prestigious name Nakamura Karoku (ä¸ÂæÂÂæÂÂå Â).
His father, Nakamura Karoku III (ä¸Â代ç® ä¸ÂæÂÂæÂÂå Â) was a renowned Kaneru yakusha whose specialty was jidaimono plays (i.e. historical plays).
His uncle, Nakamura Karoku II (äºÂ代ç® ä¸ÂæÂÂæÂÂå Â), was an onnagata actor like Kichiemon I's grandfather (Karoku I), but he did not achieve the same level of fame as his father (Karoku I), brother (Karoku III), or nephews (Kichiemon I, Tokizà  III and Kanzaburà  XVII).
Kichiemon I was the eldest of three sons of Karoku III and like Kichiemon I, his two younger brothers were also legendary actors of the Kabuki theater during the Showa era: his middle brother, Nakamura Tokizà  III (ä¸Â代ç® ä¸ÂæÂÂæÂÂèµ) was a legendary onnagata actor who was considered one of the greatest onnagata actors of the 20th century and who was the founder of the Yorozuya house (currently headed by Nakamura Manju I (formerly Nakamura Tokizà  V), grandson of Tokizà  III) and his younger brother Nakamura Kanzaburà  XVII (Ã¥ÂÂä¸Â代ç® ä¸ÂæÂÂÃ¥ÂÂä¸ÂéÂÂ) was a legendary Kaneru yakusha responsible for resurrecting many forgotten traditions of Kabuki theater and for being a renowned Kabuki dancer, being considered a of the greatest Kabuki dancers of the 20th century.
Kichiemon construed his career in terms of "lifelong study" (gei) of that which cannot be seen in an actor's performance.
Nakamura Kichiemon is a formal kabuki stage name. The actor first appeared using the name in 1897; and he continued to use this name until his death.
He was the maternal grandfather of Nakamura Kichiemon II. In the conservative Kabuki world, stage names are passed from father to son in formal system which converts the kabuki stage name into a mark of accomplishment. In choosing to be known by the same stage name as his grandfather, the living kabuki performer honors his family relationships and tradition.
In a long career, he acted in many kabuki plays, including the role of Matsuà Â-maru in the July 1951 production of Sugawara Denju Tenarai Kagami.
In a statistical overview derived from writings by and about Nakamura Kichiemon I, OCLC/WorldCat encompasses roughly 10+ works in 20+ publications in 2 languages and 80+ library holdings.