Name Nakamura I | ||
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Nakamura Utaemon I (中村歌右衛門 (初代), 1714–1791) was a Japanese kabuki performer. He was the progenitor of a family of kabuki actors from the Keihanshin region. He was the son of a provincial doctor. As a youth, he decided to join a troupe of actors; and this was the beginning of a long career.
Nakamura Utaemon was a stage name with significant cultural and historical connotations.
In 1782, Utaemon presented the name Utaemon II to a favored apprentice; but the name was later retrieved (or abandoned) in 1790. Then the name was bestowed on his son, who kept it. Utaemon III was the natural son of Nakamura Utaemon I.
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.