Kataoka Nizaemon XI (十一代目片岡仁左衛門) (actor 1857 – 1934)

Alternate names: Kataoka Gatō III (三代目片岡我當: 1875-12/1906)
Kataoka Hidetarō I (初代片岡秀太郎: until 1875)
Manmaro (万麿 - poetry name)
Gatō (我當 - poetry name)

Links

Kabuki21

Biography:

This actor held this name from January 1907 to October 1934.

Kataoka Nizaemon XI was a very popular and outstanding actor, who achieved a fame for himself in both his native Kamigata and in Tōkyō. He was able to play a wide range of roles, as a tachiyaku or a katakiyaku or even an onnagata, in jidaimono as well as sewamono, in classics as well as Shinkabuki. Wagotoshi and jitsugotoshi roles were his forte. In Ôsaka, he and Nakamura Ganjirō I surpassed themselves for the title of best wagotoshi. In Tōkyō, his main stage partners were Ichimura Uzaemon XV and Nakamura Utaemon V. This threesome was nicknamed San'emon ("The Three Emon") and their performances were extremely successful.

Kataoka Nizaemon XI gathered 12 of his best roles in a special collection called Kataoka Jûnishû: Oda Sanshichirô Nobutaka ("Uma Giri"), Ishida no Tsubone ("Hade Kurabe Ishikawazome"), Hachirobei ("Unagidani"), Matahei ("Keisei Hangonkō"), Seigen ("Seigen Anshitsu"), Daimonjiya Sukeemon ("Kamiko Jitate Ryōmen Kagami"), Ichijô Ôkura Naganari ("Ichijō Ôkura Monogatari"), Akagaki Genzō ("Kanadehon Suzuri no Takashima") , Kan Shōjō ("Tempaizan"), Yojirō ("Chikagoro Kawara no Tatehiki"), Waki Kiyomaru ("Kawara no Wakare") and Kimura Nagato-no-Kami ("Keppan Tori"). His others best roles were Matsuômaru ("Sugawara Denju Tenarai Kagami"), Kameya Chûbei ("Koi Bikyaku Yamato Ôrai"), Kakiemon ("Meikō Kakiemon"), Katagiri Katsumoto ("Kiri Hitoha") or Heisaku ("Numazu").

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Robert Schaap wrote in Andon 38, September, 1991, p. 78: "Kataoka Nizaemon XI (1857-1934) was the fourth son of Nizaemon VIII. He was born in Edo, moved to Osaka but returned in 1867. He became Nizaemon XI in 1907 and gained his greatest fame as a performer of old men roles especially in sewakyógen or sewamono (domestic plays characteized by realistic acting). Later in his life he was respected as a doyen of kabuki within the Tokyo theatre scene."