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Image of Nakasu Kawabata Area (2009)

Nakasu Kawabata Area (2009)

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A Lovable Local Legend

Born in Hakata in 1864 at the end of the Shogunate, Otojiro Kawakami was a Meiji period actor who toured the world. At the age of 14, he boarded a ship in the Port of Hakata, sailed to Osaka, and then walked to Tokyo. While a student of Yukichi Fukuzawa, a great educator and political theorist, Kawakami became involved in anti-government activities and the Freedom and Peoples’ Rights movement. In the late 1880s, he began performing dramas. One of the songs he wrote and performed on stage, oppekepe-bushi, became quite popular, with its lyrics reflecting the thoughts of the Freedom and Peoples’ Rights movement. He wore a jimbaori (coat worn over armor), a headband, a hakama (a divided formal skirt for men), and held a fan adorned with the rising sun during his performances. Kawakami married the popular geisha Sadayakko in 1891, and they established the Kawakami troupe. His wife became Japan’s first actress. In 1899, the troupe went to the United States to perform. In the following year, they were invited to perform at the Paris Exposition, and were a great success. They also made a recording of the oppekepe-bushi, said to be the first record made by a Japanese artist. After returning home, Kawakami achieved success as an impresario, staging Shakespeare’s plays. He died during a performance on November 11, 1911. A commemorative memorial service is held every year at Joten-ji, where he is buried.

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