Bandō Mitsugorō IX
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May 14, 1929
Bandō Mitsugorō IX | |
|---|---|
_1951_Scan10012.jpg) Bandō Mitsugorō IX in 1951 | |
| Born | Mitsunobu Morita May 14, 1929 Tokyo, Japan |
| Died | April 1, 1999 (aged 69) Japan |
| Occupation(s) | Kabuki actor, Japanese dance artist |
| Years active | 1933–1999 |
| Spouse | Yoshiko (daughter of Bandō Mitsugorō VIII) |
| Children | Bandō Mitsugorō X (Yasosuke Bandō) |
| Parent | Bandō Hidechō III (father) |
| Relatives | Bandō Mitsugorō VIII (father-in-law) Ichikawa Kōmaizō X (elder brother) |
Bandō Mitsugorō IX (Japanese: 九代目 坂東 三津五郎, romanized: Kudaime Bandō Mitsugorō, born Mitsunobu Morita (守田光伸, Morita Mitsunobu), May 14, 1929 – April 1, 1999) was a Kabuki actor and Japanese dance artist.[1][2][3] He was the son-in-law of Bandō Mitsugorō VIII and the father of Bandō Mitsugorō X.[4] He was married to Bandō Mitsugorō VIII's eldest daughter, Yoshiko, in 1955.[1] He took his stage name after the death of his father-in-law in 1975.
Bandō Mitsugorō IX was born as the third son of Bandō Hidechō III.[1] His elder brother was Ichikawa Kōmaizō X.[1] After his father died early, he became a pupil of Onoe Kikugorō VI.[1][4] After Kikugorō's death in 1949, he continued his studies under Kikugorō's disciple, Onoe Shōroku II.[4]
He made his first stage appearance in November 1933 at the Shin-Kabukiza (Shinjuku Daiichi Gekijō) in the play Shigure no Kotatsu, performing the role of Kantarō under the stage name Bandō Mitsunobu.[1]
Career
Following his marriage to Yoshiko, the eldest daughter of Bandō Mitsugorō VIII, in 1955, he was adopted into the Bandō family and took the stage name Bandō Yasosuke IV.[1] In September 1962, he became Bandō Minosuke VII, and in September 1987, he succeeded to the name Bandō Mitsugorō IX.[1]
As head of the Bandō school of Japanese dance, he organized the "Tōbu no Kai" (登舞の会) dance recitals and worked to preserve traditional dance forms.[1][5] He was designated as a member of the Traditional Kabuki Preservation Society in 1965.[1]
