When it comes to kabuki, there are few names as recognizable as Ichikawa Ebizo. A member of the illustrious Ichikawa kabuki family, Ebizo has been a mainstay of Japanese traditional theater since his stage debut in "The Tale of Genji" in 1983 at the age of 5. Since then, he has performed at home and abroad, and has starred in TV programs and films.
In January, the actor announced that he will assume a new stage name, Ichikawa Danjuro XIII, Hakuen, in May 2020. Before the name succession, however, Ebizo has taken on the challenge of playing 13 different roles in an adaptation of "Yoshitsune and the Thousand Cherry Trees" ("Yoshitsune Senbon Zakura") for most of July at the famed Kabuki-za theater in Tokyo.
At a press conference ahead of this month's performances, the 41-year-old actor, whose real name is Takatoshi Horikoshi, was as confident and charismatic as expected of a celebrity who has been a fixture in Japanese media for years.