Kabuki family’s 3 generations parade to pray for new names

Three generations of Kabuki’s Koraiya family paraded through Sensoji temple in Tokyo on Dec. 11 to offer prayers ahead of simultaneous name successions for the members of one of the Kabuki world’s most powerful families. The three actors, who are grandfather, father and son, staged a traditional “oneri” procession through one of the most popular tourist destinations in the capital’s Asakusa district to pray for the success of their production next year. The upcoming show will provide the stage for the official announcement of the succession of their new professional names that have been passed down for generations in the family. Ichikawa Somegoro VII, 44, will become Matsumoto Koshiro X, one of the most renowned Kabuki professional names, while his father, currently Matsumoto Koshiro IX, 75, will take over the name of Matsumoto Hakuo II. Somegoro VII’s son, 12-year-old Matsumoto Kintaro IV, will become Ichikawa Somegoro VIII. The occasion will mark the first time in 37 years that three generations of Koraiya family actors will have name successions at the same time.