May 31, 2013
Kabuki actors gather for boat parade to demonstrate start of performance in Fukuoka
A busy riverside area in the heart of Fukuoka City, southwestern Japan, became what may be termed a mobile, open-air theater this week. The Hakata Riverine district was occupied by more than 30,000 people hoping to take a glimpse of 10 Kabuki players who gathered for a spectacular boat ride before the start of their performance at the Hakataza theater.
Accompanied by theater executives and local celebrities, the Kabuki players boarded 10 different boats and went down on a canal slowly to a wharf near the theater. The 800-meter elegant boat parade was watched by spectators flocking on bridges and promenades on both banks of the canal.
The “Funanorikomi” boat procession began in the Edo era as an event to herald the start of Kabuki performances in Kyoto, the then capital of Japan, by actors who arrived from Edo, the old name of Tokyo. Similar water parades later began to be held in Edo and other places with big Kabuki theaters. But the Funanorikomi parade now can be seen only in Osaka and Fukuoka. The parade in Fukuoka started in 1999 on the occasion of the opening of the Hakataza theater. The parade has come to stay as an event which tells people in Fukuoka the arrival of summer, as it takes place at the end of May every year. Kabuki world people and theater executives pinned even greater hopes on this year’s parade because it was aimed at not just demonstrating the forthcoming Kabuki performance at Hakataza in June but also introducing two actors on their succession to big stage names to fans in Fukuoka. 
The new star actors, Ichikawa Ennosuke and Ichikawa Chusha, led the procession while waving their hands to fans from their boats. Some fans shouted cheers and their company name, Omodakaya, toward the procession. Kabuki plays and dances, backed by bands of musicians, date back to the early 17th century. Initially, the plays were performed by “yujo” prostitudes, but this style was banned later. Instead, performances only with actors flourished. The Kabuki performances then have been inherited almost hereditarily over the centuries.
At the front of the procession was a boat with two paper lanterns held high up on bamboo poles, followed by boats with the 10 actors on board and tall flags wearing their respective names put up. The parade was even more exciting because many spectators scattered confetti distributed by organizers on Ennosuke, Chusha and their comrade actors. Confetti were also seen falling on spectators themselves and press photographers who took their positions in the press area trying hard not to miss their chance.
A few big-caliber Kabuki actors died of illness around the turn of the year. This spread fears among Kabuki world people and fans about the future of the centuries-old performance. But new actors are coming to the fore to succeed their art, among them Ennosuke and Chusha. The new-generation Kabuki actors are expected to help create richness in today’s stressful life in Japan while adapting the traditional art better to the current situation.
