Describe the characteristics of the Ichikawa Ebizō V in Two Actors in Samurai Roles (Gosotei Hirosada)'s Subjects.
Born in Edo in 1791, Ebizō was the son of a shibai jaya (theatre tea-house) owner and grandson of Ichikawa Danjūrō V, one of the biggest kabuki stars of his day. He first appeared on the stage in 1794 at the age of three, and went on to become an "outstanding tachiyaku [actor of male roles] and the most popular actor of the nineteenth century." He is described as "highly original", and as being particularly skilled at performing multiple roles within the same play and the requisite quick changes.Ebizō V gained infamy in the summer of 1842 when he was found to be in violation of the restrictive sumptuary laws imposed through the Tempō Reforms. He was arrested and temporarily banished from Edo to Kamigata on the grounds that his ostentatious lifestyle was deemed to be irreconcilable with the Tokugawa bakufu's call for modesty and frugality. He was able to return seven years later, and had a very active career until his death in 1859. His sons continued his tradition, and both the Danjūrō and Ebizō lines continue to this day.
Edo sumptuary law kabuki Kamigata tachiyaku