Nakamura Kichiemon II (1944–2021) was a Japanese Kabuki actor from Tokyo. Born the second son of Matsumoto Koshiro VIII, he was adopted by his maternal grandfather, Nakamura Kichiemon I. He made his stage debut as Nakamura Mannosuke in 1948 and succeeded to the name Nakamura Kichiemon II in 1966. Renowned for historical dramas adapted from the Bunraku repertory, he was particularly associated with such roles as Kumagai Naozane in “Ichinotani Futaba Gunki,” the exiled monk Shunkan in “Heike Nyogo no Shima,” and Musashibo Benkei in “Kanjincho.” He received the Japan Art Academy Prize, was designated a Living National Treasure in 2011, and was named a Person of Cultural Merit in 2017. His representative book, “Harimaya Egatari,” combines his own paintings with essays about the theatrical art inherited from his grandfather, incidents backstage, and moments from his daily life.
