One of Japan’s best-known kabuki actors has been given a suspended prison sentence for helping his parents die in an apparent suicide pact that sent shockwaves through the world of Japanese traditional theatre.
Ennosuke Ichikawa, a fourth-generation member of a leading kabuki family, was arrested in June after his mother and father were found dead at the family’s home in Tokyo the previous month.
According to media reports, Ichikawa had told his parents he wished to kill himself after learning that a weekly magazine was about to run a story accusing him of sexually abusing and harassing actors and staff belonging to his theatre collective.
The three took pills on 17 May, according to Japanese media. Ichikawa’s mother, Nobuko, 75, and his 76-year-old father, Hiroyuki – a famous kabuki actor who went by the stage name Danshiro Ichikawa – died some time between that evening and the following morning, but Ichikawa survived after being found in a confused state in the same house.
Ichikawa, who had been out on bail, was given a three-year prison sentence, suspended for five years. The Kyodo news agency quoted the court as saying that Ichikawa’s decision to help his parents commit suicide had been “short-sighted”, adding that his involvement in a crime should “not be taken lightly”.
Ichikawa said in a statement after Friday’s ruling that he felt “indescribable guilt”.
“I thought I would leave deep scars on the tradition and culture of kabuki,” he said of his initial reaction to the magazine article. “Now, I blame myself for not being strong enough to live in the throes of despair.
“Days never go by without me thinking of my decision that day. I’m sorry that only I survived, while my parents died. I was given a chance to live on. From now on, I will try and figure out what to do.”
Shochiku, an entertainment and film company that has produced numerous kabuki performances featuring Ichikawa, did not say if the actor would be able to return to the stage.
“Given his contributions to the kabuki world, we would like to support him,” the firm said in a statement. But it added that it could not ignore “the impact his actions have had on society”.
The classical form of Japanese theatre combines highly stylised movement and unusual vocalisation, and is performed by all-male actors dressed in elaborate costumes and colourful makeup “masks”. Many kabuki plays deal with samurai rivalry, love and suicide, as well as more pedestrian accounts of city life.
Ichikawa said the article had been only one factor in explaining his actions, telling the court in a recent hearing that he was suffering from stress after years of caring for his father, who had cancer and exhibited dramatic mood swings.
“I caused such trouble to the kabuki world that I felt I no longer deserve to be part of it,” media reports quoted Ichikawa, 47, as telling the court last month.
Prosecutors had demanded three years in prison for Ichikawa, but the court suspended the sentence after he expressed remorse, Kyodo added.
Ichikawa, whose real name is Takahiko Kinoshi, made his kabuki debut in 1980 and adopted the prestigious stage name Ennosuke in 2012. He was also the artistic driving force behind “super-kabuki”, which combines traditional theatre with new technology, and appeared in a critically acclaimed super-kabuki production based on the popular manga One Piece. He also appeared in several popular television series.
Ichikawa has performed in London, Amsterdam and Paris, and was nominated for a Laurence Olivier award for dance performance.
• In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. Youth suicide charity Papyrus can be contacted on 0800 068 4141 or email pat@papyrus-uk.org. In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org
