Narita City has long been considered a sacred area centered on Naritasan Shinshoji Temple, and the city has also developed as a "tourist city" bustling with visitors and pilgrims.
Amidst this, the Ichikawa Danjuro family, well-known under the house name of "Naritaya," and Naritasan Shinshoji Temple have been closely bound together through faith in the deity Fudo of Naritasan ever since the time of Ichikawa Danjuro I, in the Genroku era of the Edo period, and that relationship continues to this day.
Ebizo Ichikawa XI is deeply familiar to the city of Narita through his attendance at the ceremony to commemorate the 1,070th anniversary of the establishment of Naritasan Temple, his visit to announce his wedding, and other occasions. Narita City has chosen to appoint Ebizo Ichikawa XI as "Narita Brand Ambassador," and convey the charm and appeal of Narita to the world while linking together traditional Japanese performing arts and culture.
For information on the Ichikawa Danjuro family, well-known under the house name of "Naritaya", and Naritasan Shinshoji Temple, please see The Relationship between Naritasan Shinshoji Temple and Ichikawa Danjuro
Mr. Ebizo Ichikawa XI
Report on the Ceremony for Appointment as Narita Brand Ambassador
The ceremony to appoint Mr. Ebizo Ichikawa XI as Narita Brand Ambassador was held on July 29th (Wed.) at Narita City Hall, and on the same day, he performed at the Sky Town Hall to celebrate its opening. This is a report of the day's events.
11:10 a.m.The Ceremony for Appointment as Narita Brand Ambassador
Two members of the Narita High School Broadcasting Club acted as presenters, and the appointment ceremony began with a performance by the Narita Kokusai High School brass band.
Mr. Ebizo Ichikawa XI entered with mayor and deputy mayor under the protection of representatives from the local Young Men's Association who were wearing happi coats.
Mayor bestowed the Certificate of Appointment upon Mr. Ebizo Ichikawa XI, and in return, Mr. Ebizo Ichikawa XI presented mayor with a signed votive picture of a horse.
Mr. Ebizo Ichikawa XI once received a letter from a female student at Narita Municipal Kuzumi Junior High School asking for something commemorative for the school. Because he was so touched by the earnestly written letter and he has a connection with the Kuzumi area of Narita City, he made the Kumadori, a white cloth tracing of his Kabuki make-up even though he rarely makes the Kumadori, and sent it to her. At the appointment ceremony, the student who made the request read aloud a letter of gratitude to him. The Kumadori is still proudly on display at the school.
Then, before anyone knew it, the Narita City mascot Unari-kun transformed into the Kabuki version Unari-ya, and the ceremony came to a conclusion successfully.
2:00 p.m.Commemoration of the Opening of Sky Town Hall－Opening Performance by Ebizo Ichikawa XI, Narita Brand Ambassador
Following the appointment ceremony, a performance was held to commemorate the opening of Sky Town Hall. There was an air of excitement within the hall from the audience who got tickets in the severe competition of one ticket for about every ten applicants. The performance began with the “Ichiban Daiko (First Drum)” that was beaten on the first day of All-star Kabuki events in the Edo period. There was a discussion including mayor, and finally, the performance came to a conclusion with "Ennen-no-Mai (the Dance of Longevity)" successfully.
