Kabuki actor Ichimura Kamezoh III, c. 1915.

Kabuki actor Ichimura Kamezō III, c. 1915. Born the son of an Ôsaka merchant in 1890, Kamezoh was a disciple of the actor Kataoka Gatô III. Adopted upon arrival in Tokyo by Ichimura Uzaemon XV, Kamezoh assumed the name of Ichimura Kamezoh III when he debuted at the Kabukiza in 1911.

Ichimura Kamezō III, also known as Kamezoh III, was a prominent kabuki actor active around the early 20th century, particularly noted for his performances in the 1910s. He settled in Tôkyô in 1907 and was adopted by Ichimura Uzaemon XV. By taking on the Ichimura name, Kamezoh helped reintroduce the Ichimura family name to modern Kabuki after the Meiji Restoration had disrupted older lineages.

Kamezoh III specialized in tachiyaku (male role specialist, e.g. loyal retainers, samurai). During this period, kabuki was undergoing significant changes, with influences from Western theater filtering in.

Kamezō III was regarded as an actor who upheld the classic “Edo style” while quietly adjusting to the changing sensibilities of audiences of the early 20th century, when shinpa (“new school”) and shingeki (modern drama) were drawing crowds away from traditional Kabuki. His approach emphasized kata (form) and kihon (fundamental technique), hallmarks of the Ichimura school.

Ichimura Kamezoh III passed away on September 25, 1935.