Actors' names in Japan

[Benjamin Barrett]

Douglas G. Wilson wrote:
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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "Douglas G. Wilson" <douglas at NB.NET>
> Subject:      Re: Actors' names in Japan
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
>> For those expert in the traditions of assumed (i.e., stage) names of
>> Japanese Kabuki actors (or other artists of various kinds), a few questions.
>>
>> I read, in Charles Isherwood's review in yesterday's New York Times
>> of a Kabuki performance
>> (http://theater2.nytimes.com/2007/07/19/theater/reviews/19kabu.html),
>> the following sentences,  picture caption, and cast list:
>>
>> "Four centuries of theatrical history sit with disarming ease on the
>> solid shoulders of Nakamura Kanzaburo XVIII, the master Kabuki artist
>> ... who is also the artistic director of the Heisei Nakamura-za
>> company from Tokyo."
>>
>> "In 'Hokaibo,' the rollicking sex comedy from 1784 (!) [sic] ... Mr
>> Kanzaburo is cutting up with an audience-seducing brio ... ."
>>
>> "Rolling his eyes at the high-pitched, slowly cadenced vocal delivery
>> and liquid gestures of Nakamura Shichinosuke (one of Mr. Kanzaburo's
>> sons), who plays the role of a princess, Mr Kanzaburo cracks, 'Why is
>> she always so damn slow?'"
>>
>> And finally, a picture caption and the actors' credits list an
>> additional 3 Nakamuras in the cast!  Each with a different 2nd name.
>>
>> 1)  In "Nakamura Kanzaburo", which is the equivalent of a sur- or
>> family name -- Nakamura or Kanzaburo?  (Is the name in traditional or
>> Western order?)
>>
>> 2)  In the index to a book, how would you expect that name to be
>> indexed -- under N, under K, or under both?  (Related to this
>> question is whether, where only one name is used in the book, you
>> would expect to see it be Nakamura or Kanzaburo.)
>>
>> I have already consulted the following:  Library of Congress
>> Authorities; Wikipedia (article on Nakamura Kanzaburo XVIII); Chicago
>> Manual of Style, chapter on indexing.  I am most interested in
>> information supplementing those, and especially on any written works
>> (in English) that might discuss the traditions of assumed names
>> (actors, artists, etc.)
>>
>> (My own opinion is that Mr. Isherwood was incorrect in referring to
>> Nakamura Kanzaburo XVIII as Mr. Kanzaburo, since "Nakamura" should be
>> treated as the equivalent of a surname.)
>>
>
> While waiting for the savants, a very brief discussion is given here:
>
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_name#Professional_names
>
> My own initial impression (from a position of relative ignorance) is
> that "Nakamura" acts as a surname here: it looks like a surname (this
> same "Nakamura" is the surname of something like 0.8% of Japan, I
> think) and it has initial position like a surname. I suppose it would
> be indexed under N but I myself would follow the style manual (or
> maybe some authoritative librarians' cataloguing reference) if I
> considered it important.
>
> I would think "Mr. Nakamura" would be expected in English, but since
> there are multiple Nakamuras here, I suppose some disambiguation is
> desirable ....
>
>
>
I concur here. Nakamura (most likely 中村 middle village or 仲村 friend
village) is the last name. The index should be on "N". BB

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