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Takemoto Sumidayu (7th)

たけもと すみたゆう

Takemoto Sumidayu

Aliases: 竹本住大夫（旧表記、2016年以前） / 岸本欣一（本名）
Pen Names: Takemoto Mojidayu (9th)（Succeeded to this name in 1960）, Takemoto Sumidayu (7th)（Succeeded to this name in 1985; later used as the official stage name）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1924-10-28 （Osaka (Kitashinchi)）
Died
2018-04-28 （Hospital in Osaka） age 93
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Kitashinchi, Osaka

Career

Occupations
Bunraku narrator (tayu), Gidayu narrator, Performer/narrator, Author, Cultural artist
Active Years
1946-2014
Affiliations
Japan Art Academy
Memberships
Japan Art Academy
Influenced By
Toyotake Kojintayu (later Toyotake Yamashiro Shojo), 6th Takemoto Sumidayu (Kishimoto Ginji, foster father)

Education

Osaka Commercial School (attended)
Period: 〜1941年（繰り上げ卒業）
Year of Graduation: 1941
Country: Japan
Enrolled at a commercial school at his foster mother's suggestion; graduated early due to wartime acceleration.
Naniwa Commercial School (transferred)
Period: 編入〜1941年
Year of Graduation: 1941
Country: Japan
Transferred to a school active in baseball; graduated early due to wartime measures.
Nihon University Osaka College (specialized school)
Period: 〜1944年（繰り上げ卒業）
Year of Graduation: 1944
Country: Japan
Entered for draft avoidance but graduated early in 1944 and was conscripted.

Awards

Mobil Music Award (TonenGeneral Music Prize, Japanese music category)
1985
Organization: TonenGeneral (Mobil Music Award)
Result: 受賞
Living National Treasure (Holder of Important Intangible Cultural Property)
1989
Organization: Agency for Cultural Affairs
Result: 認定
Member of the Japan Art Academy
2002
Organization: Japan Art Academy
Result: 会員
Mainichi Art Award
2004
Organization: The Mainichi Newspapers
Result: 受賞
Person of Cultural Merit
2005
Organization: Japanese Government
Result: 顕彰
Asahi Prize
2007
Organization: The Asahi Shimbun
Result: 受賞
Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Commandeur)
2008
Organization: French Government
Result: 受章
Kikuchi Kan Prize
2013
Organization: Kikuchi Kan Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Order of Culture
2014
Organization: Japanese Government (Cabinet Office)
Result: 受章
Best Proud Father Award in Kansai (Academic/Cultural category)
2016
Organization: Best Proud Father Award Committee (Kansai)
Result: 受賞
Junior Third Rank (posthumous)
2018
Organization: Japanese Government
Result: 叙位

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Tales While Living: Bunraku Storytelling

1985 Bunraku commentary / Essays

An essay-style work discussing the techniques and spirit of Bunraku narration, introducing the appeal of the traditional art.

BunrakuNarrationTraditional performing arts

Speaking of the Heart of Bunraku

2003 Commentary / Essays

A book that clearly discusses the spirit, history, and philosophy of Bunraku narration.

HistoryTechniqueArtistic spirit

Naho ni Naho Naho

2008 Essays / Memoir

A collection of essays mixing life stories and anecdotes about the art; notable for his conversational tone.

MemoirAnecdotesHuman feeling

People, After All, It's Feelings

2014 Oral history / Interviews

An oral-history style book of life views and stories about the art, conveyed through dialogues with interviewers.

WorldviewThe path of artDialogue

The Seventh Takemoto Sumidayu: My 90 Years

2015 Memoir / Biography

A memoir compiling long conversations with interviewers, summarizing the seventh Takemoto's life and stories of his art.

MemoirCareerTransmission

Bibliography

  • Tales While Living: Bunraku Storytelling (1985)
  • Speaking of the Heart of Bunraku (2003; bunkobunko 2009)
  • Naho ni Naho Naho (2008)
  • People, After All, It's Feelings (oral history, 2014)
  • The Seventh Takemoto Sumidayu: My 90 Years (interviewers: Hiromi Takato & Itsu Fukuda, 2015)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Expressive, modulated narrationTraditional narration that respects classical formsExplanatory and accessible commentary
Recurring Motifs
Human-interest storiesHistorical subjectsGidayu melodic phrasing

Health

  • Pneumonia
    2018年4月
    Died of pneumonia in April 2018

Legacy

Takemoto Sumidayu (7th) was one of the leading tayu narrators of Bunraku and Gidayu, greatly contributing to the preservation and transmission of traditional performing arts. As a Living National Treasure and Order of Culture recipient, he received high official recognition and worked to cultivate younger artists and popularize Bunraku through performances.

Academic Societies

  • Japan Art Academy

In Popular Culture

  • YouTube video of his final stage provided by Asahi Shimbun (published 2018)

Trivia

  • Born in Osaka. Birth name Kishimoto Kin'ichi; adopted soon after birth by the couple of the 6th Takemoto Sumidayu (Kishimoto Ginji).
  • After returning from the war in 1946 he resolved to pursue Bunraku and studied under Toyotake Kojintayu.
  • After a 68-year career as a tayu, he retired from active performance in 2014.
  • Designated a Living National Treasure in 1989 and awarded the Order of Culture in 2014.
  • Died of pneumonia in Osaka on April 28, 2018, at age 93.
  • His grandchild is the scriptwriter Miyuki Kishimoto.