Nakamura Kichiemon II born May 22 1944 is a Japanese actor kabuki performer and costume designer Nakamura Kichiemon is a formal kabuki stage name The actors grandfather first appeared using the name in 1897 and Nakamura Kichiemon I continued to use this name until his death Kichiemon I was the maternal grandfather of Kichiemon II In the conservative Kabuki world stage names are passed from father to son in formal system which converts the kabuki stage name into a mark of accomplishmentIn choosing to be known by the same stage name as his grandfather the living kabuki performer honors his family relationships and tradition Description above from the Wikipedia article Nakamura Kichiemon II licensed under CCBYSA full list of contributors on Wikipedia