Fujima Kanbe (藤間勘兵衛)
Kanbe FUJIMA is the myoseki (family name) of Kanbe line, Fujima school.
The First Generation
Kanbe FUJIMA (year of birth unknown - 1769)
He was born in Fujima Village, Iruma County, Musashi Province. It is also supposed that he was born into a family of Kyogen (farce played during a Noh cycle) or Joruri (dramatic narrative chanted to a samisen accompaniment), and in the Kaei era he trained himself under Denjiro NAKAMURA the first of Shigayama school in Edo. Then he became a choreographer of a theater, and changed his name to Kanbe FUJIMA after the place name of his hometown.
The Second Generation
Kanbe FUJIMA (year of birth unknown - April 21, 1785)
He was a biological child of Kanbe the first.
The Third Generation
Kanbe FUJIMA (year of birth unknown - January 12, 1822)
He was a husband of Miyo (later Kanbe the fourth), a biological daughter of Kanbe the second. He succeeded to the family name, Kanbe in 1790. Then he changed his name to Kanjuro FUJIMA the first in 1798. In his later years, he retuned his name to Kanbe.
He performed the hengebuyo (transformational dances) such as 'Shichimaitsuzuki Hana no Sugatae' (a series of seven pictures of flower figures) of Mitsugoro BANDO the third. There are various opinions on his date of death, such as January 13, 1822.
His adopted children were Sanjuro SEKI the third, and Kanjuro FUJIMA the second (commonly the first). Among his disciples are Senzo NISHIKAWA and others.
After the Fourth Generation
After the fourth the female line was formed, and a master of the dance succeeded to the family name. After the death of the eighth, the line of succession has been broken.
The fourth was succeeded to by Miyo FUJIMA, the wife of the third.
(year of birth unknown - 1829)
The fifth was succeeded to by a daughter of the third.
(year of birth unknown - October 1, 1840)
The sixth was succeeded to by a woman who is thought to have been either an adopted daughter of the third or an adopted daughter of the fifth.
(year of birth unknown - April 6, 1867)
The seventh was succeeded to by a younger sister-in-law of the sixth, whose real name was Tama.
(year of birth unknown - July 25, 1878)
The eighth was succeeded to by a adopted daughter of the seventh, whose real name was Miyo (and her another name was Miyo FUJIMA).
(year of birth unknown - July 15, 1882)