Ichikawa Shojiro
Ichikawa Shojiro, influenced by his uncle who managed travelling theater troupes, was only 9 years old when he stepped onto the theater stage for the first time.
As a historical drama actor, he also performed together with big stars from famous entertainment companies like Daiei and Shochiku.
Eventually, film became a declining industry and historical drama acting jobs became scarce.
While managing a hostess bar in Wakayama, he continued to pursue his acting career as a stage actor. After a throat operation, it became harder for him to speak long lines, so he had to cut back on his acting career.
But his passion for acting didn’t die.
Continuing to pass on the love for performing arts, fellow performers who sympathized with Ichikawa Shojiro soon started to participate. One by one, play, jazz dance, shamisen, and traditional Japanese drums were included.
The hostess bar eventually turned into a "training room" for acting as regular customers applied to become trainees.
The number of trainees steadily increased until there were 60 people.
They decided “We want a place where we can practice!”
The apprentices began to build a small hut, which eventually became our castle. We called it “Suwan Edomura”.
In meticulous detail, the townscape was added to the main building.
“…Because it’s easiest to practice on a genuine set.”
We want everyone who is interested in acting, including amateurs, to meet up here and learn about plays and acting.
We created a space where young people who want to pursue an acting careers can practice their craft.