was a Japanese kabuki performer, known both for his own work and for his role as the progenitor of a family of kabuki actors from Osaka. Iwai Hanshirō was a stage name with significant cultural and historical connotations. 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 accomplishment. This actor passed the mantle of his stage name to his artistic heirs. Lineage of Iwai stage names Iwai Hanshirō I (1652–1699) Iwai Hanshirō II (d. 1710) Iwai Hanshirō III (1698–1760) Iwai Hanshirō IV (1747–1800) Iwai Hanshirō V (1776–1847) Iwai Hanshirō VI (1799–1836) Iwai Hanshirō VII (1804–1845) Iwai Hanshirō VIII (1829–1882) Iwai Hanshirō IX (1882–1945) Iwai Hanshirō X (1927-2011) See also Shūmei Notes References Leiter, Samuel L. (2006). Historical Dictionary of Japanese Traditional Theatre. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press. ; OCLC 238637010 Nussbaum, Louis Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005). Japan Encyclopedia. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. ; OCLC 48943301 Scott, Adolphe Clarence. (1955). The Kabuki Theatre of Japan. London: Allen & Unwin. OCLC 622644114 Kabuki actors 1652 births 1699 deaths People from Osaka Male actors from Osaka