which he assumed at the age of fourteen, he was acknowledged the leading actor of Yedo. He was murdered on the stage in 1704 by a fellow player, with whom he had remonstrated on his licentious life. His son, Kuzo, who was born in 1688, succeeded to the stage-name which he maintained in high repute until his death in 1758. Kuzo made a journey in his youth to the shrine of Narita, some forty miles east of Yedo, where he invoked the god to aid him in his art; and when he afterwards became a famous actor, he took in gratitude the name Narita-ya as his tradename. Every actor has since had three separate names, his private name which seldom becomes public; his stage-name by which he is always known; and his trade-name, which distinguishes his branch from others of the same professional family. Until a few years ago, the actors’ guild was very exclusive; and every Thespian aspirant had first to be apprenticed to an actor, by whom he would be introduced to the stage. The stage-name was hereditary, though in some cases the son’s claim to it would be waived in favour of an abler pupil’s. There was alway a traditional glamour about a great stage-name, which went further in determining its bearer’s position in his profession than his own ability, and was taken more into consideration in assigning to him his rôle in casting a play. It is true, he always tried though with unequal success to act up to his name; but it cannot be denied that it often covered a multitude of defects. It was possible for the bearer of an unnoted name to rise by sheer merit in public esteem; but he could only be promoted, that is to say, allowed an increase of salary, by the elders of the actors’ guild, for every actor had a salary fixed for him, which could but seldom be altered at his own will. Though the actual sum paid him for a run might differ from it, the payments were made to the members of a company in proportion to their fixed salaries. It is the irksomeness of this rule that has driven many able actors to the small theatres where it ceases to be binding. As every aspirant had to be
