Kankurō is a member of the acting guild Nakamura-ya and son of the celebrated Nakamura Kanzaburō XVIII. His younger brother, Shichinosuke II, also currently performs kabuki. Their family can trace their lineage back, within the kabuki world, at least seven generations, to Onoe Kikugorō III and Ichimura Uzaemon XI, who performed in the early 19th century. As is the case with the names of all kabuki actors, "Nakamura Kankurō" is a yagō or stage name.
