Nakamura Utaemon I (中村歌右衛門 (初代), 1714–1791) was a Japanese kabuki performer.

He was the progenitor of a family of kabuki actors from the Keihanshin region.

As a youth, he decided to join a troupe of actors; and this was the beginning of a long career.

[2] Nakamura Utaemon was a stage name with significant cultural and historical connotations.

[2] 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.