Unexpectedly - Unexpected

...However, it was not actually anything new, as Kakuto and Kawakami admired and imitated the performances of Kabuki actors such as Nakamura Sojuro, Akizuki Ichikawa Gonjuro, Kitamura Arashi Rikaku, and Takada Onoe Usaburo. However, Kawakami, who was quick to seize an opportunity, successfully performed "Igai" at the Asakusa-za in January 1894, which was a dramatization of the then much talked about Soma Incident by Iwasaki Ryoka, and was a big hit with "Mata Igai" and "Mata Igai". When the Sino-Japanese War broke out, he made his debut at the Kabuki-za with war dramas such as "Soukai Kaizetsu Nisshin Senso", and in 1896, he built the Kawakami-za in Kanda. However, with the end of the war he lost momentum, and in April 1899 he toured the United States, making his wife, Sadayatsuko Kawakami, into an actress and leaving his mark on Western soil. Upon returning to Japan, he staged an adaptation of "Othello" by Emi Mizukage, calling it a "legitimate play."

*Some of the terminology explanations that mention "unexpected" are listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

…しかし，角藤や川上が中村宗十郎，秋月が市川権十郎，喜多村が嵐璃珏（りかく），高田が尾上卯三郎など歌舞伎役者に私淑してその演技を模倣していたように，実質はけっして新しいものではなかった。だが，機を見るに敏な川上は，94年1月浅草座で当時話題の相馬事件を岩崎蕣花が脚色した《意外》の上演に成功，《又意外》《又々意外》を出して大当りをとり，日清戦争勃発に際しては《壮絶快絶日清戦争》などの戦争劇で歌舞伎座進出を果たし，96年には神田に川上座を建設するにいたった。しかし戦争終結で勢いを失い，99年4月渡米巡業，妻の川上貞奴（さだやつこ）を女優にしたてあげて欧米の地に足跡を残し，帰朝すると江見水蔭翻案で《オセロ》を〈正劇〉と称して上演するなどしていた。…

※「《意外》」について言及している用語解説の一部を掲載しています。

出典｜株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典 第２版について | 情報