After his father's death he became a protégé of his grandfather, Utaemon NAKAMURA V, and debuted as Kotaro NAKAMURA IV in "Kiri Hitoha" (a single paulownia leaf) in Kabuki-za Theater in November 1933.
父の死後、祖父中村歌右衛門(5代目)の身内となり、四代目中村児太郎の名で1933年（昭和8年）11月歌舞伎座『桐一葉』に初舞台を踏む。