On November 30, 2005 the great onnagata actor Nakamura Ganjiro III assumed the stage name Sakata Tojuro IV. The new Tojuro is a leading actor in the Kamigata kabuki of the Tokyo and Osaka region. He regards onnagata characters as a unique sex , neither man nor woman.

"There are many type of onnagata characters." he says "Here are two examples. Tamategozen, the wife of a daimyo lord, fall in love with another man. koharu vows to end her love affair with a married man with children. Playing these two female roles, I have always aimed to create beauty transcending the sexes. make-up is an important factor in that, but also every movement and speech must be sophisticated and perfectly played out".

Tojuro plays the role of Ohatsu

True of his words, his onnagata characters have always presented the image of a perfect woman. Among them is the heroine Ohatsu in Sonezaki Shinju, a role he has played for 52 years. The piece depicts a love affair between the 19 year old courtesan Ohatsu and the 25 year old clerk Tokubei. They commit suicide to be united in death. It's a love story, emblematic of Kamigata kabuki, which emphasizes realism. The affair ending in shinju (double suicide) is a romanticc ideal in Japan. that has also struck a chord with audience in England, Russia, Korea and America.

Ohatsu role in a tour in USA

Why does the story have international appeal? "love is universal, " says Tojuro, "And the gesture speak that the heart feels. When I play Ohatsu, I act as her heart tells me."

Tojuro's Ohatsu, in every moment the he/she is on the stage, exudes sweetness and the strong will of a woman in love; His acting is such that the audience sees the 19 year old girl in love, not the male actor 70 plus years old. With her graceful gestures and speech Ohatsu gently leads the audience into the syory. The deep love with which Tojuro has nurtured the charactr Ohatsu continues to enchant audiences around the world.