Onoe Kikugorō III

Who was Onoe Kikugorō III?

Onoe Kikugorō III was a Japanese kabuki actor, the first and among the most famous kaneru yakusha, a type of actor who performs a wide variety of roles. This is in contrast to the vast majority of kabuki actors, who specialize in only playing women, heroes, villains, or other particular types of roles. Kikugorō was close friends with the playwright Tsuruya Nanboku IV, who wrote the role of Oiwa, in the play Tōkaidō Yotsuya Kaidan, specifically for him.