Akoya, from the 1732 jidaimono play Dan no Ura Kabuto Gunki, was written by Matsuda Bunkōdō and Hasegawa Senshi for the bunraku puppet theatre, and it remains one of the most iconic roles of the kabuki onnagata repertoire.

The role was played exclusively by Nakamura Utaemon VI in the period between 1958 and 1986, then by Bandō Tamasaburō V from 1997 to 2018, and it has since been played by Tamasaburō and the two young onnagata Nakamura Kotarō VI and Nakamura Baishi IV, who learned the role under him. Some notable Akoya actors before that include Nakamura Utaemon V, Bandō Shūchō III and Kataoka Nizaemon XII.

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