Kabuki actor Nakamura Jakuemon, known for playing female roles and designated as a national living treasure in 1991, died of pneumonia Thursday afternoon in a Tokyo hospital, kabuki theater operators said. He was 91.
Jakuemon was awarded the Order of Culture, Japan’s most prestigious honor in the fields of culture and science, in 2004. The actor, whose real name is Kiyoharu Aoki, made his stage debut in 1927 as a child prodigy and became a “onnagata” female impersonator once his military service was over.
Unable to view this article?
This could be due to a conflict with your ad-blocking or security software.
Please add japantimes.co.jp and piano.io to your list of allowed sites.
If this does not resolve the issue or you are unable to add the domains to your allowlist, please see this support page.
We humbly apologize for the inconvenience.
In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever.
By subscribing, you can help us get the story right.
SUBSCRIBE NOW
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.