<table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0" ><tr><td valign="top" style="font: inherit;"><DIV><FONT face="bookman old style, new york, times, serif">today the japanese press announced the passing on 2/23 of kabuki's senior actor, <EM>onnagata</EM> female role specialist Nakamura Jakuemon IV, at the age of 91. he was a popular film star in the 1950s under his previous stage name of Otani Tomoemon, mainly in attractive swashbucklers starting with Inagaki's <EM>Sasaki Kojiro</EM> (Toho 1950). he might be known in the west for his atypical performance as the love interest, Dr. Matoba, in Mizuguchi's <EM>Uwasa no Onna </EM>(Daiei 1954).</FONT></DIV>
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