The actor Kitamura Ryokurô in the role of Otsuta

Ota's portrait of Kitamura Ryokuro as Otsuta turns from the headline actors who dominate his catalogue to a respected character actor of the Showa stage. Kitamura Ryokuro built his career on supporting roles that required precise characterization rather than star presence, and prints of such actors are characteristic of Ota's documentary commitment to the broader company of postwar Tokyo kabuki. Otsuta is a female role, and Ota's composition isolates the figure with attention to the specific kimono pattern and hairstyle that identify the character within the play. The technical handling matches that of his major-actor portraits: registered color blocks for the kimono, fine line carving for the facial features, and [bokashi](/glossary/bokashi) gradation where atmospheric effect is needed at the hairline or background. Within Ota's body of work, prints of secondary actors balance the heavier representation of leading onnagata and tachiyaku, contributing to a record of an entire generation of performance rather than a roster of stars.