近松門左衛門
Tōjūrō was born in Kyoto in 1647; his father, Sakata Ichiemon, was a theatre owner. Sakata Tōjūrō was actor-manager ("zagashira") of the Mandayū Theatre in Kyoto; and during this period, the house playwright Chikamatsu Monzaemon. Chikamatsu praised the actor's craft, including careful attention to the dramatic requirements of the script and encouraging other actors to study the actual details of a character's circumstances.