Kabuki Actor Sawamura Sojuro III (Kinokuniya) as Nagoya Sanza from the series Actors on Stage

In Actors on the Stage, Toyokuni created a highly successful series of more than forty known designs in the oban format, which allowed for a larger and more impressive image than the narrow hosoban that had been the dominant format for actor prints before the 1790s. The actor Sawamura Sojuro III-here identified by his family's "shop name" (yago), Kinokuniya-plays the role of Nagoya Sanza (Sanzaburo), a character based on a ronin who lived in the late sixteenth century. He carries the deep hat that was worn to conceal his facial features. Toyokuni's portrait series isolates each actor against a plain background, focusing effectively on one of his current roles. Kabuki fans could easily recognize their favorite stars by their appearance or by their "shop names," which are well known to kabuki audiences and are often shouted out in enthusiasm at key moments in a performance.