, or soft style, is a style of kabuki

Kabuki

is classical Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for the stylization of its drama and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers.The individual kanji characters, from left to right, mean sing , dance , and skill...

 acting that emphasizes realistic speech and gestures. Wagoto actors typically do not employ the exaggerated makeup and costuming common to the more exaggerated aragoto

Aragoto

, or rough style, is a style of kabuki acting that uses exaggerated, dynamic kata and speech. Often, aragoto actors wear bold red or blue makeup , and have costumes that are padded and enlarged...

(rough) style.

Wagoto was pioneered by Sakata Tōjūrō I

Sakata Tojuro I

' was an early kabuki actor of the Genroku period in Japan. He was a pioneer of the wagoto style, and of Kamigata kabuki more generally. His influence persists in the lineage of actors who have taken up his artistic mantle....

, an actor in the Kamigata

Kamigata

Kamigata is a region of Japan referring to the cities of Kyoto and Osaka; the term is used particularly when discussing elements of Edo period urban culture such as ukiyo-e and kabuki, and when making a comparison to the urban culture of the Edo/Tokyo region.Kabuki, ukiyo-e, and many of the other...

 (Osaka

Osaka

is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...

-Kyoto

Kyoto

is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...

) region. Plays that emphasize wagoto roles are typically tragic romances. Famous plays that emphasize wagoto roles include Sonezaki Shinjū (The Love Suicides at Sonezaki) and Kuruwa Bunshō (Tales of the Licensed Quarter).

Wagotoshi refers to Kabuki actors who specialize in wagoto roles. Notable wagotoshi include Bandō Kakitsu I and Matsumoto Kōshirō VII

Matsumoto Koshiro VII

Matsumoto Kōshirō VII was one of the leading tachiyaku Kabuki actors of Japan's Meiji period through the late 1940s.-Names:...

.