noun
skilled actor who is childlike offstage
Describes a talented actor whose real-life personality is innocent or naive, like a child. A set phrase from the Edo period, now rare.
彼はまさに役者子供で、舞台を降りると無邪気そのものだ。
He is exactly a yakusha kodomo—once offstage, he is innocence itself.
noun
child kabuki actor
Original literal meaning from the Edo period, referring to a child performer in kabuki. Archaic.
江戸時代には役者子供が舞台で人気を博した。
In the Edo period, child kabuki actors gained popularity on stage.