Yukinojo Kawai (born 1970) is a Japanese actor from Nakano, Tokyo, specializing in onnagata, the performance of female roles. Born outside the hereditary kabuki families, he entered the National Theatre’s kabuki actor training program after junior high school and completed its ninth intake in 1988. That year, he became a disciple of Ichikawa Ennosuke III and performed under the name Ichikawa Shun’en. He received the Matsuo Performing Arts Award for New Talent in 2007. In 2017, he joined the Shinpa theatre company and adopted the name Yukinojo Kawai, bringing his kabuki training to female roles in Shinpa drama. His memoir, “Chi to Gei: Hiseshu Onnagata Yakusha no Kakugo,” traces his childhood fascination with kabuki, formal training, relationship with his mentor, and transition to Shinpa. It offers a personal account of developing his craft in a world shaped by family lineage and the decisions required to sustain a life onstage.