Big actors were called "Beggars".

'Yakusha'(actor) means 'a person in charge of arts and crafts'.
Originally, it was derived from the word 'Yaku', some kind of works for god. As an entertainment word, it was used in 'Saru-gaku' in the Middle Ages. In the Edo era, actors of Kabuki were called 'Yakusha'. The word, however, actually came from the actors of mimicry who were called 'Otoko Yakusha' after the 'Yaro Kabuki' period (1652). 'Wakashu' and 'Onna gata', who showed their beauty and mostly performed dance, were not called 'Yakusha'.
This name 'Yakusha' was used by the government to refer to actors with scorn, just like the words 'Kawara mono' and 'Kawara Kojiki'.