Tokujirō began his performance career at 19, performing in a shinpa troupe led by Fukui Mohei[1]:23 In 1920 he joined a group of actors who were not satisfied with the work of Sawada Shōjirō [ja], the artistic director of Shinkokugeki [ja] (New National Theatre).

[1]:21 The Tsutsui Troupe was one of the first groups to bring traditional Japanese performance to the United States and Europe.

[2] His troupe performed in twenty-two countries,[1]:3 with attendees including seminal directors such as Bertolt Brecht,[3]:255 Jacques Copeau, Charles Dullin,[4] and Vsevolod Meyerhold.

[3]:135 Contemporary critics, however, questioned this authenticity, noting the number of changes Tsutsui made to traditional Japanese theatre.

[3]:136 These included the shortened length of the plays (which had to be under two hours),[1]:33 the use of painted scenery and 'enormous stage settings' in a Western style, 'the troupe's replacement of onnagata', roles traditionally played by male transvestites, with actresses.