Nagauta Shōhon (libretto): Kyōkanoko Musume Dōjōji — Cover: Actor Nakamura Tomijurō I as a Shirabyoshi (female dancer) at the Nakamura-za Theatre

Nagauta emerged in the early eighteenth century as shamisen accompaniment for kabuki and developed primarily in Edo. Within kabuki music, nagauta coexisted with styles such as Takemoto (Gidayū-bushi), Tokiwazu, and Kiyomoto. Performed together with the hayashi ensemble of flutes and percussion, nagauta is noted for its rich melodic character and lyricism. Whereas Takemoto and related styles are categorized as katarimono (narrative chant), nagauta is classed as utamono (song-based). Closely tied to kabuki buyō (dance), nagauta played a key role in the genre’s development; among formative examples are Momochidori Musume Dōjōji (Nakamura-za, Edo, 1744) and Kyōkanoko Musume Dōjōji (Nakamura-za, Edo, 1753), both of which originated as nagauta compositions.
“Nagauta shōhon” are slim, woodblock-printed booklets that record the song texts. Typically comprising three to four leaves, their covers list performance credits—actors, singers, and shamisen players—while the interior pages present the lyrics. In the early period, theaters and publishers are thought to have maintained semi-exclusive arrangements under which particular houses handled publication. Shōhon were generally issued at the time of performance, though popular pieces were often reissued thereafter. Copies lacking their covers are commonly called “keikobon” and are said to have been used for practice or lessons.

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(References)
Saishin Kabuki Daijiten (The New Kabuki Encyclopedia), supervised by Yoshihide Tomizawa and Hiroshi Fujita; editorial committee: Akira Kamiyama, Yuka Marumo, Ryuichi Kodama, Tokyo: Kashiwa Shobo, 2012.