I am watching Gintama, but am only at episode 62 so if the character you're referencing has appeared by then I still don't recognize the voice. Although Inspector Megure from Detective Conan just recently showed up. Anywho...
First, thank goodness Yotaro in prison really was just a flashback. That whole setup of prison rakugo made me think of Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison. Yakumo's performance was pretty brutal, and the spurned lover committing suicide with the guilt and despair accompanying the living partner certainly drew parallels with his own treatment of and by Miyokichi. Speaking of this episode really seemed to be going into Yakumo's death march mode until the very end. Complete with one last Shinigami performance with the shinigami appearing as Sukeroku. I honestly expected Yakumo to die with all that setup/buildup. But, Yotaro stepped up big again. And while the rakugo hall is gone, Yakumo decided to cling to life for those he cares about. It's kinda sweet, in a sense, and everyone certainly looks pretty darn happy in that preview. So...with 3 episodes to go what's left? Anymore misdirection? Things left unresolved? Has Yakumo found peace? And what of the future of rakugo?