A Story of KUHOU国宝【KOKUHOU(National Treasure)】
In the period is Japan’s rapid economic growth term after World War II.
This is a life story of a man named 喜久男【KIKUO】 who was a son of yakuza family through his 50 years life.
At his age of fifteen, he was his father was killed in Yakuza’s fight at the banquet of classic style Japanese restaurant 料亭【RYOUTEI】on the snow day’s night in front of him. Then, he was taken by a famous Kabuki actor Hanai Hanjiro as adopted child.
Hanai also had his own biological child 俊介【SHUNSUKE】and he was young Kabuki actor, too.
Kill Bill ▶ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5046230/
※(The art director is Kill Bill’s 種田陽平【TANEDA YOUHEI】. And that battle scene would inspires you Kill Bill’s one.)
They had been raised like brothers despite of differences of their back grounds, and became very popular Kabuki actors as 女形【OYAMA（Female role actors）】through tough and hard trainings-until one day,
▶＜Coming Soon＞ What’s 女形【OYAMA】？ Japanese male Kabuki actors who play typical beautiful female roles.
吉沢亮【YOSHIZAWA RYOU】and 横浜流星【YOKOHAMA RYUUSEI】are the most popular young age actors in Japan nowadays.
Yoshizawa Ryo is starring at NHK drama 青天を衝け【SEITEN WO TSUKE】in 2021 and played 嬴政【EISEI】, a young emperor of 秦【SHIN】in movie “KINGDOM”.
As of 2025, Yokohama Ryuusei is starring in the NHK Taiga drama "Berabou."
A Kabuki actor Hanai is 渡辺謙【WATANABE KEN】, you know, a great actor of “Last Samurai”. NHK’s long-term epic Taiga drama 独眼竜正宗【DOKUGANRYUU-MASAMUNE（One eyed dragon-MASAMUNE）】 in 1987.
Hanai had fallen ill with his disease on the stage and he appointed Kikuo as his replacement, not his son Shunsuke.
Kikuo prayed at small shrine and said “I’m not playing for 神様【KAMI-SAMA(Japanese god)】, but dealt with the devil. ” to his daughter. He determined to reach the extreme art of Kabuki, instead of everything else.
Spoilers ahead, so if you don’t want to know the ending, please stop reading.
Shunsuke was deeply shocked and left from Kabuki world with Kikuo’s lover, and toured local small eras with her for 8 years.
Kikuo became the most popular and talented star of Kabuki world during it.
Navertheless, the story is not ended. After many twists and turns, this time Kikuo touring the local small theaters for years and after he came back to bright large theater and played with Syunsuke, then again, Shunsuke became ill as same as his father……as a 人間国宝【NINGEN KOKUHOU（Human National Treasure: title send for traditional craft man ships or artists from government）】, it seems that only old legendary actor 小野川万菊【ONOGAWA MANGIKU】 knows harshness, glimpse of infinite joy and overwhelming isolation of mastering the art.
When Kikuo became 50 years old, at his interview celebrating him designated 人間国宝【NINGEN-KOKUHOU（Living Treasure/Human National Heritage）】, he answered just ” Thanks of every audiences who followed our activities, I could be horned this” like anything had happened, as we look famous people’s success interview on TV usual.
Anyway, it seems that it shows 陰陽【IN-YOU（Ying and Yang）】that is absolutely equal to every people even sometimes certain person looked perfectly brightness and beautiful.
At the same time, I feel the message that each of us faces our own lives and without comparing someone and seek it something you feel it’s important, even anything it is. No matter happens, they are unforgettable, beautiful and attractive parts of drama in our life, like every scenes including seeming tragically, are beautiful throughout this magnificent movie.
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