Yuriko Yoshitaka stars in the NHK Taiga drama "Dear Radiance (Hikaru Kimi e) " (General TV, Sunday 8pm and others). The drama has only the final episode, "Beyond the Story," to air, but there is no doubt that many great performances and memorable scenes by the unique cast have been created over the past year. Here, I would like to trace the footsteps (achievements) of Emperor Ichijo, who was a loving man who was caught up in complicated human relationships and political strife, and the role of Akihisa Shiono.
◇ Emperor Ichijo: "Very human, very human"
Emperor Ichijo was the nephew of Fujiwara no Michinaga Michinaga and ascended to the throne at a young age. He doted on Michitaka's eldest daughter Sadashi, who entered the Imperial Court, but later Michinaga's eldest daughter Shoshi also entered the Imperial Court, and he became embroiled in a political struggle over the succession. He also loved literature and had a strong interest in Mahiro (Murasaki Shikibu)'s Tale of Genji. Shiono skillfully expressed the conflict between the heavy responsibilities of being an emperor and his personal feelings, leaving a strong impression on viewers as Emperor Ichijo, who was "very human and humane."
Emperor Ichijo was so fond of Teishi that he sometimes neglected politics, but that was also because of his loving personality. Even after Teishi's death and the adoption of Shoshi, he never wavered in that respect.
Emperor Ichijo was also known as a master of the flute, and in the play he is shown performing the Ryuteki flute, but there is also a scene where the actual sound of Shiono playing it is used.
Shiono, who learned to play the ryuteki as part of her role preparation, describes it as "an instrument that clearly reflects one's heart," and explains that "the more I think about tension or 'I should do this,' the harder it is to make a sound," so she admits that it "doesn't go well" with the stressful actual filming. She adds, "When it was 'the real thing', there were times when I couldn't make a sound, but it was important to stay calm in those situations and convey my feelings through sound. My teacher also said, 'It's not a matter of whether you're good or bad.'" Her teacher told me that Emperor Ichijo was not a professional ryuteki player, and only played it as an extension of his hobby, and that (Shiono) 'gave a convincing performance.' That gave me confidence, and I felt like I gradually improved."
◇ Akihisa Shiono:"Something that has been deeply engraved in my heart in my acting career"
Shiono appeared in the first 40 episodes, "Leaving You Behind," which depicted the final moments of Emperor Ichijo. In this episode, Emperor Ichijo, who had been in poor health for some time, behaves bravely in front of Empress Shoshi, but is shocked when he hears an ominous omen from a fortune teller.
He hoped that Prince Atsunobu, a son born to him and Sadashi, would become the Crown Prince, but this did not come to fruition. After informing Prince Itsuna (who later became Emperor Sanjo) that he would abdicate, he composed a death poem in front of Shoshi and passed away the day after.
Shiono commented, "There aren't many productions in which you can play the same role over a long period of time. Among those, living half the life of a person in the position of Emperor has left a deep impression on me in my career as an actor."
Shiono also felt that Emperor Ichijo "suffered more than he suffered" as he played a character who "had nothing to do with politics and other things, despite being the emperor," but the Emperor Ichijo's beautiful appearance even in his suffering was only made possible by Shiono's excellent performance. It has been exactly 10 years since Shiono played one of the so-called Sentai heroes in the special effects drama "Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger" (2013-2014). We have high hopes for Shiono's future after his big break with "To Dear Radiance (Hikaru Kimi e)."
The final episode of "Dear Radiance (Hikaru Kimi e) ", "Monogatari no Saki ni (Beyond the Story)", will be broadcast on December 15th with an extended 15 minutes.
