A special drama starring actress Keiko Kitagawa, "TV Asahi Drama Premium: Hana Noren, Commemorating the 100th Anniversary of Yamazaki Toyoko's Birth" (TV Asahi network), will be broadcast from 9pm on March 8th. Based on the novel of the same name by Yamazaki Toyoko, the drama depicts the life of Kawashima Taka, a showman who blazed a trail as a pioneer of "female producers" from the Meiji to Showa eras. Taka is modeled after Yoshimoto Sei, the founder of Yoshimoto Kogyo. Kitagawa, who is now a mother of two, said she "wants to show this film to my children when they grow up someday," and we spoke to her about the appeal of the film.
◇Period stuff is great
"I always think that period pieces and historical dramas are great. I would love for young people to watch them too. There are lots of funny scenes that will make young people think that period pieces are interesting, and because Yoshimoto Sei is the model, I think they'll feel a sense of familiarity with the character. We filmed in Kyoto, so each and every image is so beautiful that it makes you think that this is what Japan was like in the old days," said Kitagawa, talking about the appeal of the drama.
The story is about the life of Taka, who married into a kimono shop in Senba, Osaka. After her husband dies and she raises her son, she uses her tenacity and business acumen to expand her comedy hall.
"Taka cherished and inherited her husband's last wishes. She was a hard-working person who always valued people, was honest, and had a strong passion. In business, she had the strength to adapt and boldly change with the times, which is probably why she was able to succeed.
I think it will be a great opportunity for viewers, and of course for my daughters and sons to see it when they grow up, to learn that their current lives are built on the lives of people like these. I'm sure the children will take something from it too."
◇ "After the Flowers" and his connection with Masahiro Komoto
Taka's husband, Yoshisaburo, is played by Ito Hideaki, Ito Tomoe, a city council member who patronizes Taka's comedy hall, is played by Kamikawa Takaya, and Gamaguchi, who supports Taka as the store manager, is played by Komoto Masahiro.
In particular, he and Komoto, with whom he first co-starred in the 2010 film "After Flowers," in which they played a married couple, both felt a connection from that work.
"'Hana no Ato' was the first period drama I starred in. It really taught me a lot of things. This time, we are not playing married couples, but for Taka, I am a partner, someone who will walk through life with her. I thought we were destined to be together, and Komoto-san said the same thing, 'I think of this as a continuation of Hana no Ato,' and I was happy.
I think that this time, I talked the most about the play with Komoto-san. I really enjoyed the time we spent thinking about how I could fit into Komoto-san's precise acting plan."
◇ Toyoko Yamazaki fans will "definitely enjoy it"
In honor of the original work, the lines are in Senba dialect. Even Kitagawa, who is from Kansai, was surprised at how different it was from the Kansai dialect of today. He listened to the recorded lines in Senba dialect repeatedly and practiced them.
"I listened to each scene, recorded myself saying the lines I had memorized, and listened back to them, correcting any parts that I thought were wrong... I repeated this process. If I was distracted by my pronunciation, the acting became very tense, but if I concentrated on the acting, I was worried about the sound of my lines, so when both went well, I felt very refreshed."
Both he and his parents are big fans of Toyoko Yamazaki's work. "The script is a tribute to the original work, and we've made sure to use Senba lingo. I'm sure fans of Yamazaki's work and those who like her worldview will enjoy it," he said confidently.
