A completion report meeting for "National Treasure" (directed by Lee Sang-il, to be released on June 6th), a film adaptation starring actor Ryo Yoshizawa of a novel by Yoshida Shuichi depicting the world of Kabuki, was held in Tokyo on April 23rd, where actress Terashima Shinobu made an appearance. Terashima, the daughter of Kabuki actor Onoe Kikugorou, said, "It was a strange experience, as I felt more like a member of the staff than an actor."
The movie "National Treasure" is based on the same-titled novel by Yoshida, who is also known for "Parade" and "Park Life." The film is a major work of over 800 pages, serialized in the Asahi Shimbun newspaper from 2017 and published in book form in 2018. Set in postwar Japan during the period of rapid economic growth, the story follows the protagonist Kikuo (Yoshizawa), who was born into a clan of yakuza but was adopted by the family of kabuki actor Hanjiro Hanai (Ken Watanabe), who meets Hanjiro's heir, Shunsuke (Ryusei Yokohama). This epic story follows two men of opposing bloodlines who risk their lives to dedicate their lives to the arts.
Terashima plays Ogaki Sachiko, the wife of Kabuki actor Hanai Hanjiro, who takes in and raises Kikuo, and the mother of Shunsuke. At first, she is against taking in Kikuo, but then she notices his talent and is tormented by her love for her son, Shunsuke. Terashima said, "The role of Sachiko doesn't really make sense in real life, because Kabuki is a hereditary art. When I read the novel, I thought it was a dreamlike story," and said that she even gave advice to director Lee during filming. Ken Watanabe revealed, "I heard he gave some pretty harsh criticism."
Yoshizawa, Yokohama, Takahata Mitsuki, Mori Nana, Ai Mikami, Tanaka Min, and director Lee also appeared at the event.
