Dear Radiance: Akihisa Shiono "The time spent suffering was longer" looking back on his role as Emperor Ichijo

The 40th episode of the NHK Taiga drama "Dear Radiance (Hikaru Kimi e)" (General TV, Sunday 8pm and others), starring Yoshitaka Yuriko, aired on October 20th, depicting the final days of Emperor Ichijo, played by Shiono Akihisa. "There aren't many productions where you can play the same role for a long period of time. Among them, living half the life of a person in the position of the Emperor was something that left a deep impression on me in my acting career," Shiono said, looking back on his role as Emperor Ichijo.

In the 40th episode, while Mahiro (Yoshitaka)'s stories continue to be a hot topic at the palace, Emperor Ichijo falls ill and an ominous atmosphere begins to hang in the air.

The Emperor behaves bravely in front of Empress Shoshi (Mikami Ai), but when Michinaga (Emoto Tasuku) receives a report of an ominous omen from a fortune teller, the nobles' movements over the succession to the throne accelerate. As Mahiro accompanies Shoko, who is worried about the Emperor's condition, Michinaga arrives.

Shoko then reveals her feelings for Michinaga... and so the story unfolds.

Prince Atsunaga (Kataoka Sennosuke) hoped to become the Crown Prince, but this was not to be. After announcing his intention to abdicate to Prince Itsada (later Emperor Sanjo, Kimura Tatsunari), Emperor Ichijo recited a death poem in front of Shoko and passed away the day after.

After completing the role, Shiono revealed, "The glamorous days when I played the flute in front of Sadako, laughed together as we gazed at the snow, passed by in a flash more quickly than I expected, and from then on I think I spent more time with furrowed brows and suffering."

He also expressed the feelings of Emperor Ichijo, saying, "Despite being the emperor, not many things went as he wanted, including politics, and in the end he even felt regret." He continued, "I am full of gratitude to Shoshi, who loved Ichijo from the bottom of her heart, and to Sadako, who took Ichijo's love into her heart. If you could feel Ichijo's gradual growth through his connections with Sadako, Shoshi, and his mother, I think that is thanks to the cast and staff who put together the play together. Thank you so much."

He continued, "I was very happy when the sound of my flute was used in the play, and when Tomoyoshi Kakushin, who was in charge of artistic research and guidance, and Inaba Akinori, who was in charge of gagaku guidance, were very pleased. I think it was all thanks to them for teaching me so carefully and kindly." He also added, "I also remember that in the scene where Emperor Ichijo crosses over to Fujitsubo to meet Shoko, Director Nakaizumi added snow effects, which gave a higher resolution to his feelings for Sadako, making the scene even more memorable."

This is Shiono's first time appearing in a taiga drama, and she expressed her thoughts by saying, "This is an opportunity for me to once again affirm what I have built up so far, and say, 'I'm glad I kept going.'"

"Dear Radiance" is the 63rd taiga drama. Set in aristocratic society in the mid-Heian period, the protagonist is Murasaki Shikibu (Mahiro), who later wrote "The Tale of Genji," said to be the world's oldest novel written by a woman. The script was written by Oishi Shizuka, who is writing a taiga drama for the second time since "Koumyo ga Tsuji" in 2006, and depicts the glittering world of Heian aristocrats and the life of a woman who lived, wrote, and loved with all her heart.