It has been revealed that actor and Japanese dancer Fujima Sawako will be appearing in the period drama "Shin Abarenbou Shogun" (TV Asahi), which will be broadcast at 9 pm on January 4, 2025. Fujima will play the heroine Okinu in this production, but her grandmother, the first Fujima Murasaki, and her mother, Shimamura Yoshie, also appeared in "Abarenbou Shogun", making this the third generation of her family to appear in the show. "It was a strange feeling, like a traditional performing art, as if I was receiving the baton from my grandmother to my mother and then to me," she said.
While working on stage and in film productions, Fujima-san took on the name "Fujima Murasaki" as the third head of the "Murasakiha Fujima-ryu" school of Japanese dance in 2021. He is active as both an actor and a Japanese dancer, playing the role of Taiko, the heroine's childhood friend, in the NHK morning drama "Boogie Woogie."
Okinu, played by Fujima, runs away from home in rebellion against a marriage arranged for her, but is deceived by the actor Ranmaru and almost sold into prostitution, but is saved by Fukutaro, played by Nishihata Daigo. She has no idea that he is actually Ieshige, the eldest son of the eighth shogun, Tokugawa Yoshimune (played by Matsudaira Ken), and develops a faint crush on him.
◇Comment from Sawako Fujima
"Abarenbo Shogun" has been loved by many people, regardless of age or gender, and has been very popular. I remember being surprised and excited when I was asked to appear in the show. It's a personal thing, but both my grandmother and mother appeared in the show when they were young, so it feels like three generations of parents and children have been taken care of, and it felt strange, like a traditional performing art, like a baton being passed down from my grandmother to my mother and then to me. The filming site was a stimulating place with a good balance of tension and a peaceful atmosphere. There was an excitement that made me want to shout out "I've been waiting for this!", and I think I myself discovered the fun of "period dramas" that can only be felt in the Reiwa era.
This was also my first time working with Miike's team, and when the cut was called, the director said one thing with sincerity: "Period dramas are so cool." I still can't forget the director's kind smile. I was able to film with such wonderful actors and staff in Uzumasa, the home of period dramas. I am truly happy to have had the opportunity to be involved as an actor in the historic "Abarenbou Shogun," which has been engraved with the feelings of so many people. Please enjoy "New Abarenbou Shogun" with your family and friends in the new year!
