Harada Taizo, who plays Yoshie Zensaku, a Christian pastor, in the NHK Asadora drama series "Kaze,Kaoru " (NHK General, Monday-Saturday 8:00 AM, etc.), starring Ai Mikami Ai and Juri Kosaka , spoke about his feelings when he received the offer, his impression of the character Yoshie, and his thoughts on Naomi (Uesaka).
Harada plays Yoshie, a Christian pastor who took in Naomi (Uesaka) four years ago and has been quietly watching over her ever since. He respects Naomi's wish to be independent and they live separately, but he is always thinking about her.
Regarding the offer to play the role of Yoshie, Harada said, "I was happy when I received the offer," and recalled, "I had previously appeared in 'Gochisosan' (second half of 2013), which was produced in Osaka, so I had always wanted to appear in a ' Asadora' produced in Tokyo someday. Also, when I was appearing in the Taiga drama ' UNBOUND' (2025), the makeup room behind my makeup room was the makeup room for the ' Asadora' team, so I was curious about what kind of filming they were doing."
"This was my first time playing a pastor, so I started by reading the Bible and attending services at local churches. Pastors back then weren't exactly welcomed by everyone, and there must have been people who looked down on them. I knew that, but I still went about my activities, like providing meals, with a smile, and I was happy when people were pleased. I'm trying to portray the other side of the pastor, not just the smile."
Regarding Yoshie's character, he shared his impression, saying, "After reading the script, I thought he was a charming character who always watches over Naomi and also gently looks after the people in the town around the church. I feel that he thinks of Naomi as if she were his own daughter and is like a father figure who knows all of her good and bad points."
"Before I started acting, I thought, 'This character cries so easily...' but once I was actually on set and acting, crying felt natural (laughs). She genuinely cares about Naomi, so she gets surprised and worried every time Naomi does something. She knows everything about Naomi's journey since she was abandoned and the discrimination she still faces, so she must have an extraordinary amount of love for Naomi."
In the play, Rin (Mikami) and Naomi are shown aiming to become trained nurses, and he commented, "I didn't know this at all, but apparently there were people who looked down on nurses back then. These women are the ones who elevate it to a proud and wonderful profession. I think Yoshie will be moved again when she sees the process of Naomi, who is like a daughter to him, accomplishing that."
