Ai Mikami plays Kameji Juri Kosaka, who runs a transportation business at the home of Rin's (Mikami's) husband, in the NHK Asadora drama series "Kaze,Kaoru" (NHK General, Monday-Saturday 8:00 AM, etc.), which stars Ai Mikami and Juri Uesaka. He spoke about his impressions of the role of Kameji and his thoughts on playing the part.
Kameki, played by Miura, is a man who started a transportation business in the Meiji era in the town next to the village where Rin lives and made a fortune in his lifetime. He is viewed with disdain by the owners of long-established shops.
After reading the script, Miura revealed, "I can imagine that there were people like Kamegichi in that era, and I thought it would be interesting to play the role, but personally, I got the impression that 'I don't really like this guy'..."
Regarding his approach to the role, he said, "First, I started by researching the historical context and internalizing it." He speculated, "Kamekichi is someone who built a successful transportation business from scratch, starting as a courier, so I think he has a good business sense. I'm sure he went through hardships, and he may have been envied or had others try to sabotage him along the way."
"In order to make 'Okudaya' a success, he takes Rin, the daughter of a former chief retainer, as his wife. However, once they are married, his inferiority complex due to his own lack of social status is triggered, and I think that this has turned into something close to paranoia. I think he has an honest personality, so I imagine he has complicated feelings about Rin, who is the same age as his son from his previous marriage."
In the drama, Rin and Naomi (Uesaka) aim to become trained nurses, and she said, "As a turning point for the main character Rin to move towards a new path, I want to fully embody the role of symbolizing the views on marriage and relationships between men and women of that era, so I'm acting with the feeling that I want viewers to really come to dislike Kameki."
