In Kokuho, the lead character Kikuo must fight to prove his worth as an outsider to the world of Kabuki. For the film’s director, Lee Sang-il, it was art imitating life, he tells View of the Arts. 

“In the case of Kokuho, we are talking about an art that needs to be followed by your lineage, as in you need to be a blood related to somebody, to have a blood relationship with somebody, to take part – this is the pillar of kabuki,” he says of why he wanted to explore the themes he does in the film.“ It’s a very closed environment, so it’s difficult to get into, also it is a world that is ruled by a hierarchical structure, and I thought that it was very interesting then to take that into consideration. Also, in terms of what this kind of pressure could be, I know what the situation in Japan is like because I, myself, have my origins as a foreign person.”

The filmmaker is a third-generation Zainichi Korean born and raised in Japan, and so this gives him a unique perspective on life in Japan and the country’s culture. He continues: “And so this somehow made me think in terms of what my perspective is towards the Japanese society. This gave me the possibility of overlapping the main character with myself, with my own existence. So, this is the first link that brought me to make a movie out of [Shuichi Yoshida’s] novel.”

Kokuho is Lee’s third adaptation of a novel by Shuichi Yoshida, the other two being 2016’s Rage and 2010 drama Villain, but it is arguably the director’s most successful film to date. The kabuki film became the highest-grossing live-action film of all time in Japan and went on to be nominated at the 2026 Oscars. Even with these incredible accolades behind him, the director is humble and soft-spoken as we sit in the cool press office of the Udine Far East Film Festival to discuss his film.

At the same time as our chat, festival goers are experiencing the stunning film for the first time. I, myself, have been lucky enough to see it twice, and when Lee hears this, he asks me avidly what I found different the second time around, and shares his gratitude for giving six hours of my time to enjoy his epic drama. Director Lee is poised and thoughtful with his answers, taking his time in much the same way his film takes its time to regale its story across its three-hour runtime.

Exploring the roles of Onnagata, male actors who play female roles in kabuki, was an aspect of the story that also interested him, Lee shares. He does this through characters like Kikuo, the orphaned son of a yakuza boss, his mentor Hanjiro Hanai and his son, and heir, Shunsuke. But he put a lot of thought into every aspect of the story, choosing the kabuki performances shown onscreen to match the conflict and emotions the characters face off stage.

“The moment you decide to make such a kabuki movie, you have to think about how you want to show Kabuki, and this is not just about showing the beauty of kabuki; you also have to show the meaning, the purpose, of kabuki,” he explains. “And so, I decided to choose the enmoku, the performances, which gave me the possibility to show the kind of emotion stirring inside the hearts of Kikuo and Shunsuke, and it was something that would show how linked their two existences were. I also tried to show the difficulties and joys of their lives.

“Of course, they are rivals, but they also could grow up together, which has an impact. For instance, I chose the performance titled The Love Suicides at Sonezaki because of the love that was being depicted there, as well as the characters on stage; it was also possible to portray Kikuo and Shunsuke’s love as well.”

Actors Ryo Yoshizawa, who plays the adult Kikuo, and Ryusei Tokohama, who plays Shunsuke as an adult, embarked on a year and a half of training to perfect the art form of kabuki before they even stepped out on set. This level of dedication was important not just for them but also for director Lee, who wanted their collective dedication and respect for kabuki to shine through onscreen.

The most important aspect of the film, though, was Yoshizawa, the director shares. Kokuho simply wouldn’t exist without him: “When we first met, about five or six years ago, when we started talking about the project, I had from the very first moment this idea that he had to be Kikuo. He was the only one able to play Kikuo. I can say now that without him, this project would not have been realised, and I’m not just talking about his performance. 

“He has several talents, not just beauty but also this sort of big hollow inside, and this hollowness gives the idea that it’s impossible to get hold of him. That was part of his nature as an actor that I thought was just perfect for Kikuo, so I thought that he was the only person in the world that could play that role.”

Lee extends similar praise to Soya Kurokawa, who portrayed Kikuo as a young boy, because “what he had to do was different” to his older counterpart: “He has an authenticity in the way he performs that was very important.”

A lot of heart went into Kokuho, and the dedication of Lee to celebrate the traditional art form is clear to see, even as he speaks about it a year after its initial release. The proof is in the product – this is an exquisite, beautifully imagined film about proving your worth through your art. And while he might feel like an outsider like Kikuo, director Lee has certainly done just that.

Written and interviewed by Team View of the Arts

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