<figure id="attachment_295411" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-295411" style="width: 1417px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="6bf1bc88"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2023/02/5959c68a946de138e120526e4f523a50.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-295411" class="wp-caption-text">Takuya Kimura plays the lead role of Nobunaga Oda in the film &#8220;Legend &amp; Butterfly.</figcaption></figure>
 Takuya Kimura stars in &#8220;Legend &amp; Butterfly,&#8221; a film commemorating the 70th anniversary of Toei&#8217;s founding. In the first nine days of its release, the film grossed over 1 billion yen at the box office. The film is expected to be a memorable film for Kimura, who turned 50 years old.
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 In this film, Nobunaga Oda (Nobunaga Oda), the &#8220;big bull&#8221; of Owari, and the manly Princess Nohime (Haruka Ayase), known as &#8220;Mamushi&#8217;s daughter&#8221; in Mino, are married for political reasons. The two spend their days looking for a chance to get each other&#8217;s heads out of their sandals. The two gradually deepen their trust in each other and eventually unify the country.
 Oda Nobunaga is one of the most popular military commanders in the Warring States period, and has been portrayed in historical dramas by eminent actors such as Tetsuya Watari, Hideki Takahashi, Koji Yakusho, Takashi Sorimachi, and many others. However, the &#8220;Nobunaga&#8221; played by Kimura this time is different in more ways than one. The presence of &#8220;Nobunaga&#8221; as if he has come back to life in today&#8217;s world is unrivaled.
 Keishi Otomo, the director of this film, said, &#8220;Nobunaga, who decided that he could not rule the country unless he became the &#8216;Demon King,&#8217; and Mr. Kimura, who continues to try to be the &#8216;Star Takuya Kimura,&#8217; somehow overlap in their determination. Miki Nakatani, who took the stage to greet the audience at the blockbuster reception of &#8220;Toku Aru,&#8221; said, &#8220;I could see the overlap between the loneliness of Nobunaga, who sacrificed many lives in order to unite the country, and that of Takuya Kimura, who is a star in his own right. I feel like crying a little when I think of the difficult path he is on, which ordinary people cannot understand.
 Kimura himself said at the production announcement press conference held last June that of all the historical figures, Nobunaga is the most attractive to him.
 The Oda family crest, the Kigurian, and the Kimura family crest are the same. 
 &#8220;I have felt a kinship with Nobunaga since I was a child.
 In 2002, Kimura was appointed as the first president of the Kimura family.
 In 2002, Kimura starred in the special drama &#8220;Musashi Miyamoto. When he left Toei Kyoto Studio, he said
 &#8220;Next time, I want to come back here as Nobunaga,&#8221; he said.
 I want to come back here next time as Nobunaga,&#8221; he said when he left Toei Kyoto Studio. True to his word, Takuya Kimura was 49 years old when he landed back at Toei Kyoto Studio. He played Nobunaga at the very moment when Nobunaga was dying at Honnoji Temple. This luck may be the fate of the chosen one.
 Nobunaga, feared as the &#8220;Demon King,&#8221; is no longer a man. The scene in which he orders Enryaku-ji Temple, the head temple of Buddhism, to be burned to the ground was a shocking scene.
 The scene was filmed at Myoshinji Temple of the Rinzai sect, one of the largest Zen temples in Japan. During the testing phase, Kimura took the sword from the waist of Niwa Nagahide (Hashimoto Jun), who was admonishing Nobunaga, and threw it away. However, as if that was not enough, in the actual performance, he took the sword from Nagahide and stabbed it into the floor.
 The actors and staff were astonished by this ghoulish performance. Mr. Osamu Kikuchi, a still photographer, said, &#8220;Mr. Kimura was possessed by Nobunaga&#8217;s spirit during the shooting, and I felt many times that he was a reincarnation of Nobunaga. I felt many times that he was a reincarnation of Nobunaga,&#8221; said a director of a production company, adding, &#8220;I was very scared when the demon king Nobunaga was staring at me through the camera.
 The &#8220;Demon King&#8221; Nobunaga&#8217;s chance to regain his human spirit was his reunion with Princess Nohime.
 Nobunaga, who is the &#8220;Demon King,&#8221; is tormented by nightmares. Nobunaga had lost both God and Buddha, and the only person he could rely on was Princess Nohime. The scene in which Nobunaga builds a herb garden for the ailing Princess Nohime and takes care of her is one of the hidden masterpieces of this work.
 Nobunaga, who had climbed up to the top of the castle tower to show off his work, was chastised by Hime Nohime, who said to Nobunaga, &#8220;You&#8217;re just a wappa who makes this kind of thing for your own pleasure! Nobunaga was proud to climb the castle tower of Azuchi Castle. The exchange between the two is a romantic comedy that transcends time. That is why the end of Nobunaga, who has regained the heart of a human being, is so sad.
 Nobunaga invites her to go to Namban (southern barbarian lands) with him, returning to the two nameless people after this battle. This is a dream that Princess Nohime has had since she was a young girl. While dreaming of traveling to Nanban, the two of them die at the same moment and with the same feelings. That is why she mutters her last line at the burning Honnoji Temple
 I have always loved you.
 I have always loved you.
 The Honnoji scene was actually shot in the middle of the location shooting, so Mr. Kimura made a request to Ms. Ayase in order to say this line. It was written in an earlier scene, which had not yet been recorded, and was
 Nobunaga: &#8216;When you return, let me hear the music of the Nanban. Good. 
 Nobunaga: &#8220;Gozen.&#8221; &#8220;Gozen.
 The producer confesses that he received the audio data of Nobuhime&#8217;s line, &#8220;Gozen ja,&#8221; and went to the shooting.
 In the Honnoji scene, there is another famous scene that should not be missed.
 In the scene at Honnoji, Atsumori dances in a white costume covered in blood. Just as he is about to take his own life, the demon king Nobunaga comes back to life for a moment and suddenly thrusts his sword at the dragon depicted in the tokonoma (alcove). This ad-libbed scene is also a sight to behold.
 Takuya Kimura, who was ridiculed as &#8220;Kimura Taku no matter what he does,&#8221; is no longer in this film. The actor Takuya Kimura may have stepped up his game to become a legend.

 He is involved in program production in a wide range of genres, including variety, news, and sports programs. He has also planned and published numerous books on female TV announcers, idols, and the TV industry. While working on documentary programs, he became interested in history and recently published "Ieyasu was dead in Sekigahara" (Takeshobo Shinsho). She is also publishing the e-book series "Ibun Chakurezuregusa" (Different Tales of a Craftsman).

 Ukon Shima (Broadcaster and video producer)

 Ippei Hara

 Legend & Butterfly" was made to commemorate Toei's 70th anniversary. Takuya Kimura's performance as Nobunaga Oda has kept the "Kimura no matter what he does" crowd at bay, but...

Legend &#038; Butterfly,&#8221; in which Takuya Kimura outgrew his &#8220;Kimutaku no matter what&#8221; persona, and &#8220;devil&#8217;s advocate&#8221; stunned the audience.

Legend & Butterfly,” in which Takuya Kimura outgrew his “Kimutaku no matter what” persona, and “devil’s advocate” stunned the audience.

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