Tasuku Emoto, naturalistic to the last degree: “I shaved my natural hair in the ordained scene because it was a little too long.

It was really a “thick” time.

Including the preparation period, the filming took about two years. The bond and trust with the director and staff naturally grew on set, and by the latter half of the film, there was a kind of ‘A-Un’ breathing, a kind of ‘Yes, that’s right, yes, that’s right’ breathing. It was truly a time of depth.

Tasuku Emoto (37), who played the role of Fujiwara no Michinaga in the historical drama “To the Luminous Kimi,” successfully portrayed a new image of Michinaga that combines boldness and human weakness. The film, which carefully depicts the world of the Heian period, where ambition and loneliness intersected, centering on his love with Murasaki Shikibu and power struggles at the Imperial Court, will reach its final episode on December 15.

Emoto, who has been at the center of the work, cited the “dakyu” scene in the seventh episode as “particularly memorable. Domari is a sport favored by the aristocrats of the Heian period, in which a player rides a horse, scoops up a ball with a stick, and throws it into a goal. In the play, Michinaga, Fujiwara no Kouto (Machida Keita), Fujiwara no Masanobu (Kaneda Satoshi), and other aristocratic children were enchanted by the way they wielded their sticks, but the practice was hard work.

When I heard they were going to play Utsubo, I thought, ‘What?　You’re going to swing a stick like this around on a horse? I was surprised (laughs). I started practicing horseback riding in earnest in January of last year. From there, I gradually added ball playing to my training. It was in late August when the show was to begin. I realized that I had been practicing for more than half a year.

Whenever he could, he trained hard in dressage and ball striking two to three times a week. The level of difficulty was high, but he says it became the catalyst for his interest in the game.

At first I was desperate to touch the ball with the stick, but when I happened to hit a ball, I was happy and thought, ‘Oh, that feels good! I started to enjoy it more and more. Then I started to enjoy it more and more. I would become particular about what I wanted to do, and it would become a hassle (laughs). (Laughs.) The horses are also really smart, and when they come out of the camera screen, they stop immediately. I didn’t have to pull the reins myself to stop him, so I was able to concentrate on the ball game. The horse really helped me out.”

The Joy of Working with “A-Un

Michinaga had lost his two elder brothers to the plague, and had to follow the advice of Abe no Seimei to bring his young daughter, Akiko, into the family, and after many twists and turns, he finally became a priest in the 45th episode. Although he had the option of using special makeup, Emoto chose to shave his natural hair without hesitation.

I asked the producer if there was going to be an ordained scene, I said, ‘If there is going to be a scene where I shave my hair, I want to shave it. With special makeup, you have to shave your own hair inside. I could manage the front view, but the side view would be unnaturally bulky. When I imagine that appearance, it would be better to shave it realistically. I was asked how I could make such a decision, but it wasn’t that big of a deal for me, just like ‘my hair is a little long, so I’m going to cut it off.

Such naturalistic attitude of Emoto is the axis of the story. The scenes between Mahoroko and Yuriko Yoshitaka (36), who played Murasaki Shikibu, also had a major impact.

We didn’t discuss this or that as much as I thought we would. We would joke about it, like, ‘This scene is too long. We are human beings, so there are parts of our work that can be done without words. Yoshitaka and I were able to act together so naturally, and I think we have a good chemistry. When we worked together, I was often surprised by his facial expressions and how he would come up with them. That’s why I thought it would be better to take on the challenge with an open mind, rather than deliberately elaborating on facial expressions and gestures.

More than 20 years after he began his career as an actor, he released his first photobook, “1” (ichi). The book was edited with great care and attention to detail. Prior to the release of the book in February next year, he will hold a “Fan Appreciation Party” where he will hand an autographed photo to each of his fans.

When I was young, I attended the François Truffaut Film Festival, where there was a talk show by film critic Koichi Yamada. After the show, I asked Mr. Yamada to sign his autograph in the lobby. While he was signing my autograph, it was like my own private time. There were so many questions I wanted to ask him, but I was too nervous to ask because of the pressure from the people standing in line behind me (laughs). (Laughs.) Still, I remember when I think back on it and think, “I’m glad I went. I’m a long-winded person and not very good at speaking (laughs), but I’ll try to keep my speech short and concise and hope to share my time with each and every one of you who comes to the event.

Emoto, who learned the joy of working with “A-Un” during his two years of working on the Taiga, said, “My goal for the future is to achieve that even if I am only on the set for one day. With this in mind, he will continue to break new ground in the future.

Tasuku Emoto made his debut as a leading actor in the movie “Beautiful Summer Kirishima” in 2003. In 2007, he won the Best Actor Award and other prizes at the 73rd Mainichi Film Concours for his role in the movie “Kimi no Tori wa Utaueru. In February 2013, the animated film “Rozu of the Wild Island” (in which he appeared as a voice) and the film “Yukite Kaeranu” will be released in theaters. Tasuku Emoto 1st Photobook “1 (ichi)” is now available for order at with STORE. All copies are autographed and numbered. It includes daily life and secret stories about his family.

From the December 27, 2024 issue of FRIDAY