Yuumi Kawai, Shido Nakamura, and More Join ‘Hakkenden’ Movie with Koji Yakusho

The cast for the third installment of the movie ‘Hakkenden’has been announced, featuring Yuumi Kawai, Shido Nakamura, Ukon Onoe, and Danshun Tachikawa.

Based on Fumitaka Yamada’s novel ‘Hakkenden,’ this work intertwines a fictional tale depicting the destinies of eight swordsmen drawn to eight jewels to break the curse of the Satomi family, with a real-world narrative delving into the essence of creation through the peculiar friendship between the author who birthed this fictional world, Bakin Takizawa, and the ukiyo-e artist Katsushika Hokusai, commissioned for illustrations. Directed by Fumihiko Sori, known for ‘Ping Pong’ and the ‘Fullmetal Alchemist’ series, and renowned for numerous CG and VFX works.

Already announced in the cast are Koji Yakusho as Bakin Takizawa, Seiyo Uchino as Katsushika Hokusai, along with Yuuto Isomura, Haru Kuroki, Shinobu Terajima, Tao Tsuchiya, Keisuke Watanabe, Jin Suzuki, Rihito Itagaki, Koushi Mizukami, Koudai Matsuoka, So Kaku, Maito Fujioka, Shuhei Uesugi, and Chiaki Kuriyama.

In this newly announced additional cast, Yuumi Kawai portrays Hamaji, who harbors feelings for Inuzuka Shino, one of the Hakkenshi, in the “Utsusemi” world. Kawai, who gained fame through the drama ‘Extremely Inappropriate!’ and starred in the critically acclaimed films ‘A Girl Named Ann’ currently in theaters and ‘Desert of Namibia,’ which won the International Critics’ Award at the 77th Cannes International Film Festival, has been actively performing. She also voiced a major character in the theatrical anime adaptation of the popular manga ‘Look Back.’ Her performances are noted for their clarity and transparency, drawing attention once again in this latest role.

And in the “Real” world, portraying an important character connected to Bakin is the rakugo storyteller Danshun Tachikawa, who is known for his roles in dramas like ‘Downtown Rocket’ and the NHK Taiga drama ‘What Would You Do, Ieyasu?’ In the film, Tachikawa plays Nanboku Tsuruya, a playwright of Edo period kabuki and kyogen. Nanboku’s portrayal in the film includes his famous kabuki masterpiece “Tōkaidō Yotsuya Kaidan” premiered. At that time, Nanboku Tsuruya was played by the seventh-generation Ichikawa Danjuro as Minato Iemon and the third-generation Onoe Kikugoro as Oiwa. However, in this new film, the roles are played by kabuki actor Shido Nakamura and Ukon Onoe, respectively, as they extend to more than 200 years.

The film “Hakkenden” will be on roadshow throughout Japan in October.