Ichikawa Danjuro promotes Kabuki documentary at Venice Film Festival

Kabuki actor Ichikawa Danjuro appeared on the red carpet at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival wearing traditional Kabuki attire to promote his documentary film, ‘Shumei: The Living Legacy of Kabuki’. Accompanied by director Takashi Miike and his son, Ichikawa Shinnosuke, Danjuro performed a traditional ‘mie’ pose to showcase Japanese culture to a global audience.

The documentary, which was selected for the Out of Competition section, chronicles the succession ceremony of the 13th Ichikawa Danjuro and the behind-the-scenes efforts of the Naritaya lineage. Danjuro chose attire from the play ‘Otokodate Hana no Yoshiwara’ to represent the refined and sophisticated aspects of Japanese aesthetics.

In interviews, the father and son discussed the film's three-year production and the personal significance of the project. Shinnosuke expressed his aspirations regarding the family name, while Danjuro noted his desire to use the international platform to promote the preservation and transmission of Kabuki traditions.