"Kitano's World" depicts an unseen "Incident at Honnō-ji" Watching the movie "Kubi," we embark on a pilgrimage to Honnō-ji.

Three decades in the making. The latest work by master director Takeshi Kitano depicts the tumultuous lives of warriors embroiled in battles and schemes, all from his unique perspective on the "Incident at Honnō-ji." Depicting the Honnō-ji Incident means… the setting is over there in Nakagyo Ward, isn't it?

The movie "首"

In the late Sengoku period, Oda Nobunaga (played by Ryo Kase) engages in fierce battles with various forces across the country in his quest for national unification. However, he is betrayed by his trusted vassal, Murashige Araki (played by Kenichi Endo).

Nobunaga gathers his retainers and orders the search for Araki, using the promise of inheritance of his position as bait. Instead of his incompetent sons, he promises to pass on his domain to whichever retainer proves their worth through their actions.

Amidst the bustling warlords stands Mitsuhide Akechi (played by Hidetoshi Nishijima), who maintains a calm demeanor. While in some works he may be depicted as a cunning character, in this film, Mitsuhide is portrayed as an intelligent and earnest individual.

He is portrayed as a poor and unfortunate soul who fearlessly presents logical arguments to Nobunaga, only to be mercilessly beaten down. However, in reality, Mitsuhide also harbors a secret. In fact, he is already deeply troubled…

Meanwhile, Hideyoshi Hashiba (played by Beat Takeshi) and his brother Hidenaga (played by Minami Ohsawa), along with the strategist Kanbei Kuroda (played by Tadanobu Asano), scheme to take advantage of the turmoil to ensnare both Nobunaga and Mitsuhide.

Under the command of Sen no Rikyū (played by Kazunori Kishibe), the former ninja turned entertainer Sorori Shinzaemon (played by Yuichi Kimura) is utilized by Hideyoshi to capture Murashige, whom he then sends to Mitsuhide. However, for some reason, Mitsuhide harbors Murashige. What lies between the two?

In this film, Murashige Araki plays a significant role. Has there ever been a work that has placed such importance on Murashige before? Murashige fans (if there are any) should not miss this.

Unable to locate Murashige, a frustrated Nobunaga suspects that Tokugawa Ieyasu (played by Kaoru Kobayashi) is the mastermind behind Murashige's rebellion. He orders Mitsuhide to assassinate Ieyasu.

Hideyoshi, wanting to prevent the assassination and create conflict between Nobunaga and Mitsuhide, opposes this plan. Meanwhile, Ieyasu strives to somehow avert the impending crisis.

Who is the mastermind after all? Nobunaga, Mitsuhide, Hideyoshi, Murashige, Ieyasu, Rikyu… With each having their own intentions, the situation becomes increasingly complex, and events begin to unfold in unexpected directions…

Director Takeshi Kitano's highly anticipated latest work, which received applause and acclaim at the Cannes International Film Festival, where he served as writer, lead actor, editor, and original creator. This grand entertainment piece portrays the warlords of the Sengoku period racing towards domination, weaving together violence, madness, and laughter.

Visited the stage of the "Honno-ji Incident" - Honno-ji Temple.

In "Kubi" ("Heads"), a crucial scene takes place at Honno-ji, where the Honno-ji Incident occurs. Honno-ji is a temple of the Nichiren sect in the Nakagyo Ward of Kyoto City. I visited Honno-ji as part of a "pilgrimage" related to the movie.

You may be surprised to find that Honno-ji during the time of the "Honno-ji Incident" was not located in Teramachi-Oike, where it is currently situated, but rather in Horikawa Shijo.

The temple grounds extended from Nishinoto-in-dori in the east to Aburanokoji in the west, from Shijo Hommachi in the south to Rokkaku-dori in the north, covering a vast area of 150 meters east to west and 300 meters north to south.

Although there is an image of Oda Nobunaga lodging in Kyoto at Honno-ji due to the Honno-ji Incident, Nobunaga more frequently stayed at Myokaku-ji in Kamigyo when he visited Kyoto, and he only lodged at Honno-ji three times. During the time of the Honno-ji Incident, Nobunaga stayed at Honno-ji because his son, Nobutada, was staying at Myokaku-ji. After Nobunaga's suicide during the incident, Honno-ji was destroyed. Subsequently, it was relocated to its present location in Shimogyo Ward, Nakagyo.

The site was once occupied by Kyoto City Honno Elementary School, but it closed down in 1992. Today, it has been replaced by a complex facility comprising Kyoto City Horikawa High School Honno Campus and a senior citizen welfare facility called "Honno."

The only reminders of Honno-ji are the monument labeled "Honno-ji Ruins" on Aburanokoji-dori, Shokoji, and another monument titled "Nearby: Honno-ji Site" on Aburanokoji Ogawa. It's somewhat regrettable that despite being the site of a significant event in Japanese history, it feels somewhat desolate.

However, the area's place names, such as "Honnoji-cho" and "Moto-Honnoji-cho," continue to preserve its history to this day.

Honno-ji Ruins

Address: Moto-Honnoji-cho, Takayakushi-dori, Nakagyo-ku

The movie "Kubi" will be released nationwide starting November 23, 2023 (Thursday, holiday). In Kyoto, which can be said to be the stage of the story, it will be screened at TOHO Cinemas Nijo, Aeon Cinema Kyoto Katsuragawa, MOVIX Kyoto, T-Joy Kyoto, Aeon Cinema Kumiyama, Fukuchiyama Cinema, and Aeon Cinema Takano Hara.

"Kubi"

Original Work: Takeshi Kitano's "Kubi" (Published by Kadokawa Bunko / KADOKAWA)
Director, Screenplay, Editing: Takeshi Kitano
Cast:
Beat Takeshi
Hideaki Nishijima, Ryo Kase, Shido Nakamura
Yuichi Kimura, Kenichi Endo, Masanobu Katsumura, Susumu Terajima, Kenta Kiritani
Tadanobu Asano, Nao Omori
Naomasa Roppa, Makoto Otake, Kanji Tsuda, Ryo R. Arakawa, Kanichiro, Atsushi Sokojima
Kaoru Kobayashi, Ittoku Kishibe
Production: KADOKAWA
Distribution: Toho, KADOKAWA
ⓒ2023 KADOKAWA ⓒT.N GON Co.,Ltd.

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kumasaki

大阪で生まれ育ち、SEやDTPデザイナー・オペレーターを経て、京都の某情報誌でいつのまにか編集・ライターになってました。読書と酒と犬をこよなく愛し、面白そうなことに首を突っ込みます。

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