Have you ever walked in Gion, Kyoto?

I stayed in Kyoto for a while during the filming of "Ooka Echizen 7," but I stayed in the Saiin area, which is easy to get to and from the film studio in Ohata, so I had almost never been to this area. ［I have been to Kurumaori Shrine, but that is also in the west. ［Near the Minami-za Theater, the Kamo River runs through the area, and there is a flower district, so it feels very Kyoto-like.

In addition to the Minami-za Theater, the original story also depicts the Masugata shopping street in Demachiyanagi, an old sukiyaki restaurant, and other locations that actually exist in Kyoto. Do you take the time to read the original work and view related works before starting work on a film?

When I act in a work that has an original story, I read the description of the character on the official website, but I don't read the novel or watch the anime. I don't read novels or watch anime. I had done so in the past, but I didn't think it was right for me. There may be the same lines in the original work and the script, but in the end, there are many parts that are changed when the original work is transformed into another work. I want to work on how to match the superficial image I have of the character with my point of view as an actor, and how I will perform the role based on the other actors' performances.

How did you feel when you actually visited the locations where "Arikiten Kazoku" takes place?

It is a very enjoyable experience to be able to see the actual place depicted as such scenery. I was walking along Shijo Street, imagining the story unfolding in this corner of the Minami-za Theater. I am excited to see what I am seeing with my own eyes now, and wonder what kind of stage set will be used for the story.

Walking along the Shijo Ohashi Bridge, which the main character Yazaburo also crossed, we reached Ponto-cho, one of the five flower streets. Entering the scenery of many narrow alleys on the west side of Ponto-cho Dori, the visitors were curious about Ponto-cho in the daytime, saying, "It's like stepping back in time! and "It's like stepping back in time!

Ponto-cho is lined with restaurants such as Kyoto cuisine and bars, but do you ever wander into an unknown restaurant in a strange place?

Even if I have the desire to go to a restaurant, I usually end up going to one of the usual national chain restaurants because I feel uncomfortable. It is difficult for me to find the courage to take a step forward on my own. On the other hand, if a staff member or co-star tells me, "This place is good! I can move on to the next step! I can move on. I would like to visit some of the restaurants in the area with the help of the veteran co-stars of "The Family of Arikuten," many of whom have performed on many different stages.

Hamada-san, who played the childhood of Ryoma Sakamoto (played by Masaharu Fukuyama) in the historical drama "Ryomaden" with a cute look, is also old enough to drink, 24 years old. His name also has the word "Ryu" in it.

I was born in the year of the dragon, but my father liked Sakamoto Ryoma the most among historical figures, and I heard that he got the character for "dragon" from him. My father and I are still good friends, and we sometimes drink shochu together with kombu (kelp) as a side dish (laughs).

Looking back on your life as an actor, which film made you decide that you want to continue acting in the future?

I knew that playing the role of Ultraman was a big event for me. I got to play the role of Ultraman, whom I had admired so much, and now I was the one who was looked at with admiration. The smiling faces of the fans gave me a lot of energy. This work made me want to continue my career as an actor in order to deliver the same energy to them as I had received from them.

Yazaburo, the protagonist of "The Arikuten Family" is the third son of a proud raccoon dog family. This was Mr. Hamada's first visit to Shimogamo Shrine, where the family lives. It had been a long time since he had visited a shrine, and he was relaxed from start to finish, surrounded by the pure air of the Tadasunomori forest.

What were your feelings when you were cast as the main character, Yazaburo?

Eh! The role of a raccoon dog! That means I wonder if I can turn into various things, or transform into someone with a completely different gender and occupation, which I thought would be really fun. If there is a scene in which I transform, I would like to act in a funny way while expressing the consistency of the character.

Yazaburo's motto is "live interestingly. What kind of mindset do you think is necessary to live interestingly?

I want to be appropriate anyway. I don't mean "appropriate" in the sense of "messy. I would say that I am relaxed in a good sense. The word "appropriate" is written as "moderately appropriate. If I can present something that is moderately appropriate without striving for perfection, I am sure that everyone around me will cooperate with me, and things will turn out well. Humans are not a perfect organism, and we cannot grasp anything larger than our own size.

［The Minami-za Theater is the place where Mr. Akatama, the tengu (long-nosed goblin) who is also the master of Yazaburo Shimogamo, the main character in the novel "The Family of Arikoto," calls out to the person he loves. ［We enjoyed the atmospheric atmosphere of the Minami-za as we looked around the building.

I am also interested in the fact that you and Nakamura Takanosuke are double cast as Yazaburo.

I met her for the first time when we were shooting the poster, and she had a very soft and gentle atmosphere. I was surprised at how polite and beautiful a person who has lived in the Kabuki world is, both in the way she speaks and in the way she performs each movement. I think people tend to focus on the double cast in a play, but in fact, the single cast members who surround the double cast are wonderful. It takes a lot of energy to take on a play with two actors who play the main characters, and sometimes the double cast changes during the course of two performances, which is a different challenge than having the same cast perform both times. I think the depth of the single cast members and the flexibility of the play will stand out.

Please give a few words to those who are looking forward to seeing the stage performance of "Yuuten Kazoku".

There are limits to the scope of my thinking. So when I don't know how to digest something, I speak up about it and talk with the director and co-stars to make the work better. The funny "Arikuten Kazoku," from tense scenes to giggles and ha-ha-ha-ha, laughing as hard as I can. I hope you will enjoy the play with its slow and steady pace.

At 178cm tall, he has an aura of a man who looks good on stage, but during the interview, he always seemed natural and gentle. When approached by fans during the filming, she responded with a gentle smile, "We are filming a performance at the Minami-za Theater. Please come see the show," she replied with a gentle smile.

Since his debut as a child actor, he has experienced a variety of roles and absorbed everything he can, making him a dependable figure today. Despite her smiling face, which still retains traces of her childhood, she exudes a sturdy dignity. Even when his schedule is packed, his manager says, "He handles it all with ease. Sometimes she plays a completely different person in the morning and in the afternoon, but she smiles unconcernedly and says, "I can do it. It has been 22 years since he began his career as a child actor, but he is only 24 years old. He is one of the actors we cannot take our eyes off of in the future. We hope you will enjoy the "raccoon dog" he plays and the places associated with his works in Kyoto.

Tatsuomi Hamada
Profile
Born in Chiba Prefecture in 2000. He made his debut as a child actor, and in 2010, his roles as the young Ryoma Sakamoto in the historical drama "Ryomaden" and as Hiroshi Ichikawa in the live-action version of "Kaibutsu-kun" became very popular. He played the main character Riku Asakura in "Ultraman Jido," the lead role Shigeo Kageyama in "Mob Psycho 100," and the lead role Uji in "Sabae to Yakkara to End. He is active in a borderless range of activities, mainly in movies and dramas, but also on stage, in commercials, and in variety shows.

[Story.
In Kyoto, the capital of Japan for 1,000 years, many raccoon dogs have been disguised as humans since ancient times. ［Soichiro, the father of the Shimogamo family, who was the leader of the raccoon world, was cooked in a raccoon casserole at the year-end party of the Friday Club, a gourmet club in Kyoto, and passed away. The four remaining brothers, Yaichiro, Yajiro, Yasaburo, and Yashiro, and their mother, Momosen, live by the motto, "Fun is good! is the motto of their lives. However, the Shimogamos have long been at odds with their uncle, Soun, who leads the Isigawa family. As the seasons change, an election is held in the raccoon dog world for the vacant position of "Nigemon," the leader of the raccoon dog clan. The candidates were Yaichiro, the eldest son, who wanted to succeed his late father's will and become a respectable raccoon, and Soun, who wanted to control the raccoon world. However, the day of the election coincides with a meeting of the "Friday Club," where raccoon dogs are treated to a raccoon-pot dish. Momosen and Yaichiro are caught and put in a cage as ingredients for the tanuki nabe, thanks to a ruse by the Barikawa family. Yazaburo and his brothers go to rescue them, but...