First Summer Uika, who is currently appearing in the taiga drama “To You, the Shining One” (every Sunday at 8:00pm on NHK General TV and others), gave an interview in which she talked about her thoughts on the role of Kikyou/Sei Shonagon, as well as the scene in which “The Pillow Book” was born, which she wrote for Fujiwara no Sadako (Takahata Mitsuki).

[Intense love scene]Yuriko Yoshitaka is covered by Tasuku Emoto…

The protagonist, Murasaki Shikibu/Mahiro, is the woman who wrote the bestselling Tale of Genji, which has been around for over a thousand years. The driving force behind the love story of “Hikaru Genji” is her hidden passion, imagination, and love for one man. That man’s name is Fujiwara no Michinaga. It is a love story of a woman who survived in a changing world with her own talent and hard work. The screenplay is by Oishi Shizuka.

Kikyo (Sei Shonagon), played by Uika, is the daughter of the poet Kiyohara Gensuke. She is a brilliant young woman. She serves as a lady-in-waiting to Teishi (Takahata Mitsuki), who has entered the court of Emperor Ichijo (Shiono Akihisa), and is wholeheartedly loyal to her. The Pillow Book also has an impact on Murasaki Shikibu (Yoshitaka) and Michinaga (Emoto Tasuku).

This is her first time appearing in a taiga drama, and she was suddenly chosen to play a key character in the work. When asked how she felt about appearing in the drama, she said, “Of course I’m very happy. If you’ve been educated in Japan, I think everyone knows the name Sei Shonagon, even if they don’t know the details of who she was. I was most surprised to find out that she is such a historical figure, and that she was a rival to Murasaki Shikibu in the main role.”

While expressing her joy, she also felt a great deal of pressure to become a character who would be a good match for Murasaki Shikibu, played by Yoshitaka Yuriko. To prepare for the role, she read books about Sei Shonagon, including The Pillow Book, and studied the character extensively. “I realized that she was a character whose way of thinking and expression was very similar to mine,” she said.

As soon as Uika appeared on the stage, many people on the internet praised her, calling her “the reincarnation of Sei Shonagon” and saying that she was perfectly suited to the role. Uika herself said that she has received such feedback and proudly stated, “As much as I feel humble and think that it’s an exaggeration, I feel a strong sense of closeness to her and think, ‘Maybe that’s true.’ I feel that way when I read the script, and when I read the books and writings that she left behind. There were many moments when I felt like I could empathize with her, like, ‘That’s what she would say in these situations,’ and the more I got to know the character and her, the more my anxiety disappeared. There was never a time while I was acting that I thought, ‘I don’t understand her feelings at all.'”

One of Sei Shonagon’s memorable scenes is the untold story behind the birth of the famous historical essay “The Pillow Book” depicted in the 21st episode, “Departure.” The scene where Sei Shonagon begins to write “The Pillow Book” for the saddened Sadako, and Sadako reads it aloud, “Spring is the dawn…”, became a hot topic.

Uika recalls, “I don’t like to say it was the decline of the Nakakanpaku family surrounding Sadashi, but it was the beginning of her downturn. I had very complicated emotions, but I felt that Kikyo, who had up until that point had been a heretic, an eccentric and somewhat of an outsider in the story, was beginning to write ‘The Pillow Book’ for just one person, and that this was her greatest mission, something she was risking her life for, so I did feel a sense of tension about that. As an actor, I filmed with the pressure of knowing that ‘this will become something that will fascinate people for 1,000 years from now’.”

He continues, “In fact, I had recorded two versions of the reading that plays along with the calligraphy: the original text and a modern translation, from the beginning of The Pillow Book, from spring to winter. Initially, I had the idea of ​​playing the version read by Kikyou.”

However, after much discussion, the director and staff decided to change the direction, coming to the conclusion that “the part where the brilliant and lively Kikyo literally writes in silence and then hands it over to Lady Sadako would be better conveyed if it was played back in the inner voice of Sadako as she reads it.”

“The director himself called my manager while I was on another set, and explained the changes to the direction he had made over the phone. I knew that he had planned various ways of presenting it, but the changes he made were unexpected. The director said, “I’m sorry you had recorded the audio,” but the moment I heard it, I thought, ‘That’s it! In fact, that’s the only option! Amazing! Thank you!’ The scene instantly came to my mind, and I couldn’t stop getting excited and getting goosebumps.”

“I watched the preview for Episode 21 with great anticipation, wondering what it would be like,” said Uika. “In the scene where the two of them are shown back to back with the line, ‘Spring is the dawn…’ the voice for ‘Spring’ is Lady Sadako’s, and the voice for ‘Dawn’ is mine. They used my audio, which wasn’t used in the actual story, in the preview. It was only for a moment, but it had that superhero anime feel, and I thought maybe they could make a spin-off just based on this (laughs).” She excitedly gushed about the story behind the creation of this famous scene.

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