In this feature from Kageki, several siennes talk about skills they have that they don’t get to show off on stage. The May 2017 issue featured Kozakura Honoka, Suou Mahiro, Hoshibuki Ayato, and Saezuki Runa.
Kozakura Honoka, Star Troupe: Hyakunin-Isshu1
Ever since I was a little girl it’s been a family tradition, when the relatives all gather for New Years’, to all put on kimono and play Hyakunin-Isshu together. When we would play 1-on-1, since my grandmother was a really strong opponent, my boy cousin, my little brother, and me would make a team to battle her. In order to beat my grandmother I would practice the whole year with my dad (laughs). At first I preferred the pictures of princesses printed on the cards rather than the verses, so I would play looking at those, but then my dad told me ‘why don’t you try learning some of those poems on the cards?’ and because of that, I first learned the poem by Ise no Taifu, and before I knew it I had memorized all 100 poems. As I’ve grown up, it’s not just the competition that I find appealing, but also the refined atmosphere of olden-days Japan. I find it very relaxing to look at the cards and listen to the poems, so even currently I’ll still lay out the cards at home (laughs). I’d be really happy if a lot of people became interested in Hyakunin-Isshu.
Suou Mahiro, Moon Troupe: Karate
When I was in first grade, I began taking karate at my grandfather’s recommendation. I continued until my middle-school graduation, prior to entering the Revue, and I passed the ranking exams. Rather than combat with an actual opponent, I preferred displaying ‘forms’ against an imaginary opponent, since it is a matter of how quickly and skillfully one can perform the move. There’s no specific conclusion, but I feel there’s a lot of value and enjoyment in the pursuit of improvement. When I was doing it, I’d participate in joint training camps for many different karate schools, so I’d get up early to go running in the mountains, practice with students from other skills, and lots of stuff like that. I feel like it was a really valuable experience for me. They say karate trains all three aspects – heart, skill, and physicality, so it doesn’t just strengthen your muscles or whatever, but also trains the spirit. Therefore, since it is really exhilarating and also teaches beneficial self-defense skills, I recommend everyone try it! You won’t regret it (laughs).
Hoshibuki Ayato, Cosmos Troupe: Badminton
I started in 4th grade of primary school. Even though there were a ton of clubs available, for some reason badminton appealed to me so I joined that one. I would go to inter-school matches and regional tournaments, and I remember once I was defeated just one game away from winning a tournament and was so disappointed I cried (laughs). In order to prepare for the TMS entrance exam I didn’t join any clubs in middle school, but when I had time for it I would play badminton with my little brother. While I’ve had less opportunity to play since joining the Revue, a few years back during a national tour everyone in the cast went to a sports facility, and I really enjoyed the chance to play again after so long. Currently I’ll sometimes do rallies with the junior actresses, and sometimes we’ll get really serious about it (laughs), so I’m really enjoying it. The exhilaration of doing a smash never gets old, and I like playing around with everyone, and even if I totally miss I find myself smiling so I think even that is one of the appeals of badminton.
Saezuki Runa, Flower Troupe: Italian
Due to my father’s work, we lived in Milan, Italy, from when I was 3 years old to 10 years old. Since I went to primary school at the British School located nearbuy, I became able to speak both English and Italian. Even Italian kindergarten kids are little gentlemen – they all open doors for their mothers or compliment a little girl wearing a new hair accessory – those lovely aspects of the culture left a big impression on me. After joining Takarazuka, I went on a trip to Florence, and when I went to a gelato shop and ordered in Italian, the shopkeeper said ‘you can speak Italian?!’ and got kind of excited. Even now, if I spent several hours with an Italian, I think I’d be able to manage an everyday level of conversation. Italian pronunciation is simple and close to Japanese, and Italian culture is really appealing.
1 – This is a matching game, also known as karuta, using cards printed with a famous anthology of 100 poems by 100 Heian-era poets. (It’s the subject of popular anime Chihayafuru.)