Ashizawa Jin is an illustrator/columnist who seems to have worked for GRAPH since the 1960s (yes, you read that right). His interview column generally gets a new title every year but has been fairly consistent format-wise in recent years. I’m giving him his own tag in the Staff category since he is one of the few interview conductors to be credited by name in the publications.

This interview with Ayakaze Sakina was published in the August 2017 issue of GRAPH.

Time to soar! #7: Ayakaze Sakina

I thought of Ayakaze Sakina as a sweet, handsome type, but as Saitou Hajime in Rurouni Kenshin she suddenly transformed into the kind of otokoyaku I felt might charge the audience at any moment, showing a new side of herself as an otokoyaku. For her, the real battle starts now. I am confidently waiting to see Ayakaze as an otokoyaku bursting with different colors and styles.

Tokusaburou, in Sun in the Last Days of the Shogunate, is a completely unreliable, naive rich boy—this was your first time with this kind of role, correct?

Yes, it was the first time. It was difficult, but recently I had a chance to watch kabuki, and the onnagata, even though they’re men, have such an elegant atmosphere, so I based my concept on that, and also referred to the film. Rather than puzzling over it too much, I was able to perform the way I liked it.

This performance is the farewell production for the Sagiri and Sakihi combi. What was the Grand Theatre last show like?

I was able to see the era of Chigi-san (Sagiri) and Yuumi-chan (Sakihi) and watch the two of them close up, and even when I’m performing with them their energy is amazing. Ever since it was decided as their retirement production and the rehearsals started, I’ve felt strongly that I can’t afford to let that energy die. I’ve been thinking I have to watch Chigi-san even more closely and learn from her, and of course I’ve had a lot of sad emotions as well, so even though I hadn’t had the tears spill over up until then, on the last day when I watched from behind as Chigi-san addressed the audience alone, suddenly the tears fell… When I thought about how Sagiri Seina-san, who created an entire era, was having her Grand Theatre graduation, I felt so glad that I had been able to work under Chigi-san, and while I knew there was still the Tokyo performance to come, even so, maybe it was a warm feeling welling up, but I thought, I’m so happy to have been here for such an incredible time.

Is there something that especially stands out to you among the things you learned from Sagiri Seina-san?

Of all the words Chigi-san has left with me, the one that had the biggest impression was “Saki (Ayakaze), at least put yourself out there!” Therefore, when on the day before the last performance we all wrote out our feelings of thanks for Chigi-san in letters to give to her, I wrote “I’ll put myself out there.” And then the next day, on the morning of the last performance, she told me “That’s great, ‘I’ll put myself out there.’ You keep on doing that more and more.” I think it’s amazing how Chigi-san has worked at her art as an otokoyaku without being boxed in, so I also want to keep on challenging myself from now on.

You showed an amazing transformation to play Saitou Hajime in Rurouni Kenshin, I wonder if I could call it your greatest turning point.

I was pushing myself so hard then. It was a famous work, so of course there would be Takarazuka fans, but also the fans of the comic would be wondering how Takarazuka would put together its adaptation, so I kept thinking about that. I read the comic, watched the anime, and any material, like the 2-d animated movements, or the way he smoked, I watched carefully, studying to see how I could make it look the most cool. After that it was a matter of how I could become Saitou Hajime, so I tried to minimize my movements, trying to learn how to look cool while moving as little as possible or just standing. In the end I think it was a role that let me learn how fun it was to become someone totally different to me.

It’s exactly the year where you achieve “10 Years to Otokoyaku”, and in all this time it seems you’ve learned how to handle so many different things.

That’s true. When I was in Director Koike’s Romeo et Juliette, I was given a huge job as ‘Death’, and ever since then my way of thinking about dance has completely changed, too. What Director Koike was aiming for was whatever I needed at that time, I think, or something where if I could overcome what was in front of me I knew I could change myself, so no matter how intense his rehearsals were, it would just make me feel “I’m gonna do it!” So I think even after it was over, Director Koike ended up giving me another huge task.

After that you created the very appealing character of Don Carlo in Don Juan (KAAT/Drama City).

I thought of Don Carlo in comparison to Don Juan, Nozomi-san’s character. Nozomi-san had a passionate feeling role, and of course she herself is very passionate, so while I was thinking about how I could play against her in the role of her friend, and I think some of it I was able to do specifically because I had learned that apsect of stillness as Saitou Hajime. Also, starting with Nozomi-san, and also Ema-san and Miho-san from Senka, well, they were all such wonderful vocalists, so I was so happy to take on the challenge of being in a musical with all of them.

Did you have any physical sensation of ‘Ten Years to Otokoyaku’?

I’ve been in productions by Director Masatsuka many times ever since I was a junior actress, but when I would perform the natural type of male characters he creates, I would have to first create a natural sort of ‘man’ and then perform the character on top of that. But when I got into rehearsals for Caleb Hunt, Private Eye, when it came to the gestures and posture, in the past I would have had to pay a lot of attention to that, but I felt like I was able to act without concentrating on those things. I don’t think I would have been able to perform like that if 10 years hadn’t passed, so I’m really happy that I encountered one of Director Masatsuka’s productions in my 10th year.

When you’re at a loss about your character creation, how do you combat that?

Let me see. I ask lots of people their thoughts, things like that. At those times, Chigi-san has often given me a bit of advice. The time I remember most is a day or so before the dress rehearsal of the national tour for Sorrowful Cordoba, Chigi-san called me over and said “I’m not saying this because I think your character creation is bad, but I had this thought, and I thought it was something Saki could definitely do, so I’m telling you,” and said some things about my role of Vincente, and I really understood what she was getting at, so from then on I performed him with a new kind of feeling. Also, when I played Chobiyasu in One Night of Stars, I felt like it was really difficult even after the Grand Theatre and Tokyo Theatre, and then when I was given that role again in Chuunichi, Director Ueda [Kumiko] kept telling me “No! No!” And then, Chigi-san said “Maybe Chobiyasu ought to be like this?” and with that one sentence I thought “Oh, that’s it!” In the end I’m so grateful for words like that, that pave the way for me.

What point is the hardest for you when you are expressing a man’s emotions?

When I was in Don Juan, I really struggled over how a friendship between men would feel. And then in Caleb Hunt, Private Eye, with the three detectives [Caleb (Sagiri), Jim (Nozomi), and Kazno (Ayakaze), if they were all girls it would be normal for them to all go out to eat together and chat about things and such, but I wondered what they would talk about in a group of men. I thought they might be more to the point than women, but also it’s a story with passionate male friendships, and I wasn’t sure what sort of emotions might fit those times, so I think male friendship is really difficult.

In August, you have the lead role for CAPTAIN NEMO – Captain Nemo and the Mysterious Island (Nippon Seinenkan Hall, Theatre Drama City).

I watched the film of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, and I’m working on reading the original book. Though I think the story will end up being quite different. Director Tani has done a lot for me ever since I was in the Music School, so I’m looking forward to meeting him again at my current year level and finding out what kind of show he will write. I’m also really happy to perform together with Natori-san and Hanagata-san from Senka, and we have Asami Jun-kun, who has only just joined the troupe, as well. Though our newly-formed Snow Troupe is getting its start split into two, I want to do my best so that we can have a proper start while Nozomi-san and Maaya Kiho-san are also having their start as a couple. Director Tani’s plays, thinking about everything up until now, you can’t perform them unless you move your heart 120%, and the costume I put on for the poster photoshoot had such a ‘costume drama!’ feeling about it. Snow Troupe hasn’t had anything like that in a while, so I’m really looking forward to those aspects as well.

You will also be appearing in the Takarazuka Traditional Dance Recital in October, correct?

I’m not especially skilled at Japanese Dance, but I like it, and after all they say we’re ‘Japanese Drama Snow Troupe’, so I want to do my best so as to not bring shame on that name. In Sun in the Last Days of the Shogunate, I also had some choreography from Choreographer Hanayagi (Juuraku), so I’ve been learning from that, and I hope that I can display that here. Thought it will overlap with rehearsals for the upcoming Grand Theatre production, I’m thankful for this opportunity, so I want to get through everything properly.