Draft:Nobutora (movie)

Nobutora is a Japanese movie that was released on November 12, 2021. It starts at the very last years in the life of Takeda Nobutora, the father of Takeda Shingen, and tells its story up to the war-death of his grandchild Katsuyori.

Production

The movie is a unique period film produced with total funding from the Kyoto-based antique and tea ceremony paraphernalia trading company Miyaobi. It was released in advance in Yamanashi, the region it features, on October 22, 2021 for the 500-year anniversary of Shingen's birth. It was then released nationwide through TOHO Cinemas in November.

Cast

The lead character was performed by Terada Minori. The lead female role was performed by Tanimura Mitsuki. Uesugi Kenshin was performed by Enoki Takaaki, who performed the same role in Ten to Chi to (Heaven & Earth). Ryu Daisuke, who had performed Oda Nobunaga in director Kurosawa Akira's Kagemusha (Shadow Warrior), declined to return to the role in this film, and the role was thus performed by Watanabe Hiroyuki. This film became a posthumous release for Ryu, who did perform the role of Densuke Tsuchiya.

Background

Nobutora was intended as a spin-off of director Kurosawa Akira's Kagemusha (Shadow Warrior), and Ikebe Shinichiro composed a continuation of the Kagemusha (Shadow Warrior) music. Playwright and film director Mitani Koki praised the movie, "This portrayed a Sengoku Era that was completely different from what we usually see in the standard Taigai period dramas. The makeup, art, and costumes were all fresh and new, and the fighting scenes really expressed the pain and fear of being cut down."

Awards and Recognition

Special makeup and wig supervisor Egawa Etsuko garnered praise for her latex wigs in this film sparking a revolution for this genre as well, together with her work in the film Masquerade Night, and won a MEXT Minister Art Encouragement Prize in March 2022. In April 2022, musical composer Ikebe Shinichiro received the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon award in recognition of his long years of accomplishments.

Plot Summary

After being exiled from Kai no Kuni by his son Shingen, Takeda Nobutora served Shogun Ashikaga in Kyoto. In the year Genki 4 (1573), Shingen formed a coalition with Oda Nobunaga and began a drive at Kyoto. Nobutora was 80 years old at this time, but hearing that Shingen was in grave condition, he took his youngest daughter Onao and a small number of retainers, pirates, and ninjas and headed to return to Kai. Along the way, he made it through vicious fighting in Mino no Kuni and arrived at Takato Castle in Shina no Kuni. Here he met his grandson Katsuyori for the first time and entered into heated debates with favored vassals Atobe Katsusuke and Nagasaka Chokansai and retainers of the now-dead Shingen including Baba Nobuharu, Yamagata Masakage, Naito Masahide, and Kasuga Danjo. Afterwards, Nobutora entrusted his affairs to rivals of Shingen including Uesugi Kenshin and Hojo Kunio and passed away. In the year Tensho 10 (1582), the Takeda clan was finally invaded by an Oda-Tokugawa-Hojo coalition army and fell. From around that time, various secret plans instigated by Nobutora sparked a multitude of miracles.

Features and Homages

• The film contained many sprinkled homages, such as Terada Minori repeating the same line he had spoken when voicing the character Colonel Muska as a voice actor in the movie Castle in the Sky (Tenku no Shiro Rapyuta).
• The film situated all of its filming on authentic locations, centering particularly on Azuchi–Momoyama era buildings, and used many highly valuable antiques.
  • Additionally, it paid meticulous attention to details like the deep crown cut sakayaki hairstyle and mage topknot, armor and helmets, flags, and native Japanese horses, and recorded sounds for weapons using real swords and the like.
• It also used authentic items for portrayals of the lifestyle in that time period. Because it implements many new ideas, it is hailed as "a new kind of Sengoku Era film".
• At the 11th Madrid International Film Festival 2022, Shusuke Kaneko and Harumasa Miyashita received the Best Director award in the Foreign Language Film category, and additionally, they also won the Best Costume award.
• At the 10th Nice FFI (International Film Festival) 2023, the Nobutora won the Best Original Screenplay Award (Harumasa Miyashita) and the Best VFX Award in the Foreign Language Film Category.

References

• The World of the Movie "Nobutora" (Miyobi Publishing, ISBN 978-4801602601)
• Kinema Junpo [Cinema Weekly] (Kinema Junposha), Special Early November 2021 Issue, Late November 2021 Issue, Early December 2021 Issue, Early February 2022 Issue, Combined Early & Late January 2023 Issue
• Rekishi Kaido [Historical Highway] (PHP Institute), December 2021 Issue
• Rekishi Hito [History People] (ABC Ark), December 2021 Issue, January 2022 Issue
• Shukan Bunshun [Weekly Literary Spring and Autumn] (Bungeishunju), July 29, 2021 Issue, November 11, 2021 Issue