Photo/Illutration A scene from “Shumei: The Living Legacy of Kabuki” ((c) 2026 K2 Pictures・3Top)

Filmmaker Takashi Miike had a mission to fulfill when making his first documentary film, “Shumei: The Living Legacy of Kabuki.” 

It was to record the first day performance of a special show celebrating Kabuki actor Ichikawa Ebizo’s succession to Ichikawa Danjuro XIII in high definition and deliver it to the world.

The film follows the name-taking of Ichikawa and his eldest son who assumed the name Ichikawa Shinnosuke VIII.

Miike has close ties with Ichikawa.

He has directed the film “Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai” and the “Roppongi Kabuki” theatrical series, both of which starred Ebizo.

The first half of “Shumei” unfolds in an orthodox style.

It explains how Kabuki originated, offers commentary on the preceding 12 generations of Danjuro and shows footage of Danjuro XIII as a child, while it pursues the journey of Ichikawa and his son after they announced the name-taking in 2019.

The director also followed them during the two-and-half-year delay of the name succession caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I thought (the project) would be over in one year, but the pandemic wreaked havoc,” Miike said. “That’s what the documentary is all about, and I guess that it was how it was meant to be. I couldn’t have experienced it if I hadn’t been making it.”

The second half finally focuses on the name succession performances held in 2022.

It spends a surprisingly great deal of time showcasing scenes from Danjuro’s “Sukeroku Yukari no Edozakura” (Sukeroku, the Hero of Edo) and Shinnosuke’s “Uiro-uri” (The Medicine Peddler).

The segment is without subtitle or narration, while the camerawork and cuts are done in a reserved fashion.

“Sukeroku has been presented as a near-perfect performance since his days as Ebizo,” the director said. “I made sure to keep it as pure as possible so that the audience could feel the beauty and intensity of his performances and experience the stage. There is no need to glamorize it more than it really is to impress them.”

And for the last “Kanjincho” (The Subscription List), Miike worked editing magic to feature three generations of Danjuro by bringing together footage of past performances by Ichikawa’s father and grandfather.

“I came up with the idea two months before putting the finishing touches on the film,” the director said. “After capturing the current and future (Danjuro), I wanted to bring in the past. I felt a sensation, or even an impulse, that I had never felt while making fictional movies.”

When asked if he sees Danjuro as a different man from Ebizo after the name-taking, Miike said he was not sure.

“I think change and growth can only be noticed later on,” he continued. “The same goes for movies, because sometimes I don’t have answers to questions about some scenes in my movies but I begin to see the answers only after I am asked about them in interviews.”

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