Kokuho

Rating	M18 Sexual Scene
Language	Japanesewith English & Chinese subtitles
Genre	Drama
Director	Lee Sang-il
Cast	Ryo Yoshizawa, Ryusei Yokohama
Synopsis	Kikuo, born into a yakuza clan, possesses extraordinary beauty. The death of his father brings him under the arm of the famous Kabuki actor Hanjiro Hanai. There he meets Shunsuke, born and raised as the only son of a prestigious Kabuki family. The two men with completely different backgrounds and talents, inheriting opposing family blood from the Kabuki and the Yakuza, decide to devote their lives to the refinement of Kabuki throughout the 50 years of history, the rise and fall of the fame, bloodlines and talents, scandals and glories, and layers of trust and betrayal…

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By Rachelle 20 Jul 2026

Is success, at the cost of everything, worth it?

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Kokuho is a deep dive into Kikuo’s life – an orphaned yakuza child-turned-apprentice of renowned kabuki actor Hanai Hanjiro II – as he finds early success in kabuki theatre after a horrifying life-changing incident. Hanjiro, recognising the boy’s talent, takes him under his wing and trains him alongside his son Shunsuke.

Kikuo’s years of thriving gets cut short when Hanjiro, the one person vouching for him in the arts and life, dies. Shunned by his peers, Kikuo finds himself at the bottom of the barrel once again. It isn't until a fateful opportunity arising years later that Kikuo is given a second breath of life at the art he has dedicated most of his years to.

Directed by Lee Sang-il and written by Satoko Okudera (based on Shuichi Yoshida's 2018 novel of the same name), the film stars Ryo Yoshizawa as Kikuo, Ryusei Yokohama as Shunsuke, Mitsuki Takahata, Shinobu Terajima, Min Tanaka, and Ken Watanabe as Hanjiro.

The film concludes with an aged Kikuo at the peak of his career – now hailed as the best kabuki performer in all of Japan, lauded by fans and audiences, but lacking in the familial support he’s lost in the process. It’s a rollercoaster ride for Kikuo, but it’s easy to villainise him as much as it is to sympathise with him. Sure, he’s been through some tough hardships, but his drive for the art has also cost him many a meaningful relationship worth cherishing.

It’s hard to decide if the price paid for this success is worth it in the end. Perhaps to Kikuo it is, on a more personal level we couldn’t fathom, that his success in breaking out and away from the horrors he witnessed as a child is the greatest revenge he could pull on life itself.

That aside, Kokuho succeeds as a stunning portrayal of performing arts that showcases the dedication and resilience of Japanese culture. There is brutality behind this beautiful art as there is beauty in the brutality illustrated. The film doesn't shy away from depicting either, capturing a well-balanced insertion of femininity in an otherwise all-male art form and straying from being chauvinistic for its twenty-first century audience.

Its captivating visuals and subtle play on colours is only further enhanced by dedicated performances from the cast and a pulsing score that soars over every bittersweet moment. Running over 3 hours but never feeling dreary for a second, Kokuho is a beautifully tender film about one of the most significant contributions to Japanese culture with a twist. Don’t miss out on this all-encompassing experience on a big screen.
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