Photo courtesy of Sato Isao

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Hironari Amano He debuted in 1995 and has been active in television, movies, and stage productions. He made his breakthrough in 2004 with the role of Tachibana Sakuya/Kamen Rider Garren in "Kamen Rider Blade." He has since appeared in numerous dramas, including NTV's "HiGH&LOW" and "Sugarless," Tokai TV's "My Summer Vacation" and "Indigo Night," and the movies "Canon" and "TRASH."

What made you start kendo?

—What made you start kendo? Amano : "Influenced by the manga 'Roku Sanshi no Ken' (The Sword of Roku Sanshi)', I started kendo in the second grade of elementary school. I joined a local dojo, but I wanted to become stronger, so I moved to the Kondo Dojo in Aichi Prefecture." —I see! How long did you continue with Kendo? Amano : "Actually, I quit when I was in the fifth grade of elementary school. My parents had to move, so I was no longer able to practice at the Kondo Dojo. The dojo was strict about etiquette as well as the amount of practice, but it suited me. The dojo near where I moved was one where you wouldn't get scolded for stepping over a bamboo sword, so naturally I started to drift away." —Was the training at the Kondo Dojo strict? Amano : "I still remember that before I put on the mask, I had to swing the bat 900 times. I'll never forget that number (laughs)." - That sounds like you had some intense training! So, did you practice kendo for about four years? Amano : "That's about it." -How many years did it take for you to start practicing kendo again? Amano : "About 25 years from now." —That's amazing!

The reason he started kendo again was because he was "super laid back"

Photo courtesy of Sato Isao —What made you decide to start kendo again? Amano : "It all started with an internet program on Fuji TV called 'Mecha Yuru.' I started practicing kendo again because of work." —What kind of project was it? Amano : "The content was that I had a kendo match against Ramen Kamukuraman played by Hamaguchi Masaru and Robin Mask No. 43 played by Okamura Takashi. On 24-Hour Zero TV's "Meccha x 2 Naga~ku Yurunderu!", I competed against Tengu played by Kato Koji and Producer Garita (Akematsu Isao), who has experience in kendo. If I won, I got double the fee, and if I lost, it was half the fee, so it was a fun plan (laughs)." --That's an interesting idea (laughs). Producer Garita has experience in kendo! Amano : "It seems like he was very dedicated to kendo, placing highly in the regional tournament." -Please tell us how it felt to practice kendo again after a long time. Why did you decide to start again? Amano : "I thought kendo was really interesting. At the time, I had just gotten married and was looking for a hobby to do with my wife. We considered scuba diving and horse riding, but I really wanted to take up kendo. I gave my wife a presentation and we decided to take up kendo again." —Did you encounter any difficulties when restarting? Amano : "I had no idea about the kendo industry. I had no idea whether I should join a kendo club, whether there was a dojo nearby, where to buy protective gear, etc." —That seems like it would be a hurdle. Amano : "I thought there must be a lot of people in the same situation as me. I ended up closing it down for various reasons, but I started a blog for people who were considering buying Ribaken. I posted information that showed how armor wasn't as expensive as it used to be." -That's a great initiative. Where did you buy your first protective gear after the restart? Amano : "The armor I have in mind is what we call old-fashioned armor. The men-dare is long and the stitching is done in a straight stitch pattern. But no matter which armor shop I went to, they told me they couldn't make the armor I had in mind. But Takeshima Budougu was the only one that was able to help me." --Takeshima Budougu handled the situation. What difficulties did you face in terms of training content after the resumption? Amano : "First of all, I didn't know what ground training was (laughs). I only knew junior kendo, so I had only ever done kakari training. When ground training started, I wondered if it was like a match, so I tried to do some kendo that was a bit rough around the edges, and my teacher scolded me, saying, 'Are you here to teach me?' (laughs)" —So you suddenly stumbled. Amano : "I presented my idea to my wife and even bought some protective gear, so I can't just quit kendo. I've also started to understand how to use the ground training, and my goal is to get promoted. I love kendo now and practice at least twice a week."

Kendo activities with the acting team

Amano's favorite: Eiko Budogu BAK armor ...Individually customized decorative thread with a "heaven" motif. --There are an increasing number of actors who practice kendo. Amano : "I'm good friends with Nitta Kenta, who is from the Meiji University Kendo Club, and Nakamura Kento, who graduated from Takanawa High School. I met them through work. They're both talented kendo practitioners, but had stopped practicing. We got excited talking and decided to take up kendo again. They even compete in tournaments as an acting team." —There are many people who have achieved success in kendo as well! Amano : "For some reason, many people who have achieved success in kendo end up becoming actors (laughs). Watanabe Masayuki is a senior in the entertainment industry, and he has been very kind to me because we share the common interest of kendo. Watanabe also competed in the Kanto Tournament when he was in high school." - BUSHIZO also interviewed Watanabe-san. Do you practice together? Amano : "We sometimes practice together. The other day I had my promotion exam, and they all came to help me with kata practice. I was really touched that they went out of their way to help me, even though the match was coming up." —When people active in the mass media spread the word about kendo, it increases the visibility of kendo. Amano : We also think that this is important. In particular, the people who practice Rivaken have been practicing kendo before, so the barrier to starting kendo seems low. I am also a Rivaken member, so I would like to spread the word about the problems I faced. It is now possible to start kendo at a more reasonable price than in the past. In the past, you needed about 300,000 yen to start kendo, but nowadays, cheap armor costs around 50,000 yen. I think this is a big difference. I think people who have quit kendo don't know about this." —The environment is changing. Amano : "There are people who start kendo as a hobby at around the age of 50. I think that's wonderful. I want to spread the word that it's easy to start kendo." —Kendo is something you can continue doing for the rest of your life. Amano : "At the dojo I go to, there is a teacher who recently achieved the seventh dan. She is a woman who started kendo at the age of 40, so it is truly amazing that she was able to achieve this. What she said was, 'It's never too late.' I was around 35 when I started kendo again, so I was a little hesitant, but those words really saved me." —What are your goals in kendo? Amano : "I would like to obtain the seventh dan. I want to practice kendo correctly with the right heart. I would like to devote myself to both my work and kendo so that I can contribute to the development of kendo." --Amano-san practices two or three times a week. After the interview, we worked up a sweat together at a practice session held by Izakaya Zanshin. He has a down-to-earth and friendly personality, and the BUSHIZO staff have become big fans of him. We wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors.

Hironari Amano's latest appearance Movie: Will the Flowers Bloom?

Commentary This live-action film adaptation of Hidaka Shoko's popular BL comic stars young actor Watanabe Ken, known for his role as Zyuoh Elephant in "Doubutsu Sentai Zyuohger." Kazuaki Sakurai (Koji Amano), a 37-year-old advertising agency employee, meets a young man named Mizukawa Yoichi, a passionate painter, at a beautiful Japanese house he visits to shoot a commercial. Yoichi, 19, lives in the mansion with his cousins ​​and attends art school. Sakurai's busy daily life has almost made him forget what it feels like to fall in love, but after a series of coincidences leads him to visit the Mizukawa family home, he finds himself drawn to Yoichi. Meanwhile, Yoichi, whose only interest was drawing, gradually begins to take an interest in Sakurai, and the two begin to grow closer. Just then, Sakurai receives an order to be transferred to Osaka...