Kokuhō - Official Site

Kokuho - film still - a film by Sang-il Lee

LIMITED CINEMA SEASON EXTENDED BY POPULAR DEMAND!

Magnificent. Haunting and incredibly moving... appealing on so many levels. It really is magical and breathtaking. I recommend this film highly. Go see it.

Jason Di Rosso

ABC RADIO NATIONAL

Fascinating. A stunning tale of art, ambition and bloodlines, propelled by operatic intensity and visual poetry.

Sheri Linden

THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

Engrossing storytelling, immerses viewers in this world in ways that are both intimate and cinematic. Lee Sang-il’s propulsive, lavish drama is a window into the Japanese art of kabuki theatre. The flawless technical work provides graceful support to the themes of legacy, misogyny and the power of patronage. Even novices will feel as though they have been given a glimpse at some of an art – and a nation’s – most enduring mysteries.

Elizabeth Kerr

SCREEN INTERNATIONAL

Brilliant. Monumentally ambitious and visually sumptuous, the film finds riveting drama on and off the kabuki stage.

Mark Schilling

THE JAPAN TIMES

Engaging and vivid. Illuminates the highs and lows of Kabuki theatre, capturing the beautiful physicality and anguished storylines around which the performances revolve.

Ryan Swen

VARIETY

Spectacular. A feast for the eyes, with the dramatic story intertwined with glamorous kabuki plays and dances. The audience is led to experience the joy that comes from the power of art.

Yasuko Onda

THE JAPAN NEWS

Utterly mesmerising. Lee’s staging of classic Kabuki productions, the passionate commitment of the entire cast (including an Oscar-worthy Ken Watanabe as the troupe’s ailing patriarch) and the glorious designs of costumers Kumiko Ogawa and Kazuo Matsuda are never not breathtaking.

Simon Foster

SCREEN-SPACE

Unforgettably powerful. There is so much to savour, but first and foremost among its virtues is its sheer visual exquisiteness and beauty. Don’t even think about seeing it anywhere but on the big screen.

Mark Demetrius

FILMINK

Director: Lee Sang-il

Cast: Ryō Yoshizawa, Ryūsei Yokohama, Soya Kurokawa, Keitatsu Koshiyama, Ken Watanabe

Duration: 174mins

Country of Origin: Japan

Mature themes and sex scenes

Critics' Rating 100%

Magnificent. Haunting and incredibly moving... appealing on so many levels. It really is magical and breathtaking. I recommend this film highly. Go see it.

Jason Di Rosso

ABC RADIO NATIONAL

Fascinating. A stunning tale of art, ambition and bloodlines, propelled by operatic intensity and visual poetry.

Sheri Linden

THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

Elizabeth Kerr

SCREEN INTERNATIONAL

Brilliant. Monumentally ambitious and visually sumptuous, the film finds riveting drama on and off the kabuki stage.

Mark Schilling

THE JAPAN TIMES

Engaging and vivid. Illuminates the highs and lows of Kabuki theatre, capturing the beautiful physicality and anguished storylines around which the performances revolve.

Ryan Swen

VARIETY

Spectacular. A feast for the eyes, with the dramatic story intertwined with glamorous kabuki plays and dances. The audience is led to experience the joy that comes from the power of art.

OFFICIAL SELECTION (JAPAN) - 2026 ACADEMY AWARDS - Shortlisted for Best International Feature & Best Hair and Makeup
OFFICIAL SELECTION – 2025 CANNES FILM FESTIVAL (Director’s Fortnight)
OFFICIAL SELECTION – 2025 NEW ZEALAND INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
OFFICIAL SELECTION - 2025 TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (Special Presentation)
OFFICIAL SELECTION – 2025 JAPANESE FILM FESTIVAL (Opening Night)

Spectacularly bringing the intricate style and all-consuming dedication of the Japanese Kabuki artist to the big screen, Lee Sang-il’s epic new drama KOKUHŌ is a decades-spanning tale charting the ambition, friendship and rivalry of two young trainees.

Nagasaki, 1964. After the death of his father, the leader of a yakuza gang, gifted Kikuo (rising star Ryō Yoshizawa) is taken under the wing of famed Kabuki actor Hanjirō Hanai (played by the iconic Ken Watanabe, Memoirs of a Geisha, The Last Samurai). Alongside the great performer’s only son, Shunsuke (Ryūsei Yokohama), he dedicates his life to the artform – a centuries-old Japanese theatrical tradition known for its costumes, elaborate makeup and innovative stagecraft.

Over the ensuing decades, against the backdrop of stunning stagings of classic Kabuki tales, the destiny of the two young disciples entwines and twists - from acting school to the most prestigious stages - and their hearts suffer as much yearning, scandal and glory as their on-stage alter-egos. Only one of them will become the master of the art.

Based on the best-selling novel by Shūichi Yoshida, KOKUHŌ (which translates as 'National Treasure') stormed the Japanese box office in mid-2025, with demand escalating for months on the back of word of mouth, becoming the highest grossing live action film in Japanese box office history with over 12.3 million admissions, a true cultural phenomenon.