Kokuho

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Kokuho

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2h 54m

Drama

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20 Reviews

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Fewer than 50 Ratings

Nagasaki, 1964 -- After the death of his father, the leader of a yakuza gang, 14-year-old Kikuo is taken under the wing of a famous Kabuki actor. Alongside Shunsuke, the actor's only son, he decides to dedicate himself to this traditional form of theatre. For decades, the two young men grow and evolve together--from acting school to the grandest stages--amid scandals and glory, brotherhood and betrayals.... One of them will become the greatest Japanese master of the art of Kabuki.

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Jake Wilson

Sydney Morning Herald

Dec 11

3.5/5

... a sumptuous spectacle that is far less ponderous than the nearly three-hour running time might suggest.

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Ryan Lattanzio

IndieWire

Nov 13

B

The central narrative, of the emotional dance between these two men over decades, holds even as the running time, while never boring you, often feels exaggerated for the sake of epicness rather than wholly necessary to this telling.

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Sheri Linden

The Hollywood Reporter

Oct 29

At the center of its superb cast, Ryo Yoshizawa and Ryusei Yokohama deliver exquisitely layered performances that interweave offstage characterization and onstage theatricality.

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Sarah Ward

AWFJ.org

4d

Captivating, all-consuming, resplendent and affecting ... while subtlety is among the movie’s plentiful strengths, there’s no masking its emotion, artistry, beauty or impact, with every ounce of passion rewardingly on display.

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Andiee Paviour

Nobody's Reading This But Me

Dec 10

4/5

Director Lee Sang-il’s grand-scale take on decades of rivalry and greed is as perfectly composed as the art of kabuki itself.

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Maxance Vincent

InSession Film

Dec 8

B-

An intriguing look at the world of Kabuki.

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Shan

Nov 26

Kokuho is three hours long and I didn’t move once. It takes you through fifty years of a man’s life in kabuki theater, and every scene earns its place—nothing drags, nothing is wasted. The performances are stunning, the cinematography pulls you onto the stage itself, and the character work is devastatingly good. You think you understand who you’re watching, and then the film quietly reveals the cost of his greatness. Everything introduced gets resolved. I’ve never seen anything like it.

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Liliko

Nov 23

Three hours passed quickly watching beautiful artwork. Describing the conflict as a performer.

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Kn

Nov 22

Wonderful. It too long.

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Glen

Nov 16

Superb in so many ways! Visually and culturally rich with strong acting and a captivating storyline.

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How Beautiful

Nov 16

It’s one of those movies I’m gonna think about for the rest of my life… gorgeous story telling and even more beautiful visuals. I went into this film knowing very little about Kabuki and now my interest and respect for the art has truly piqued!! Congrats on all the past and future success for the entire team that worked on Kokuho. WE WILL BE HEARING FROM THEM I’M SURE!!

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Howie B

@Howie10 6d

This film took me into an unknown world. Engrossed from the start and to the very final scene. It is pure culture on display and an eye opener to something which Japan is finally showcasing to the world.

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Lee Sang-il

Director

Ryô Yoshizawa

Kikuo Tachibana

Ryûsei Yokohama

Shunsuke Ogaki

Soya Kurokawa

Young Kikuo

Keitatsu Koshiyama

Young Shunsuke

Mitsuki Takahata

Harue Fukuda

Kokuho: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Nagasaki, 1964 -- After the death of his father, the leader of a yakuza gang, 14-year-old Kikuo is taken under the wing of a famous Kabuki actor. Alongside Shunsuke, the actor's only son, he decides to dedicate himself to this traditional form of theatre. For decades, the two young men grow and evolve together--from acting school to the grandest stages--amid scandals and glory, brotherhood and betrayals.... One of them will become the greatest Japanese master of the art of Kabuki.

Director: Lee Sang-il
Producer: Chieko Murata, Shinzô Matsuhashi
Screenwriter: Satoko Okudera
Distributor: GKIDS
Production Co: Aniplex
Genre: Drama
Original Language: Japanese
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 14, 2025, Limited
Runtime: 2h 54m