Fuurin Kazan Blog (April 29, 2007)

Translated by: gekka_no_neko (@LJ)

Please do not copy, take, redistribute, retranslate or repost this translation without my permission. Thank you~

4/29 Nagao Kagetora (Uesugi Kenshin) Gackt

Crank-in[1] with a body weight increased by 9 kilos

A few days ago, I went into the studio to start filming Fuurin Kazan with the thought, “I must do my best to live up to the name Kagetora[2].” But, I’m not skilled enough and I’m not good at switching my character on and off in between takes. Because of that, for the past two months I haven’t been the usual Gackt; I’ve been spending my everyday life as “Uesugi Kenshin” and “Nagao Kagetora”.

Weight gain (going one size up) is one thing I have done in that regard. I’ve always been one to train, but for the past two months I’ve increased the amount of training. And in order to shape my body, inside and out, into one that can fight in the feudal era, I put on armor and trained hard every morning starting at 3:00 a.m. and achieved a weight gain of 9 kilos. I’m not just focusing on the physical, but also on the spiritual aspect and on my way of life; to emulate Kenshin’s spiritual side, I’ve been living a fairly stoic lifestyle.

I’ve been thinking, “What does it mean to present an Uesugi Kenshin that only I can present?”, and it means to include Kenshin’s androgynous side, his enigmatic side, and his ability to lead his vassals and chief vassals by using his overwhelming natural charisma and his creative way of thinking. Because he lived such a unique existence, I think it means to bring out on film the way he contrasts with Takeda Shingen (Harunobu).

It has only just begun for me, and the filming hasn’t been that hard, but as the filming schedule gets tighter, I sense that my usual self will get closer and closer to “Kenshin”. Anyway, a lot of people have high expectations, and I feel that “I will defy all prediction, and meet all expectations.”

Notes:
[1] Crank-in: refers to the start of filming.
[2] Kagetora: Kenshin’s original name.

Source: April 29 2007, Fuurin Kazan blog

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