2017 Revival
Journalist Nakayama Ryōko played the role of Ichikawa, a character based on her own grandmother Hayashi Sachiko. In this climatic moment of the play, Ichikawa reads the poem “Sky of Hiroshima.” As the generation of Our Poems members passed, Nakayama was dedicated to learning about the social and cultural movement and the ways it spoke to her own time.
Although the character Shikoku Gorō did not appear in Rivers, his presence was evident: Shikoku’s works were projected on the stage; and more than one character in the play embodied his artistic and political commitments, as well as his humility. The production was also infused with the shared notion of struggle and a hope in the promise of democracy and justice, which resonated with audiences in various times of struggle, including the Vietnam War, 1960s student movement, and the rising nuclear threat from 2016.