About that person and Kesennuma.

Actor and dancer Sho Ikushima, originally from Tokyo, is the son of freelance announcer Hiroshi Ikushima and his older brother Yuki Ikushima is also an actor. He studied abroad at the age of 15 and has worked as a dancer. He has also appeared in films and dramas both in Japan and abroad as an actor. In 2022, he was appointed as an ambassador for Kesennuma Minato along with his brother Yuki.
We asked him again about his feelings about Kesennuma, a place he has visited frequently since the earthquake.

From "my father's family home" to "my roots"

Ikushima says that in her childhood, she would visit her grandmother and aunt in Kesennuma once every two or three years, finding time between her father's extremely busy work schedule. "To me, Kesennuma is my father's hometown. I have fond memories of meeting my relatives and eating sushi with them. I would go to Kesennuma just like I was going to my grandma's house."

As I grew older, I went there less and less, and when I started studying abroad at the age of 15, I almost never had the opportunity to visit Kesennuma again.

After building his performance career in the United States and Germany, and living abroad for 10 years, Ikushima began to explore whether there was a way for him to continue as both a dancer and an actor. In 2011, his grandmother in Kesennuma passed away, so he returned to Japan temporarily, and in March of that year, the Great East Japan Earthquake occurred.

"My grandmother in Kesennuma passed away and the 3th day after her death was on March 12th, so my aunt returned to Kesennuma to transport my grandmother's remains and was planning to leave Kesennuma for Tokyo on March 3th. At that time, they were caught in the tsunami. In that situation, it was no longer possible for her to return overseas."
Ikushima-san and his family were in Tokyo, but they could not contact their relatives and the situation in Kesennuma remained a mystery. Even in such a situation, his father, Hiroshi Ikushima, who was in charge of the morning radio broadcast, managed to keep himself motivated and continue broadcasting, providing information about the earthquake disaster.

"I was born and raised in Tokyo and have lived overseas, so I hadn't been to Kesennuma for a long time. But the reason I decided to stay in Japan right after the disaster was because I felt that I had roots there."

An insider and an outsider

After the difficult time had passed for the Ikushima family and they had finally managed to sort out their feelings, the brothers were approached by film director Tsutsumi Yukihiko.
Director Tsutsumi, who had a connection to Kesennuma having shot a number of films there before the disaster, was planning a documentary drama about Kesennuma called "Kesennuma, Voices." He asked the two to participate if it would help them sort out their feelings and listen to the voices of the people there and follow them as they do volunteer work.

"Life had started to return to normal in Tokyo after a few months, but I had heard from relatives in Kesennuma that it was still a difficult time in Tohoku. But I didn't know what to do. I'm also someone on the inside, so I'm not a complete outsider. But Tsutsumi told me that because I understood how they felt, I might be in a position to listen to the voices of the people of Kesennuma, so I decided to take part in the filming of the documentary."

Filming for the documentary began in December 2011 and has continued to take place regularly ever since, with Ikushima visiting Kesennuma several times a year. This was the beginning of a new relationship between Ikushima and Kesennuma.

A new generation and new projects

Immediately after the disaster, Ikushima volunteered to clean up gutters and houses, and also filmed documentaries to listen to the voices of the people of Kesennuma. He says that his relationship with the town has changed over the years as he has continued to visit.

"When I was a child, I would go out to eat with people of my father's generation, but I've been coming to Kesennuma for over 10 years, and have seen the town all the time, and I've made new relationships. Now that we're adults, we've met people of our generation, and we have friends we can ask for help when we want to try something. We've come to enjoy both drinks and snacks, and I'm really happy to be having such a great time in Kesennuma."

He says this because he has been conducting regular observations of the city of Kesennuma since immediately after the earthquake.
"There was a time when there were mixed opinions about performing in the disaster area, but five years later, then 5 years later, the things I can do here have changed little by little, and I now perform dances and musicals with local children. Starting this year, I'd like to shoot a movie around here."

"I think the people of Kesennuma are very accepting of people from outside. Even though I've never lived there myself, I get the feeling that they are very welcoming.
Immediately after the disaster, he felt that he could become a kind of base connecting the inside and outside of Kesennuma, as he has roots in the city. "I want to do activities that make it easier for people from overseas to visit, and I want to create a place for exchange. That is my wish and my goal."

We recommend the craft beer "BTB"

Finally, when asked about his recommendations for Kesennuma, he said that he loves alcohol, so he would recommend the Kesennuma craft beer brewery "BLACK TIDE BREWING (BTB)." When he visited the Kesennuma Beer Festival 2022 hosted by BTB last year, Ikushima-san noticed a big change in the city.

"There were a lot of young people at Wanno Beach Square, which didn't have a venue, and children were playing on the grass. It had a bright, festive atmosphere that made an impression on me. People called out to me and introduced me to others, and I thought it was really nice how the space felt so open."

As the city changes, I have a feeling that Ikushima and the new generation's plans will continue to grow.

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Click here for previous articles in the "That Person and Kesennuma" series.