Shigeru was raised in Tokyo’s downtown area by his father, Ryozo Kitajima, a stern yet principled man who taught him one thing above all: “Never be a burden to others.”
Years later, after his father passes away, Shigeru begins to notice troubling signs in his mother, Sae. She no longer recognizes him. As her dementia progresses, Shigeru, who has always lived honestly and followed society’s rules—including the social welfare system—finds himself pushed to an unimaginable decision. In the courtroom scene, actual testimony and statements from the real-life Fushimi (Kyoto) caregiving-related homicide case were cited.
Butchy Musha, head of the theater troupe, rose to fame in the 1980s as the iconic “God of Repentance” on the hit variety show Oretachi Hyokin-zoku (Fuji TV), especially in its hugely popular segment, Hyokin Zange-shitsu (“The Repentance Room”). In 2014, he founded Gekidan ZANGE (Theater Company ZANGE) to stage the play Ikiru ("To Live"). The company made its debut with a successful run from September 2 to 7, 2014 at the Haiyuza Theater in Tokyo. As of 2017, the troupe has performed in a total of 14 locations across Japan. The script and direction are by Hirokazu Yamaguchi, known both for his comedic duo Kont Yamaguchi-kun to Takeda-kun and for his work as a playwright. Adding prestige to the production is a special guest appearance by Mitsuo Hamada, a major star of Nikkatsu’s “pure love” films of the 1960s, who rose to prominence alongside Sayuri Yoshinaga on the silver screen.
