On April 27, 2016, Star Troupe’s top star Hokushou Kairi, who announced that she will retire from the Takarazuka Revue on November 20, held a press conference in Osaka. She gave some details about her decision to retire, such as, “I’ve been able to shine for three Grand Theater shows. The most important thing was to set the table for the next person.”
Dressed in a white pant suit and smiling with her whole face, Hokushou, radiating a sense of fulfillment, opened with, “In the 21 years (since The Music School) that I’ve been with Takarazuka, I’ve made so many connections, and I’ve come to do the things I wanted to without any regrets.”
Stepping into her debut in 1998, Hokushou was assigned to Moon Troupe, and after transferring to Cosmos Troupe, she moved to Senka in 2012. Last May, she took the baton from Yuzuki Reon and became top of Star Troupe. She said that she decided from this point of inauguration that she’d retire after 3 Grand Theater shows, 1 1/2 years.
“I’ve been able to shine for three shows, and I feel like the most important thing was to set the table for the next person. From now on, I hope that the people who continue to carry Takarazuka will run into a lot of opportunities.” This “wise one,” who got her longed-for top position in her 18th year, has been, above all else, thinking of the future generations.
She only informed the other troupe members after the closing performance of the Grand Theater show on the 25th. “It was so sudden, everyone was shocked. There were a lot of different reactions,” she said.
While foremost is her preeminence in singing skill, Hokushou is also proficient with acting, dance, and talk, and has become a top star that anyone can honestly approve of. However, her path to the top was not smooth sailing. Regarding her time in The Music School, Hokushou says, “My grades were nearly always the worst.” She reflected that during her time in Senka, even though she’d embraced her top aspirations, “As a performer, I learned a lot about the attitude and posture I assumed onstage. It was an important time.”
According to the President of the Board of Directors, Ogawa Tomotsugu, during Grand Theater show runs, on days with only one performance Hokushou would participate in lessons, and she’s come to set that sort of example for her peers. “She’s someone who overcame a harsh, painful, “winter-like” period, and carries those memories as top,” he praised. “I wish I could tell my past self, ‘it’s fine if you keep on doing your best just as you are.’ Because I am who I am now thanks to everything I experienced,” Hokushou said.
Right now, she’s throwing everything she has into the performance in front of her. In her career she’s starred in shows with all five troupes. “Until the end, I want to convey my sparkle and the things I’ve cultivated to everyone in my troupe. When things calm down a bit, I’ll hold a thank you party for my fans.”
As for the old retirement-time question “what about marriage….”
“I thought no one would ask me that, so I’m glad,” she said, laughing. “I’ll leave that to ‘Lady Luck’,” she answered, quoting the theme song lyrics from her top debut performance, Guys and Dolls. Because she’s only good at cooking, “Maybe I’ll look for a partner who loves to eat?” she said, smiling.