Kenshōkai (partially found recording of stage show by Japanese religious group; 1995-2002)
Screenshot of Doraemon's stage play.
Status: Partially Found
Kenshōkai (顕正会, The official name is 冨士大石寺顕正会, Hepburn: Fuji Taiseki-ji Kenshōkai) is a Nichiren Shōshū Buddhist group based in Saitama City, Saitama, Japan, founded in 1957 by Jinbei Asai as Myōshinkō and renamed to its current group name in 1996.
Kenshōkai often staged stage plays as entertainment for events such as camps. Unlike most stage plays, however, they used characters such as Doraemon without permission to propagate missionary activities and ideas.
Stage play of Doraemon
What became known about this stage play was a video recording of a stage play using Doraemon characters posted on Niconico on October 17, 2015.
The setting of the play was very different from the original Doraemon, as all the main characters, including Doraemon and Nobita, were followers of Kenshōkai, ridiculing Taisaku Ikeda, the president of Sōka Gakkai, a famous Japanese religious organization with which they are in conflict, and finally Nobita talking about his determination to strive to develop Kenshōkai, in an story was a far cry from the original Doraemon. In addition, the theme song "A New Oath" from the Pokémon anime special The Legend of Thunder, which has nothing to do with Doraemon, was played as background music at the start of the plays, making a strong impact on Niconico users who watched the video. It then became a meme on the Japanese Internet as "Doraemon (Kenshōkai)" and became popular in some circles.
It turns out that the play in the video posted was performed at the Kenshōkai boy's club camp in August 2002. The play also reveals that Doraemon's stage play was also performed last year, but we know from Doraemon's statement that it was not performed at the boy's club camp for some reason. And the whereabouts of the video was shrouded in mystery for some time due to a statement made at the start of the play by the narrator asking the audience member's followers if they had seen last year's play on video.
Then on November 5, 2021, a video recording of a Doraemon stage play performed at a Kenshōkai girl's club camp was posted on Niconico. This girl's club version has the same storyline as the boy's club version first posted, but the performers, some of the direction, and the dialogue are different.
Then, on June 16, 2022, a video recording of the Doraemon stage play performed at the August 2001 Kenshōkai girl's club camp was posted on Niconico. This video is the "last year's Doraemon stage play" as stated in the boy's club version of the video. The story of the play is a prequel to both the boy's club version posted in 2015 and the girl's club version posted in 2021. The background music at the start of the play was the theme song "OK!" from Pokémon the Series: Gold and Silver, again unrelated to Doraemon, but some of the elements in the play were related to Doraemon, such as Doraemon taking a secret tool out of his pocket and the Doraemon theme song being played.
Stage plays of other characters
The only confirmed Kenshōkai stage play currently available is Doraemon, but there is testimony that plays with other characters exist.
Chōriki Sentai Ohranger
This is the 19th Super Sentai series that aired from 1995 to 1996. There are several accounts of actually seeing the stage play, which took place on December 10, 1995, at the "Yokohama Arena Sports and Culture Festival". There is also a testimony that there was a scene in the play in which Ohranger defeats a villain named "Ikedasaurus", who is an imitation of Taisaku Ikeda[1][2].
Anpanman
It was apparently performed at a Kenshōkai women or ladies club camp in August 2001, and unlike Doraemon, it was not performed as a camp entertainment, but to entertain the children who were temporarily left in its care[3].
According to the blog of a former leader of Kenshōkai women's club, there was a "children's roundtable discussion" at the camp, where a stage play of Anpanman was performed, and there was a scene in which Anpanman defeats Taisaku Ikeda[4].
Pokémon
There is a testimony on a 5ch thread that he watched a video of a Pokémon stage play, but at present that is the only testimony that exists, and it is still not very credible.
Gallery
Doraemon
External Links
References
- ↑ Testimony on Ohranger's stage play by Kenshōkai in the 5ch thread. Retrieved Jan 7, 2023
- ↑ Testimony on Ohranger's stage play by Kenshōkai in the Bakusai thread. Retrieved Jan 7, 2023
- ↑ A Kenshōkai follower's 5ch thread post touching on Anpanman's stage play. Retrieved Jan 7, 2023
- ↑ Blog by former Kenshōkai women club leader. (Wayback Machine) Retrieved Jan 7, 2023