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Poster for Ask This of Rikyu

Ask This of Rikyu

Seen it?

2013 | 124 min | Drama, History, Romance

Monday Morning Maybeearly rating

Why it’s a Monday Morning Maybe

With almost no lasting buzz and soft box office, this one could be a tough watch. Keep your phone handy.

Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.

Is it for you?

Who'll love it
Made for romantics and history buffs. If you loved The Young Victoria, start here.
The mood
Warm and romantic.
The pace
Takes its time with its characters, at 2 hr 4 min.
What might put you off
It's in Japanese, so expect subtitles (or a dub).

Sen no Rikyu (Ebizo Ichikawa) is the son of a fish shop owner. Sen no Rikyu then studies tea and eventually becomes one of the primary influences upon the Japanese tea ceremony. With his elegant esthetics, Sen no Rikyu is favored by the most powerful man in Japan Toyotomi Hideyoshi (Nao Omori) and becomes one of his closest advisors. Due to conflicts, Toyotomi Hideyoshi then orders Sen no Rikyu to commit seppuku (suicide). Director Mitsutoshi Tanaka's adaptation of Kenichi Yamamoto's award-winning novel of the same name received the Best Artistic Contribution Award at the 37th Montréal World Film Festival, the Best Director Award at the 2014 Osaka Cinema Festival, the 30th Fumiko Yamaji Cultural Award and the 37th Japan Academy Film Prize in nine categories, including Best Art Direction, Excellent Film and Excellent Actor.

How it earned its rating

  • CriticsNot counted

    Not enough reviews on record yet

  • AudiencesNot counted

    Not measured yet: not enough ratings

  • AwardsNot counted

    No major awards or nominations

  • Reach & staying powerBelow par

    Streaming release that reached a small audience so far; still draws a steady audience long after release

  • Buzz & cultural impactWeak

    About 2K people sought it out in the past year

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Cast & crew

Directed by Mitsutoshi Tanaka

  • Ichikawa Ebizo XISen no Rikyu
  • Miki NakataniSon
  • Nao OmoriHideyoshi Toyotomi
  • Clara LeeJoseon noblewoman
  • Yusuke Iseya
  • Ichikawa Danjūrō XII
  • Riko Narumi
  • Seiji Fukushi
  • Naoki Kawano
  • Yoshihiko Hakamada