Cast information has also been released, with comments from Sugi Ryotaro, who will be trying his hand at voice acting for the first time, as well as Sakurai Takahiro and Naka Hiroshi.
In addition, the poster visual has also been released.
The first animated feature film, “Why Live? – Rennyo Shonin and the Fire of Yoshizaki,” was produced based on the book “Why Live?”, which has sold over 1 million copies. It was released nationwide in May 2016 and was a huge hit, attracting an audience of 150,000 people.
The second film, Opening the Tannisho, was released nationwide in May 2019 and became a huge hit, screening for 38 consecutive weeks.
The third installment, “Shinran: The Purpose of Life,” is based on two bestselling books, “Opening the Tannisho” and “The Purpose of Life,” and depicts the life of Shinran, focusing on his youth, a period that drew the interest of intellectuals such as Natsume Soseki and Shiba Ryotaro. Set in the turbulent times of the late Heian and Kamakura periods, about 850 years ago, the work focuses on the suffering and conflict of Shinran as a human being and delves deeply into universal themes such as “Why do we live when we will eventually die?”, “What do we live for?” and “What is happiness?”
The voice of the main character, Saint Shinran, will be played by Ryotaro Sugi, who will be taking on the role of a voice actor for the first time. Additionally, the voice of Saint Shinran in his youth will be played by Takahiro Sakurai, and the founder of the Jodo sect, Saint Honen, will be played by Hiroshi Naka.
When I received this offer, the recording time happened to be a little late, and I just turned 80, so I felt a strange connection to playing the voice of Saint Shinran in his 80s. Since it was Saint Shinran, I couldn’t imagine what he was like, and he was a human being who was close to God, so I wondered if I was the right person to play the voice of Saint Shinran. This was my first time dubbing an anime, and it was a job that was outside of my repertoire, so I was more anxious than usual.
The theme of this film, “Why do people live?” and “What is the purpose of life?” overlapped with my own experiences of worrying and suffering in life. I have been involved in welfare activities in various places, and have visited facilities for the intellectually and physically disabled, and have actually met, touched, felt, and learned from them. When I went to an orphanage called “Sisters of Love” in Dhaka, Bangladesh, I was surprised that the children were like robots, not moving at all, and not even blinking. The reason was malnutrition. I quickly gave them a candy ball I had at the time, and they held it still for 5 or 6 seconds before finally licking it. After walking around the facility, I said to them on my way out, “I’ll come back with something to eat right away,” and all the children waved at me! It got me thinking about how a child who can’t even blink can get the energy to wave his hand with just one candy.
At another facility, a child without legs followed me around with just his hands, with a big smile on his face, and a child who couldn’t use his hands at all bit into disposable chopsticks and used a computer to greet me, saying, “Thank you. I’m glad you came.” He couldn’t look me in the eye, and when I held him, he looked in a completely different direction, but he knew I was there, and later I received a letter of thanks that he typed with his mouth. No matter how disabled a person’s body is, their soul never dies. How precious it is to have such people smile, even for just a moment.
It may be presumptuous, but I would like to continue to visit such places, interact with the people there, and convey to you in a persuasive manner what I have experienced and learned there.
The theme of this work is “Why do we live?”. The animation shows the signposts of life in an easy-to-understand way. I hope you will watch it many times until you are satisfied, and that it will become “a work of your life” for you.
Since he is a great historical figure, I cannot see him on the same level as me, and I think that it is a role that cannot be discussed with that kind of look. The theme of the work may give you the impression that it is difficult, but I think it is a very easy story to follow. You don’t need to understand everything, and I hope that what you see and feel will give you hints for living your life.
I thought that the Honen Shonin I played was a person who was loved by everyone, and who could touch the hearts of everyone even when he was just talking normally. I played the role while trying not to be preachy. He was a person who had a great influence on Saint Shinran, so I hope I was able to portray him in that way. I hope that people will enjoy it as a fact that something like this happened at the time, just like reading a historical novel.
８歳で両親を失った親鸞は、「やがて死ぬのになぜ⽣きるのか」⼈⽣の⽬的の答えを仏教に求め、わずか９歳で⽐叡⼭に⼊り、修⾏に励んでいた。10年の仏道修⾏を経て19歳になった親鸞は、聖徳太⼦廟からの帰り道、関⽩・九条兼実の娘、⽟⽇姫に出会う。以来、⼥性のことは思ってもならないと教える⽐叡⼭での厳しい修⾏に打ち込むも、⽟⽇姫のことが忘れられない。「煩悩にまみれた私はとても救われない」と絶望し、⽐叡⼭を下りた親鸞は、京都の町で、「煩悩あるがままで救われる」と説く⼈⽣の師・法然上⼈に出遇い、その教えによって、ついに苦悩の解決の道を知ることに⾄る。そして、⽟⽇とも感動の再会を遂げ、共に法然上⼈の教えを聞くようになった⼆⼈は、ますます惹かれ合うようになっていく。僧侶と関⽩の娘、決して結ばれないはずの⼆⼈。衝撃の結末はいかに…！
原作：『⼈⽣の⽬的』⾼森顕徹著（１万年堂出版） 『歎異抄をひらく』⾼森顕徹著（１万年堂出版）
脚本：塩味鷹⻁ 和⽥清⼈ ⻘⼭弘
監督：⻘⼭弘
アニメーション制作：オーロックス
制作：パラダイス・カフェ
配給：「親鸞 ⼈⽣の⽬的」
実⾏委員会 / 配給協⼒：AGentfilms
製作：「親鸞 ⼈⽣の⽬的」映画製作委員会 2025
親鸞聖⼈：杉良太郎
親鸞聖⼈（⻘年期）：櫻井孝宏
法然上⼈：中博史
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