A society that treats "being out of the ordinary" as evil crushes outstanding talent [Interview with Shino Ikenami | Part 2]
May 16, 2025
INTERVIEW
"HERALBONY & PEOPLE" is a series where we talk to people who support HERALBONY. In this series, we interview people from all walks of life who are regularly in tune with HERALBONY's activities and business.
The sixth episode features actress Shino Ikenami. In the second part, we ask Ikenami, who has a deep knowledge of the art and fine arts world, about how to enjoy art and how to stand out in an era when "unusual" things tend to be criticized.
>>Click here for the first part: The view from the car window that day with her husband, Akira Nakao. The reason she resonates with the work, not with the idea of "supporting people with disabilities"
All great writers are "unique," "unorthodox," and "cutting-edge"
The interview took place at HERALBONY LABORATORY GINZA, HERALBONY's first permanent store in Tokyo, which opened in March this year. At the special exhibition "Standing Out" Vol. 1 (ended May 12), Ikenami was looking at artist Shu Toriyama's work "Ginza" for a while. 
--When you visit museums or galleries, do you often take your time to look at one piece of art like this?
Ikenami: That's true. When I went to an exhibition with Nakao (Akira), it would usually take about three hours to finish looking at the exhibits (laughs). If you look closely, you'll find all sorts of interesting things in the paintings. For example, there are a lot of goldfish in this painting. I wonder if they have something to do with Ginza? (pointing to the painting) Ah, look, there are goldfish here too... Perhaps this is how the city of Ginza looks to the artist. When you think about it, it's interesting.
--You seem to enjoy your work very freely. In Japan, art is still difficult to get into, and there are surprisingly many people who don't know how to appreciate it.
Ikenami: I don't think you need to worry too much about whether you "understand" or "don't understand" a work.
I consider myself an ordinary person. On the other hand, artists and writers are beings who are far superior in terms of sensibility and expression. They have a realm that ordinary people just can't understand.
Even talented artists who are now recognized by the world, such as Andy Warhol, Taro Okamoto, and Yayoi Kusama, would have been treated as "eccentrics" when they first came out. This is because ordinary people's sensibilities have not kept up with the times. The more outstanding an artist is, the more "unique" and "unorthodox" they are at first. That means they are at the "cutting edge." I think it's the same for the artists of Heralbony. So even if an ordinary person tries to understand the work, they won't understand it right away anyway (laughs).
What you feel when you see art becomes your own treasure
--The modern world is overflowing with a variety of content, including TV, movies, and online videos. In this climate, what do you think is the significance of enjoying art as a content now?Ikenami: With TV and movies, you passively enjoy the world and messages that the creators have created. In contrast, art is something that the viewer can freely feel and interpret as they wish. That freedom is interesting, and I think the process of appreciating it can heighten your own sensibilities.
Even when you look at the paintings in this way, you will probably find some that make you think, "I really like this painting," or "What is this? It catches my attention." Before long, you may naturally start to wonder, "Why am I catching my attention?" "Maybe I'm drawn to this color," or "Maybe I like this combination."
There is no right answer to that feeling, and if there are 100 people, there will be 100 different ways of feeling it. If you get a subtle feeling like, "That's why I like this," then you have resonated with the work. Even if the artist didn't have that intention, what you felt is an asset.
Abstract art and modern art in particular are genres that are easy for ordinary people to participate in, in that the viewer can freely view and feel. You can catch the fragments of sensibility that "contrast" emits in your own way and expand it freely within yourself. The works of extraordinary artists, including the artists of HERALBONY, stimulate the sensibilities of the viewer and awaken dulled senses. That's why "if you want to improve yourself, HERALBONY is the place to go" (laughs).
In an era where distinctiveness is crushed, the next Shincho will never appear.
--When you think of people you have met who are "unique," who comes to mind?
Ikenami: There are many. The famous directors that I worked with on set all had their own unique aura, and I think that aura was what made them "unique."
Also, my grandfather (Kokontei Shincho 5th) was a unique individual (laughs). However, if Shincho existed today, he would definitely have been criticized and would have disappeared before his talent was recognized. There was an episode that appeared in the historical drama "Idaten" (in which Ikenami's grandfather Shincho was played by Moriyama Mirai and Beat Takeshi), where he thought that "all the sake in Tokyo will be sucked into the ground" when the Great Kanto Earthquake occurred, and he went straight to the liquor store with money in his hand. If it happened today, he would be called "lacking common sense," criticized, and that would be the end of it. Reporters often tell me, "There will never be another storyteller like Shincho again," but I think that's because everyone gangs up on him and crushes him.
--When you think about it that way, you could say that today is an age in which uniqueness is easily crushed.
Ikenami: That's right. It's not just in the world of performing arts, but it's unhealthy to be criticized and violently crushed with the excuse "we won't tolerate you unless you're with everyone else." It's unfortunate that as a result, people with superior sensibilities that are different from others can't demonstrate their abilities.
In any case, in today's world, people tend to try to crush each other and trip each other up, but I would like artists to distance themselves from this "crushing" and value their own sensibilities and their own expressions.
Ikenami: There are many. The famous directors that I worked with on set all had their own unique aura, and I think that aura was what made them "unique."
Also, my grandfather (Kokontei Shincho 5th) was a unique individual (laughs). However, if Shincho existed today, he would definitely have been criticized and would have disappeared before his talent was recognized. There was an episode that appeared in the historical drama "Idaten" (in which Ikenami's grandfather Shincho was played by Moriyama Mirai and Beat Takeshi), where he thought that "all the sake in Tokyo will be sucked into the ground" when the Great Kanto Earthquake occurred, and he went straight to the liquor store with money in his hand. If it happened today, he would be called "lacking common sense," criticized, and that would be the end of it. Reporters often tell me, "There will never be another storyteller like Shincho again," but I think that's because everyone gangs up on him and crushes him.
--When you think about it that way, you could say that today is an age in which uniqueness is easily crushed.
Ikenami: That's right. It's not just in the world of performing arts, but it's unhealthy to be criticized and violently crushed with the excuse "we won't tolerate you unless you're with everyone else." It's unfortunate that as a result, people with superior sensibilities that are different from others can't demonstrate their abilities.
In any case, in today's world, people tend to try to crush each other and trip each other up, but I would like artists to distance themselves from this "crushing" and value their own sensibilities and their own expressions.
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