KOKUHO (2025)
General Admission Tickets: $7
WED, MAR 11, 2026
Experience a special film screening of the new Japanese epic that has broken the record for the highest box office gross and audience attendance in the history of Japanese live-action films!
Experience a special film screening of the new Japanese epic that has broken the record for the highest box office gross and audience attendance in the history of Japanese live-action films!
Not Rated
174 Min
Illinois Public Media and the Japan House present KOKUHO. This screening is part of the Illinois Public Media Film Series.
Kokuho (国宝), meaning "National Treasure," is a highly successful 2025 Japanese epic film by director Sang-il Lee about the intense, decades-long rivalry between two men destined for greatness in the traditional world of Kabuki theater, one a yakuza's son adopted into the art form, the other a master actor's biological son, as they pursue fame, artistic perfection, and the coveted title of "Living National Treasure". It's a visually stunning story of brotherhood, betrayal, ambition, and sacrifice, following protagonists Kikuo and Shunsuke from youth to mastery.
Join us at 6pm for a pre-show discussion with members of Japan House.
Film Screening begins at 7pm.
After the death of his father, the leader of a yakuza gang, 14-year-old Kikuo is taken under the wing of a famous Kabuki actor. Alongside Shunsuke, the actor’s only son, he decides to dedicate himself to this traditional form of theatre. For decades, the two young men grow and evolve together—from acting school to the grandest stages—amid scandals and glory, brotherhood and betrayals... One of them will become the greatest Japanese master of the art of Kabuki.
Vancouver International Film Festival: Audience Award
Academy Award® nomination 2026: Makeup and Hairstyling
Japan House aims to make the beauty of traditional Japanese arts and culture accessible to everyone.
It is the mission of Japan House to bring about cultural understanding, to offer exposure to new perspectives via Japanese culture, and, ultimately, to give our guests a chance to embrace tranquility in an immersive Japanese environment. The very core of this approach, and of Japan House studies is Chado, the Way of Tea. This ancient and revered Japanese practice brings together numerous Japanese arts and traditions.
Japan House is a unit of the College of Fine and Applied Arts at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It has both University classes for academic credit, as well as community classes open to the general public.
174 Min
Illinois Public Media and the Japan House present KOKUHO. This screening is part of the Illinois Public Media Film Series.
Kokuho (国宝), meaning "National Treasure," is a highly successful 2025 Japanese epic film by director Sang-il Lee about the intense, decades-long rivalry between two men destined for greatness in the traditional world of Kabuki theater, one a yakuza's son adopted into the art form, the other a master actor's biological son, as they pursue fame, artistic perfection, and the coveted title of "Living National Treasure". It's a visually stunning story of brotherhood, betrayal, ambition, and sacrifice, following protagonists Kikuo and Shunsuke from youth to mastery.
Join us at 6pm for a pre-show discussion with members of Japan House.
Film Screening begins at 7pm.
After the death of his father, the leader of a yakuza gang, 14-year-old Kikuo is taken under the wing of a famous Kabuki actor. Alongside Shunsuke, the actor’s only son, he decides to dedicate himself to this traditional form of theatre. For decades, the two young men grow and evolve together—from acting school to the grandest stages—amid scandals and glory, brotherhood and betrayals... One of them will become the greatest Japanese master of the art of Kabuki.
Vancouver International Film Festival: Audience Award
Academy Award® nomination 2026: Makeup and Hairstyling
Japan House aims to make the beauty of traditional Japanese arts and culture accessible to everyone.
It is the mission of Japan House to bring about cultural understanding, to offer exposure to new perspectives via Japanese culture, and, ultimately, to give our guests a chance to embrace tranquility in an immersive Japanese environment. The very core of this approach, and of Japan House studies is Chado, the Way of Tea. This ancient and revered Japanese practice brings together numerous Japanese arts and traditions.
Japan House is a unit of the College of Fine and Applied Arts at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It has both University classes for academic credit, as well as community classes open to the general public.
Shows & Tickets
Box Office
Theatre Rentals
About
Seating Chart
Parking
Account Login
Contact
Directions
