Mitsunori Fukuhara (福原充則): Comic Imagination on Stage and Screen

Introduction

Mitsunori Fukuhara (福原充則) is a Japanese playwright, director, and screenwriter who works across small theaters, commercial stages, television, and film. He won the 62nd Kishida Kunio Drama Award in 2018, sharing the prize with Yudai Kamisato, for Atarashii Explosion (あたらしいエクスプロージョン, literally "A New Explosion").

Born in Kanagawa Prefecture in 1975, Fukuhara has built his career through several theater units at once while also writing widely for the screen.

Early Life and Career

In 2002 Fukuhara founded Pichichi 5 (ピチチ5), for which he serves as leader, writer, and director. In 2006 he formed Nippon no Kasen (ニッポンの河川), a unit in which the performers run the music and lighting themselves. With actor Koichiro Tomioka (富岡晃一郎) he also leads Bed & Makings (ベッド&メイキングス), which has staged outdoor performances and shows in unusual venues such as warehouses.

Two of his earlier plays were finalists for the Kishida Prize: Sono Yoake, Uso (その夜明け、嘘。, 2009), starring Aoi Miyazaki, and Tsunzaki Kōro, Sareru ga Mama (つんざき行路、されるがまま, 2014), written for Shoko Takada's unit.

The Kishida Prize-Winning Work

Atarashii Explosion was first staged in 2017 as the opening production of the new Asakusa Kyugeki (浅草九劇) theater in Tokyo. Set just after World War II, it follows filmmakers who have no camera and no film but try to shoot "the first kissing scene in Japanese cinema."

Hakusuisha published the script in April 2018. A remake, directed by Ryo Horikoshi, ran at Shinjuku Theater Tops from November 28 to December 2, 2025.

Theatrical Style and Philosophy

The Japan Foundation's performing arts site has profiled Fukuhara under the heading of changing reality through comic imagination. The premise of Atarashii Explosion, with its filmmakers chasing a kiss amid postwar confusion, gives a sense of that approach. So does the range of what he takes on, from a stage adaptation of the manga Orebushi to a unit whose actors operate their own lights and music.

Major Works

Fukuhara's significant works include:

Atarashii Explosion (あたらしいエクスプロージョン, 2017) — The Kishida Prize-winning work.
Sono Yoake, Uso (その夜明け、嘘。, 2009) — Kishida Prize finalist.
Tsunzaki Kōro, Sareru ga Mama (つんざき行路、されるがまま, 2014) — Kishida Prize finalist.
Orebushi (俺節, 2016) — Stage adaptation of the manga, starring Shota Yasuda.
Television and film — Screenwriting credits include the drama Anata no Ban Desu (あなたの番です, 2019) and its 2021 film version, and Shikaku Tantei Higurashi Tabito (視覚探偵日暮旅人). He made his film directing debut with Ai wo Katareba Hentai desu ka (愛を語れば変態ですか, 2015).

How to Experience Their Work

We have not confirmed published English translations of these plays. You can find Atarashii Explosion, Sono Yoake, Uso, and Tsunzaki Kōro, Sareru ga Mama in the Gikyoku Toshokan script library, where you can also search for plays by cast size, duration, and genre.

Mitsunori Fukuhara (福原充則) | Kishida Prize-Winning Playwright Guide