Writers' Play 'Gone with the Wind' Opens to Commemorate Japan Writers' Association's 100th Anniversary

The writers' play 'Gone with the Wind', commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Japan Writers' Association, opened on Saturday, May 23, 2026, at Kinokuniya Hall.

Photography: Yuko Takahashi

The 'Bunshi-geki' (Writers' Play)—a theatrical tradition once hosted by Bungeishunju and featuring literary legends like Yukio Mishima, Shintaro Ishihara, and Hisashi Inoue—has been revived in 2026 for the Association's centenary. Based on Margaret Mitchell's original work, the production features translation by Yukiko Konosu, script by Chikara Michimata, and direction by Marie Gonohe. The cast includes a stellar lineup of Japan's leading writers: Kimihiko Abe, Motohiko Izawa, Shimako Iwai, Anna Ogino, Shinya Gaku, Norihiro Kawaguchi, Keiko Kawahara, Yukiko Konosu, Junko Saeki, Mitsuharu Sagawa, Kimihito Sasa, Masahiko Shimada, Nameko Shinsan, Megumi Semitani, Keiko Taniguchi, Kahoru Natsuyama, Mariko Hayashi, Masahiro Mita, Juriko Miyao, Masahiko Murakami, Yuka Murayama, Mariko Yamauchi, and Risa Wataya. For this performance, the protagonist Scarlett O'Hara is played in alternating scenes by Megumi Semitani, Risa Wataya, Nameko Shinsan, and Yuka Murayama, while Rhett Butler is portrayed by Masahiko Shimada and Masahiro Mita. Please look forward to Marie Gonohe's elaborate staging, which incorporates ideas from the cast to create a festive play fitting for the centenary.

Comments from the cast have arrived to mark the opening. The play 'Gone with the Wind' will run at the same venue until Sunday, the 24th. Do not miss this once-in-a-lifetime special stage celebrating 100 years from the dawn of the Showa era, through Heisei, and into the Reiwa era.

■ Why 'Gone with the Wind' Now? *Released Feb 13

In the United States, where this novel was published, the Hollywood film version has been re-released with 'disclaimers' due to the recent rise in Black civil rights movements. This is because certain parts do not align with modern political correctness. However, rather than canceling everything for such reasons, we believe this reflects a stance of approaching classics with a critical eye.

What about the original novel? It is little known that Margaret Mitchell's epic actually possesses a worldview almost entirely opposite to that of the film version. It can be called a masterpiece that established massive fame through the film's success while simultaneously being deeply misunderstood. This novel does not glorify the good old South, nor does it praise white supremacist discriminatory organizations. In fact, it is the exact opposite.

As the one who translated this entire epic, I would like to highlight the following points:

- 'Gone with the Wind' is not a novel that romanticizes the slave-owning South, but rather a fierce critique of the South from the perspective of a Southerner.
- It sees through the essence of war and carries a strong anti-war message.
- It is a 'nursing novel' where a self-centered heroine awakens to altruism.
- It is a 'sisterhood novel' that portrays bonds and friendships between women.

Currently, there is a movement in the UK and US to rewrite (sanitize) classic works, altering expressions that do not fit modern values. But is this truly the right way to inherit literature? The Japan Writers' Association has decided to tackle the staging of 'Gone with the Wind' while earnestly confronting such issues, including the freedom of writers to write and readers to read.

Yukiko Konosu, Bunshi-geki PR Chair

■ Comments

- Mariko Hayashi (President, Japan Writers' Association)
I strongly felt that writers are truly amazing. Although they clung to their scripts and looked anxious until the very end, once we entered the latter half, everyone began creating their own world. The skilled ones became even more professional, and those reading rigidly somehow exuded a mysterious humor. To begin with, writers generally love theater. Every day in their heads, they create someone and invent someone's lines. A play performed by such people could not possibly be boring. Please enjoy this bizarre yet charming space.

- Masahiro Mita (Executive Committee Chair / Rhett Butler B)
As the Person in Charge of the Play
I was appointed by the President to be in charge of this play. We recruited performers from our members, accepted recommendations from directors and councilors, and began rehearsals once we had enough people. I had no intention of performing, but as I participated in rehearsals as the head, the director instructed me to play Rhett Butler in the second half. Actually, I belonged to a children's theater group when I was young, so I have some acting training. I wondered if an elderly Butler would be alright, but there is a line in the climax saying 'I've really gotten too old,' so I now think it's a fitting role.

- Yukiko Konosu (PR Chair / Margaret Mitchell [May 23 Eve, 24 Matinee])
I am extremely delighted as the translator that 'Gone with the Wind' was chosen for the 100th-anniversary play. A theatrical stage that vanishes in one night is sometimes described as 'poetry written on the wind', but I believe this poem we all wrote together will ride the 'wind' and fly off into the next hundred years.

- Marie Gonohe (Director)
We have been steadily rehearsing since late last year. The cast has grasped the story and their roles, and perhaps feeling more relaxed, they are increasingly demonstrating their true worth as entertainers of words. It is a serious yet highly humorous 'Gone with the Wind'. During the actual performances, I hope the writers will fully enjoy acting to their hearts' content. As it is the 100th anniversary, I directed it as a tribute to the predecessors who carved out, protected, and nurtured the path of Japanese literature. I hope you will reflect on the years we have walked together and feel the joy of sharing this stage here and now.

- Megumi Semitani (Scarlett O'Hara A)
I joined this play with a frivolous heart, wanting to see people involved in writing and books stand on stage up close...! But I never expected to be cast as Scarlett O'Hara...! My fangirl excitement showed up occasionally during rehearsals, but now she is watching over me as I face the stage with a solemn and breathtaking expression. Since I have come this far, I want to enjoy it to the end and bring the curtain down brilliantly.

- Risa Wataya (Scarlett O'Hara B)
I have always loved the story of 'Gone with the Wind'. However, playing the protagonist Scarlett on stage this time, I was overwhelmed by the intensity of her temper. I realized that because of such a personality, people slowly began to distance themselves from her, eventually vanishing with the wind. Yet, even when isolated, her figure standing back up undeterred somehow evokes emotion. I learned just how much the brilliance of vitality attracts people.

- Nameko Shinsan (Scarlett O'Hara C)
Being allowed to perform on stage this time, I feel like I've stepped into another world, so much so that during rehearsals I often thought, 'Wait, what am I doing right now?' In the end, I couldn't really act properly, but I feel I managed to break my inner shell just a little bit. If we were to liken Scarlett to the modern era, she might be someone like Kim Kardashian or Kylie Jenner. She is free-spirited, selfish, greedy, and excels in business acumen and self-production.