Interviewing Seizo Fukumoto, the star of Ken Ochiai's backstage drama "Uzumasa Limelight," I wished I had brought a video camera, instead of my voice recorder and notepad. As he talks, this veteran kirare-yaku — an actor whose forte is being cut down with a sword in jidaigeki (samurai period dramas) — illustrates his points with sharp hand movements and sound effects, (with the sound of a body hitting the tatami being a loud "Ban!"). It was as though miniature sword fights were unfolding during the interview.