Taiga drama

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Taiga drama

is the name NHK

NHK

, or Japan Broadcasting Corporation, is Japan's public broadcaster. The NHK is financed by a television licence. This Japanese public corporation has always identified itself to its audiences by the English pronunciation of its initials, NHK....
gives to the annual, year-long historical fiction

Historical novel

A historical novel is a novel in which the story is set among historical events, or more generally, in which the time of the action predates the lifetime of the author....
television series it broadcasts in Japan

Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
. Beginning in 1963 with the black-and-white Hana no Shogai, starring kabuki

Kabuki

is the highly stylised classical Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for the stylization of its drama and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers....
actor

Actor

An actor or actress is a person who acting in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio programming in that capacity....
Onoe Shoroku and Takarazuka

Takarazuka Revue

The Takarazuka Revue is a Japanese all-female musical theater in the city of Takarazuka, Hyogo, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. Women play both male and female roles in lavish, Broadway-style productions ? most of their plays are Western-style musicals, and sometimes they are stories adapted from shojo manga and folktales of China and Japan....
star Awashima Chikage, the network has hired a producer, director, writer, music director, and actors for the series. The 45-minute show airs on the NHK General network every Sunday at 8:00 p.m., with rebroadcasts on Saturday afternoon at 1:05 p.m.

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Encyclopedia

is the name NHK

NHK

Historical novel

Japan

Kabuki

is the highly stylised classical Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for the stylization of its drama and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers....
actor

Actor

An actor or actress is a person who acting in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio programming in that capacity....
Onoe Shoroku and Takarazuka

Takarazuka Revue

Current series

Tenchijin (2009) - The storyline focuses on Naoe Kanetsugu
Naoe Kanetsugu

was a Japanese samurai of the 16th-17th centuries. The eldest son of Higuchi Kanetoyo, Kanetsugu was famed for his service to two generations of the Uesugi daimyo....
, who during the 16th and 17th centuries served two generations of the Uesugi daimyo.

Upcoming series

Saka no Ueno Kumo (Fall 2009)
Ryoma-den (2010) - Sakamoto Ryoma
Sakamoto Ryoma

';' was a leader of the movement to overthrow the Tokugawa bakufu during the Bakumatsu period in Japan. Ryoma used the alias as a cover name during his work as a loyalist in the creation of a modern government....
is considered the father of the modern Imperial Japanese Navy
Imperial Japanese Navy

The origins of the Imperial Japanese Navy trace back to early interactions with nations on the Asia, beginning in the early history of Japan#Feudal Japan and reaching a peak of activity during the 16th and 17th centuries at a time of cultural diffusion with European power during the Age of Discovery....
. He assisted in what eventually became the Meiji Restoration
Meiji Restoration

The , also known as the Meiji Ishin, Revolution, or Renewal, was a chain of events that led to enormous changes in Japan's political and social structure....
.

List of series

#	Romanised Name	Kanji (or Kana) Name	Start	End	Cast	Additional Notes
1	Hana no Shogai	????	7 April1963	29 December1963	Shoroku Onoe Chikage Awashima Chikage Awashima Chikage Awashima is a Japanese actress who has been in films since the 1950s....	Black and white
2	Ako Roshi	????	1 January1964	27 December1964	Kazuo Hasegawa Kazuo Hasegawa Kazuo Hasegawa was a Japanese film actor. He appeared in 95 films between 1927 in film and 1963 in film.... Osamu Takizawa Osamu Takizawa Osamu Takizawa, 1906 - 13 November, 2000 was a Japanese actor. He was born in Ushigome, Tokyo, Japan. Perhaps his most notable role was in Fires on the Plain ....	Black and white. Also the most viewed taiga drama in its history.
3	Taikoki Taikoki The is a biography of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who rose to the office of Sessho and Kampaku during the Azuchi-Momoyama period of History of Japan. The Confucianism scholar Oze Hoan published the work in 1626 during the rule of the third Tokugawa clan Tokugawa shogunate Tokugawa Iemitsu....	???	3 January1965	26 December1965	Ken Ogata Ken Ogata Ken Ogata was a Japanese actor.Ogata was born in Tokyo, Japan. Ogata is well known for his roles in Peter Greenaway The Pillow Book , Paul Schrader Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters and Shohei Imamura's The Ballad of Narayama .... Koji Takahashi Koji Takahashi is a Japanese actor. In 1935, he was born in Tokamachi, Niigata, and attended Niigata Prefectural Tokamachi High School and later Toyo University.... (????)	Black and white
4	Minamoto no Yoshitsune	???	2 January1966	25 December1966	Kikunosuke Onoe Junko Fuji	Black and white
5	San Shimai	???	1 January1967	24 December1967	Mariko Okada Mariko Okada File:Mariko Okada.jpgMariko Okada is a Japanese actress.Her father was a actor Tokihiko Okada.... Shiho Fujimura Shiho Fujimura Shiho Fujimura is a Japanese actress.External links...	Black and white
6	Ryoma ga Yuku	?????	7 January1968	29 December1968	Kin'ya Kitaoji Kin'ya Kitaoji is a Japanese people actor. He was born in Kyoto, son of famous jidaigeki film star Ichikawa Utaemon, and graduated from Waseda University in Tokyo.... Ruriko Asaoka Ruriko Asaoka File:Midori haruka ni poster.jpgRuriko Asaoka , born 2 July 1940 in Xinjing, Manchukuo , is a Japanese actor....	Black and white
7	Ten to Chi to	????	5 January1969	28 December1969	Koji Ishizaka Koji Takahashi Koji Takahashi is a Japanese actor. In 1935, he was born in Tokamachi, Niigata, and attended Niigata Prefectural Tokamachi High School and later Toyo University.... (????)	Colour. Future broadcasts are in colour.
8	Mominoki wa Nokotta	???????	4 January1970	27 December1970	Mikijiro Hira Sayuri Yoshinaga Sayuri Yoshinaga is a Japanese actress. She graduated from Waseda University. Her fans are called "Sayurist" . She is a Seibu Lions Fan....
9	Haru no Sakamichi	????	3 January1971	26 December1971	Kinnosuke Yorozuya
10	Shin Heike Monogatari Shin Heike Monogatari can refer to:*Shin Heike Monogatari , a novel by Eiji Yoshikawa, translated into English as "The Heike Story: A Modern Translation of the Classic Tale of Love and War."...	?·????	2 January1972	24 December1972	Tatsuya Nakadai Tatsuya Nakadai is a Japanese leading film actor.He became a star after he was discovered working as a Tokyo shop clerk by filmmaker Masaki Kobayashi during the early 1950s....
11	Kunitori Monogatari	?????	7 January1973	30 December1973	Keiko Matsuzaka Keiko Matsuzaka is a Japanese actress.Born in Ota, Tokyo, her father was a naturalized South Korean; her mother, a Japanese people. Active as a child actress in the 1960s, she came into her own as an adult with Kadokawa Pictures, then in 1972 with Shochiku.... Yoshiko Mita Yoshiko Mita is a Japanese people actress. Born in the city of Osaka, she graduated from Joshibi High School of Art and Design in Suginami, Tokyo. In 1960, she was hired by Toei Company and made her acting debut....
12	Katsu Kaishu	???	6 January1974	29 December1974	Tetsuya Watari Tetsuya Watari is a Japanese theater, film, and television actor. He made his screen debut in 1964, in Kosugi Isao's .He is now the president of Ishihara Promotion.... Hiroki Matsukata Hiroki Matsukata Matsukata Hiroki is a Japanese people actor. Born Meguro Koju to jidaigeki actor Jushiro Konoe and actress Mizukawa Yaeko, he has one younger brother, actor Meguro Yuki....
13	Genroku Taiheiki	?????	6 January1975	29 December1975
14	Kaze to Kumo to Niji to	??????	4 January1976	26 December1976	Ken Ogata Go Kato
15	Kashin	??	2 January1977	25 December1977	Umenosuke Nakamura Masatoshi Nakamura
16	Ogon no Hibi	?????	8 January1978	24 December1978	Somegoro Ichikawa
17	Kusa Moeru	????	7 January1979	23 December1979	Koji Ishizaka Shima Iwashita
18	Shishi no Jidai	?????	6 January1980	21 December1980	Go Kato
19	Onna Taikoki	??????	11 January1981	20 December1981	Toshiyuki Nishida Toshiyuki Nishida is a Japanese people actor. He has received ten Japanese Academy Awards nominations, winning twice, for Dun-Huang in 1988 in film and Gakko in 1993 in film .... Masatoshi Nakamura
20	Toge no Gunzo	????	10 January1982	19 December1982	Ken Ogata Ken Matsudaira Ken Matsudaira Ken Matsudaira is a Japanese person actor from Toyohashi, Aichi, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. His real name is Sueshichi Suzuki .Active both in television and on stage , he also sings....
21	Tokugawa Ieyasu	????	9 January1983	18 December1983	Sakae Takita Tetsuya Takeda
22	Sanga Moyu	????	8 January1984	23 December1984	Koshiro Matsumoto Kenji Sawada Kenji Sawada , nicknamed "Julie" , also-known as vocalist for the Japanese rock band The Tigers, is a Japanese people singer, composer, lyricist and actor. He was born in Iwami District, Tottori , Tottori Prefecture, Japan, and raised in Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, Kyoto....	First (and so far) only Taiga drama set in the Showa period Showa period The , or Showa era, is the period of Japanese history corresponding to the reign of Emperor Showa , from December 25, 1926 to January 7, 1989. In his coronation message which was read to the people and to the army, the newly enthroned emperor referenced this Japanese era name or nengo: "I have visited the battlefields of the Great War in... of World War II World War II World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
23	Haruno Hato	????	6 January1985	15 December1985	Morio Kazama Keiko Matsuzaka
24	Inochi	???	5 January1986	14 December1986	Yoshiko Mita Koji Yakusho Koji Yakusho is a Japanese actor.He was born in Isahaya, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan, the youngest of five brothers. During the summers he would play catch with Shayne DeHaan, Christian Gallant, and Colton Kennedy, fellow students of Nagaski Prefectural High School....
25	Dokuganryu Masamune	?????	4 January1987	13 December1987	Ken Watanabe Ken Watanabe is an Academy Award-nominated Japanese theater, film, and television actor. To English language audiences he is known for playing tragic hero characters, such as General Tadamichi Kuribayashi in Letters from Iwo Jima and Lord Katsumoto in The Last Samurai.... Kumiko Goto
26	Takeda Shingen	????	10 January1988	18 December1988	Kiichi Nakai Kiichi Nakai is a Japanese people actor. His father, Keiji Sada, also a movie actor, died when Nakai was only two years old. Nakai started his acting career while he was still in university and was awarded the Rookie of the Year of Japan Academy Awards in 1981.... Misako Konno Misako Konno Misako Konno , born Misako Shinoda is a Japanese actor and essayist.Her maiden name is Misako Sato .External links...
27	Kasuga no Tsubone	???	1 January1989	17 December1989	Shinji Yamashita Aiko Nagayama	Earlist premiere for a Taiga drama.
28	Tobu ga Gotoku	?????	7 January1990	9 December1990	Takeshi Kaga Takeshi Kaga is a well known stage and movie actor in Japan who is probably best known internationally for his portrayal of Chairman Kaga in the Japanese television show Iron Chef produced by Fuji Television.... Hideki Takahashi Hideki Takahashi Hideki Takahashi is a Japanese people actor. Born in Kisarazu, Chiba near Tokyo, he attended Ichikawa Gakuen and later Nihon University....
29	Taiheiki	???	6 January1991	25 December1991	Hiroyuki Sanada Hiroyuki Sanada is a Japanese people actor.BiographyEarly lifeSanada was born in Tokyo, Japan. He began training with Sonny Chiba's Japan Action Club.... Yasuko Sawaguchi Yasuko Sawaguchi , is a Japanese actor....
30	Nobunaga	??	5 January1992	13 December1992	Naoto Ogata Momoko Kikuchi
31	Ryukyu no Kaze	????	10 January1993	13 June1993	Higashiyama Noriyuki Watabe Atsuro	AKA: Winds of the Ryûkyû Islands (Part 1 of 3). The 32nd Taiga Drama (also from 1993) is part two of the series and Hana no Ran from 1994 is the third and final part of the series.
32	Homura Tatsu	???	4 July1993	13 March1994	Watanabe Ken Hiroaki Murakami Hiroaki Murakami is a Japanese people actor. He specializes in jidaigeki roles, and has also taken parts in tokusatsu and modern productions.Born in Rikuzentakata, Iwate, Iwate Prefecture, he enrolled in Hosei University but withdrew when he successfully auditioned for a part in Kamen Rider . He made his debut as Tsukuba Hiroshi in Kamen Rider ...	Part 2 of the three part series (Ryukyu no Kaze being the first). This was the latest premiere for a Taiga drama.
33	Hana no Ran Hana no Ran was the 33rd Taiga drama to be broadcast on the NHK network in Japan. It premiered on 3 April, 1994 and its finale aired on 25 December of the same year....	???	3 April1994	25 December1994	Yoshiko Mita Ichikawa Danjuro XII Ichikawa Danjuro XII is a Japanese people actor. He is the twelfth kabuki actor to hold the illustrious name Ichikawa Danjuro.He is the eldest son of Ichikawa Danjuro XI....	This was the concluding part of the series which started with Ryukyu no Kaze. So far Hana no Ran remains the least viewed Taiga Drama in NHK history.
34	Hachidai Shogun Yoshimune	??????	8 January1995	10 December1995	Toshiyuki Nishida Nenji Kobayashi	About the Shogun Tokugawa Yoshimune Tokugawa Yoshimune was the eighth shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan, ruling from 1716 until his abdication in 1745. He was the son of Tokugawa Mitsusada, the grandson of Tokugawa Yorinobu, and the great-grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu.... .
35	Hideyoshi	??	7 January1996	22 December1996	Naoto Takenaka Naoto Takenaka is a Japanese people actor, comedian, singer, and Film director from Yokohama, Kanagawa. One of his most notable roles was Toyotomi Hideyoshi in the 1999 NHK Taiga drama of the same name.... Yasuko Sawaguchi	49 episodes about the life of Hideyoshi.
36	Mori Motonari	????	5 January1997	14 December1997	Hashinosuke Nakamura Yasuko Tomita	The series focused on Mori Motonari Mori Motonari was a prominent daimyo in the west Chugoku region of Japan during the Sengoku period of the 16th century.... , a minor daimyo Daimyo The were powerful territorial lords who ruled most of Japan from their vast, hereditary land holdings. The term derives from a shortening of the title , which literally means "great named land" and originally simply referred to the owner of a large estate.... who was a contemporary to Oda Nobunaga Oda Nobunaga was a major daimyo during the Sengoku period of History of Japan. He was the second son of Oda Nobuhide, a deputy shugo with land holdings in Owari province.... . Some additional info at wiki.d-addicts.com/Mori_Motonari.
37	Tokugawa Yoshinobu	????	4 January1998	13 December1998	Motoki Masahiro(????) Ishida Hikari	About the life of the last Tokugawa Shogun: Tokugawa Yoshinobu Tokugawa Yoshinobu Prince Tokugawa Yoshinobu was the 15th and last shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan. He was part of a movement which aimed to reform the aging shogunate, but was ultimately unsuccessful.... . Some additional info at wiki.d-addicts.com/Tokugawa_Yoshinobu.
38	Genroku Ryoran	????	1 January1999	12 December1999	Nakamura Kanzaburo Ken Matsudaira
39	Aoi ~Tokugawa Sandai~	?????	9 January2000	17 December2000	Masahiko Tsugawa Masahiko Tsugawa , born Masahiko Kato on January 2, 1940 in Kyoto, Japan is a Japanese people actor and film director.He made his debut at the age of 16 in the Ko Nakahira film Crazed Fruit in 1956.... Toshiyuki Nishida
40	Hojo Tokimune Hojo Tokimune Hojo Tokimune of the Hojo clan was the eighth shikken of the Kamakura shogunate , known for leading the Japanese forces against the Mongol invasions of Japan and for spreading Zen Buddhism and by extension Bushido among the warrior class....	????	January 72001	December 92001	Izumi Motoya(????) Watabe Atsuro
41	Toshiie to Matsu	?????~???????~	6 January2002	15 December2002	Toshiaki Karasawa Toshiaki Karasawa is a Japanese theatre and film actor. He made his theatrical debut in the play Voice Review Stay Gold in 1987. He specialises in theatrical action sequences such as swordplay and fighting.... Nanako Matsushima Nanako Matsushima is a Japanese actress and model. She is known outside Japan for her role in the horror film Ring . She became the highest-paid actress in Japan due to Great Teacher Onizuka and all her following dramas becoming big hits....	First series to be broadcast in High Definition High-definition television High-definition television is a digital television broadcasting system with higher than traditional television systems . HDTV is digitally broadcast; the earliest implementations used analog broadcasting, but today digital television signals are used, requiring less Bandwidth due to digital video compression.... . Future series are also broadcast in HD.
42	Musashi	?? MUSASHI	5 January2003	7 December2003	Shinnosuke Ichikawa Ryoko Yonekura Ryoko Yonekura Yonekura was born in Yokohama. She studied classical ballet for 15 years from the age of five. A member of the Oscar Productions agency, she won a national young beauty award in 1992....
43	Shinsengumi! Shinsengumi! is a television series produced by Japanese broadcaster NHK. It was a popular drama about shinsengumi, the Japanese special police from the Shogun period....	???!	11 January2004	12 December2004	Shingo Katori Shingo Katori is the youngest member of SMAP, a very popular idol group from the agency Johnny & Associates. He is from Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. Shingo Katori has acted in several dramas such as Three Peace, and has appeared as a seiyu, or Japanese language voice actor, in such anime series as Akazukin Chacha, where he played the were... Koji Yamamoto Koji Yamamoto Koji Yamamoto may refer to:* Koji Yamamoto , Japanese actor* Koji Yamamoto , former Japanese All-Star baseball player...
44	Yoshitsune	??	9 January2005	11 December2005	Hideaki Takizawa Hideaki Takizawa is a Japanese actor and member of the J-pop duo Tackey & Tsubasa from Tokyo, Japan. In 2002, when he reached the age of 20, he debuted with Tsubasa Imai in the group Tackey & Tsubasa under the record label Avex Trax.... Kiichi Nakai
45	Komyo ga Tsuji	????	8 January2006	10 December2006	Yukie Nakama Yukie Nakama is a Ryukyuan people actress, singer and former Japanese idol. She was born in Urasoe, Okinawa Prefecture, the youngest of five siblings.She is one of the few young Japanese celebrities that have been able to break free from their teeny-bopper image and emerge as one of the country's most popular and well-respected actresses.... Takaya Kamikawa Takaya Kamikawa is a Japanese stage, film, and television actor. He played the Anti-Spiral in Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann.External links...
46	Furin Kazan	????	7 January2007	9 December, 2007	Masaaki Uchino Gackt Gackt is a Japanese musician, songwriter and actor. Usually referred to by his stage name only, he is known for his work with Malice Mizer and after leaving Malice Mizer started his career as a solo artist....
47	Atsuhime Atsuhime , literally Princess Atsu, is the 47th NHK Taiga drama. It began on January 6 2008 and will air throughout 2008 with an estimated total of 50 episodes....	??	6 January2008	21 December 2008	Aoi Miyazaki Aoi Miyazaki Aoi Miyazaki is a Japanese actress. She is best known for her pure image and roles such as in Nana and Virgin Snow . Her brother Masaru Miyazaki is an actor and they starred in the film Hatsukoi....
48	Tenchijin Tenchijin is the 48th NHK Taiga drama. It has been on air by NHK from January 4, 2009 every Sunday from 20:00 to 20:44 Japanese Standard Time to November 22, 2009 with 47 episodes....	???	4 January 2009	22 November 2009	Satoshi Tsumabuki Satoshi Tsumabuki is a Japanese people actor. His breakthrough film was Waterboys for which he was nominated for the 'Best Actor' award at the Japanese Academy Awards, and won the 'Newcomer of the Year' prize....
49	Ryoma-den	???	Winter 2010	Autumn 2010	Masaharu Fukuyama Masaharu Fukuyama is a Japanese singer-songwriter, actor, radio personality, and photographer from Nagasaki, Nagasaki, Nagasaki Prefecture. Among fans, he is known as Masha, Masha-nii, or Fuku-chan....

21st Century Taiga Drama

Saka no ue no Kumo
Saka no Ue no Kumo

is the upcoming NHK 21 Century Special scheduled to be aired for three years starting from November 29, 2009. 13 episodes, 90 minutes each, have been planned....
was originally set for a 2006 broadcast. However, the scriptwriter of the series committed suicide, causing a delay in production. The series will air in three parts, each part airing during the last month of the year.

Title	Episodes	Start	End	Cast
Saka no Ue no Kumo pt1 ?????	5 eps	29 November 2009	27 December 2009	Hiroshi Abe Hiroshi Abe Hiroshi Abe may refer to:* Hiroshi Abe * Hiroshi Abe * Hiroshi Abe ...
Saka no Ue no Kumo pt2	4 eps	Autumn 2010	Autumn 2010
Saka no Ue no Kumo pt3	4 eps	Autumn 2011	Autumn 2011

Recent series

Atsuhime (2008) - Starring Aoi Miyazaki
Aoi Miyazaki

Aoi Miyazaki is a Japanese actress. She is best known for her pure image and roles such as in Nana and Virgin Snow . Her brother Masaru Miyazaki is an actor and they starred in the film Hatsukoi....
. Aoi plays the role of Tenshoin, the wife of Tokugawa Iesada
Tokugawa Iesada

Tokugawa Iesada...
(1824-1858), the 13th Shogun. She is also the youngest lead artist in taiga drama history, beating Hideaki Takizawa's
Hideaki Takizawa

is a Japanese actor and member of the J-pop duo Tackey & Tsubasa from Tokyo, Japan. In 2002, when he reached the age of 20, he debuted with Tsubasa Imai in the group Tackey & Tsubasa under the record label Avex Trax....
record when he starred in Yoshitsune.
Furin Kazan (2007). Based on Inoue Yasushi's
Yasushi Inoue

Yasushi Inoue was a Japanese writer whose range of genres included poetry, essays, short fiction, and novels. He was originally from Asahikawa, Hokkaido....
best-selling historical novel, this drama is the story of Yamamoto Kansuke
Yamamoto Kansuke

was a Japanese samurai of the 16th century who was one of Takeda Shingen's most trusted Twenty-Four Generals of Takeda Shingen. Also known by his formal name, 'Haruyuki' ....
, a warrior who has achieved high rank in warlord Takeda Shingen's
Takeda Shingen

of Shinano Province and Kai Provinces, was a preeminent daimyo or feudal lord with military prestige who sought for the control of Japan in the late stage of Sengoku period or "warring states" period....
army by not-so-honorable means.
Komyo-ga-tsuji: Yamauchi Kazutoyo
Yamauchi Kazutoyo

also spelled 'Yamanouchi' , was born the son of Yamanouchi Moritoyo in Owari Province at the end of the Sengoku period of Japan. Kazutoyo held the title of Kokushi ....
no Tsuma. Kamikawa Takaya plays the role of Yamauchi Kazutoyo, the military commander and daimyo
Daimyo

The were powerful territorial lords who ruled most of Japan from their vast, hereditary land holdings. The term derives from a shortening of the title , which literally means "great named land" and originally simply referred to the owner of a large estate....
who took over the Tosa
Tosa Province

is the name of a provinces of Japan of Japan in the area that is today Kochi prefecture on Shikoku. Tosa was bordered by Iyo province and Awa province Provinces....
han
Han (Japan)

The , or domains, were the fiefs of feudal lords of Japan that were created by Toyotomi Hideyoshi and existed until their Abolition of the han system in 1871, three years after the Meiji Restoration....
and built Kochi Castle
Kochi Castle

is a Japanese castle located in Kochi, Kochi, Kochi Prefecture, Japan....
. Nakama Yukie
Yukie Nakama

is a Ryukyuan people actress, singer and former Japanese idol. She was born in Urasoe, Okinawa Prefecture, the youngest of five siblings.She is one of the few young Japanese celebrities that have been able to break free from their teeny-bopper image and emerge as one of the country's most popular and well-respected actresses....
plays the role of Chiyo, the ever-supporting wife of Kazutoyo. The story by Shiba Ryotaro
Ryotaro Shiba

, born in Osaka, Japan, was a Japanese author best known for his historical novels in Japan and on the Northeast Asian continent, and his historical and cultural essays pertaining to Japan and its relationship to the rest of the world....
spans the closing years of the Sengoku period
Sengoku period

The was a time of social upheaval, political intrigue, and nearly constant military conflict in Japan that lasted roughly from the middle of the 15th century to the beginning of the 17th century....
, the Azuchi-Momoyama period
Azuchi-Momoyama period

The came at the end of the Sengoku period in Japan, when the political unification that preceded the establishment of the Tokugawa shogunate took place....
, and the beginning of the Edo period
Edo period

The , or , is a division of History of Japan running from 1603 to 1868. The period marks the governance of the Edo or Tokugawa shogunate, which was officially established in 1603 by the first Edo shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu....
.
Yoshitsune (2005). Takizawa Hideaki stars in the title role as Minamoto no Yoshitsune
Minamoto no Yoshitsune

was a general of the Minamoto clan of Japan in the late Heian period and early Kamakura period. Yoshitsune was the ninth son of Minamoto no Yoshitomo....
; Matsudaira Ken
Ken Matsudaira

Ken Matsudaira is a Japanese person actor from Toyohashi, Aichi, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. His real name is Sueshichi Suzuki .Active both in television and on stage , he also sings....
plays Musashibo Benkei
Saito Musashibo Benkei

, popularly called Benkei, was a Japanese warrior monk who served Minamoto no Yoshitsune. He is commonly depicted as a man of great strength and loyalty, and a popular subject of Japanese folklore....
. The screenplay is by Kaneko Naruto, based on the original by Miyao Tomiko. Vladimir Ashkenazy
Vladimir Ashkenazy

Vladimir Davidovich Ashkenazy is a Russian Conducting and virtuoso pianist. He has been a citizen of Iceland, the home of his wife ??runn, since 1972 and currently lives with his family in Switzerland....
conducted the NHK Symphony Orchestra in the theme music by Iwashiro Taro. NHK's first Taiga drama on the subject was in 1966.
Shinsengumi! (2004). Katori Shingo
Shingo Katori

is the youngest member of SMAP, a very popular idol group from the agency Johnny & Associates. He is from Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. Shingo Katori has acted in several dramas such as Three Peace, and has appeared as a seiyu, or Japanese language voice actor, in such anime series as Akazukin Chacha, where he played the were...
appeared as Kondo Isami
Kondo Isami

was a Japanese swordsman and official of the late Edo Period, famed for his role as commander of the Shinsengumi....
; Yamamoto Koji played Hijikata Toshizo
Hijikata Toshizo

Hijikata Toshizo was the deputy leader of Shinsengumi, a small-built and talented Japanese military leader who resisted the Meiji Restoration....
; Fujiwara Tatsuya played the tragic young Okita Soji
Okita Soji

Okita Soji , was the captain of the first unit of the Shinsengumi, a special police force in Kyoto during the late shogunate period. He was a well-known genius swordsman, being one of the best swordsmen of the Shinsengumi, along with Saito Hajime and Nagakura Shinpachi....
.
?? MUSASHI (2003). Kabuki actor Ichikawa Shinnosuke VII (now Ichikawa Ebizo XI
Ichikawa Ebizo XI

born December 6, 1977, Tokyo, is the eleventh and current holder of the Ichikawa Ebizo name. He is a famous Kabuki and television actor and heir to the prestigious Ichikawa clan of kabuki actors....
) held the lead role as the swordsman Miyamoto Musashi
Miyamoto Musashi

, also known as Shinmen Takezo, Miyamoto Bennosuke, or by his Buddhist name Niten Doraku, was a Japanese people swordsman famed for his duels and distinctive style....
, whose lives spanned the end of the sengoku
Sengoku period

The was a time of social upheaval, political intrigue, and nearly constant military conflict in Japan that lasted roughly from the middle of the 15th century to the beginning of the 17th century....
and the beginning of the Edo period
Edo period

The , or , is a division of History of Japan running from 1603 to 1868. The period marks the governance of the Edo or Tokugawa shogunate, which was officially established in 1603 by the first Edo shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu....
s. The series was based on the Yoshikawa Eiji novel that forms the basis for most modern fiction based on the events of Musashi's life. This was the first Taiga Drama to have its title in both kanji
Kanji

are the Chinese characters that are used in the modern Japanese language logogram along with hiragana , katakana , Arabic numerals, and the occasional use of the Latin alphabet....
and the Latin alphabet
Latin alphabet

The Latin alphabet, also called the Roman alphabet, is the most widely used alphabetic writing system in the world today. It evolved from the western variety of the Greek alphabet called the Cumae alphabet, and was initially developed by the Ancient Romes to write the Latin....
.
Toshiie and Matsu (2002). Karasawa Toshiaki as Maeda Toshiie
Maeda Toshiie

was one of the leading generals of Oda Nobunaga following the Sengoku period of the 16th century extending to the Azuchi-Momoyama period. His father was Maeda Toshimasa....
and Matsushima Nanako
Nanako Matsushima

is a Japanese actress and model. She is known outside Japan for her role in the horror film Ring . She became the highest-paid actress in Japan due to Great Teacher Onizuka and all her following dramas becoming big hits....
as Matsu recounted the establishment of the Tokugawa shogunate
Tokugawa shogunate

The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the , and the , was a feudalism regime of Japan established by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family....
from the point of view of an outside daimyo
Daimyo

The were powerful territorial lords who ruled most of Japan from their vast, hereditary land holdings. The term derives from a shortening of the title , which literally means "great named land" and originally simply referred to the owner of a large estate....
.
Hojo Tokimune (2001). Kyogen
Noh

, or is a major form of classic Japanese musical drama that has been performed since the 14th century. Together with the closely-related Kyogen farce, it evolved from various popular, folk and aristocratic art forms, including Dengaku, Shirabyoshi, and Gagaku....
actor Izumi Motoya played the lead character
Hojo Tokimune

Hojo Tokimune of the Hojo clan was the eighth shikken of the Kamakura shogunate , known for leading the Japanese forces against the Mongol invasions of Japan and for spreading Zen Buddhism and by extension Bushido among the warrior class....
, heading a cast that included Watanabe Ken. Major events in the series included the Mongol Invasions of Japan
Mongol invasions of Japan

The of 1274 and 1281 were major military invasions and conquests undertaken by Kublai Khan to take the Japanese islands after the capitulation of Goryeo....
.
Aoi Tokugawa Sandai (2000). Veteran actor Tsugawa Masahiko, who turned sixty in the year 2000, reprised the role of Tokugawa Ieyasu
Tokugawa Ieyasu

Japanese name|Tokugawa}} was the founder and first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan which ruled from the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868....
, which he had assumed in the 1987 Taiga drama and has played on other occasions. Nishida Toshiyuki played his son Hidetada
Tokugawa Hidetada

was the second shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate, who ruled from 1605 until his abdication in 1623. He was the third son of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first shogun of the Tokugawa bakufu....
. Nishida has nine other roles in Taiga dramas to his credit, including the lead in Hachidai Shogun Yoshimune
Tokugawa Yoshimune

was the eighth shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan, ruling from 1716 until his abdication in 1745. He was the son of Tokugawa Mitsusada, the grandson of Tokugawa Yorinobu, and the great-grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu....
. Charles Dutoit
Charles Dutoit

Charles ?douard Dutoit is a Switzerland conducting, particularly noted for his interpretations of French and Russian 20th century music. He has made influential modern recordings of Hector Berlioz's Rom?o et Juliette and Maurice Ravel's ballets Daphnis et Chlo? and Ma M?re l'Oie....
conducted the NHK Symphony Orchestra in the performance of the title music.
Genroku Ryoran (1999). Kabuki
Kabuki

is the highly stylised classical Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for the stylization of its drama and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers....
actor Nakamura Kankuro V played Oishi Kuranosuke
Oishi Yoshio

was the chamberlain of the Ako, Hyogo han in Harima Province , Japan . He is known as the leader of the Forty-seven Ronin in their 1702 vendetta and thus the hero of the Chushingura....
in this sweeping story of the Genroku
Genroku

was a after Jokyo and before Hoei. This period spanned the years from 1688 through 1704. The reigning emperor was .The years of Genroku are generally considered to be the Golden Age of the Edo Period....
period during which the events of the Forty-seven Ronin
Forty-seven Ronin

The revenge of the , also known as the Forty-seven Samurai, the Ako vendetta, or the took place in Japan at the start of the eighteenth century....
occurred.

Taiga drama

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21st Century Taiga Drama

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