パペットホームズ、大河ドラマなどの好きなテレビ番組やラグビーについて書いています。アフィリエイトはやっていません。/Welcome to my blog. I write about some Japanese TV programmes including NHK puppetry and Taiga Drama, Sherlock Holmes and rugby. I don't do affiliate marketing.
A samurai who was born in Mikawa (eastern part of present Aichi) , served ODA Nobunaga and TOYOTOMI Hideyoshi and finally became the first shogun of Edo Bakufu (Tokugawa Shogunate). He was a hostage of the Imagawa clan who governed Sunpu but could returned to Okazaki Castle in Mikawa after IMAGAWA Yoshimoto died in the Battle of Okehazama. Then he formed an alliance with Nobunaga and distinguished himself as daimyo.
MATSUDAIIRA Motoyasu, later TOKUGAWA Ieyasu
Young Motoyasu (Yūto Ikeda)
Takechiyo, Motoyasu in his childhood (Ryusei Iwata)
IMAGAWA Yoshimoto (KATAOKA Ainosuke)
A daimyo of Suruga (eastern part of present Shizuoka) who was called "Tōkai ichi no Yumitori", the strongest warrior in the provinces along Tōkaidō. He later became ambitious to occupy neighbouring provinces but was killed in the Battle of Okehazama before his dream came true and it allowed Nobunaga conquer Mino.
TAIGEN Sessai (Gorō Ibuki*)
A Buddhism priest and a strategist of Yoshimoto and was called "Kokui no Saishō", a councilor in black robe. He was also a tutor of Ieyasu but suddenly died in 1555 and some say that his death declined the Imagawa clan.
(*) He plays the role of HOSOKAWA Fujitaka in "Kuni-tori Monogatari".
The Taiga Drama series was produced and broadcast in 1973. Like "Kirin ga Kuru", the main characters of the series are SAITŌ Dōsan, ODA Nobunaga, AKECHI Mitsuhide, Kichō (Nō hime) and KINOSHITA Tōkichirō (later TOYOTOMI Hideyoshi). It's based on a novel by Ryōtarō Shiba of the same title. The leading character of the first half of the series is Dōsan acted by Mikijirō Hira and that of the second half is Nobunaga whose role is played by Hideki Takahashi. And Masaomi Kondō plays Mitsuhide.
In the series, Dōsan seizes the real power of Mino Province by himself and Nobunaga is described as a man who destroys the medieval order. Therefore he is opposed by Mitsuhide who is a man of culture and values traditional views. He finally kills his lord Nobunaga in revenge for the pressure and the humiliation caused by the chastisement by him. However he feels that what he did against Nobunaga is a failure and on the way to Sakamoto Castle and is killed by local farmers.
To tell the truth, I prefer this series to "Kirin ga Kuru" because it's excellent in various respects. Especially, the psychological depiction of the characters is so good.
I write about ASHIKAGA Yoshiteru briefly. He who formerly named himself Yoshifuji was a 13rd shogun of Muromachi Bakufu (Muromachi Government) and took his office when he was 10 years old (11 years old according to the East Asian age reckoning). His father Yoshiharu, the 12th shogun planned to make his son become shogun while young and take care of him. However, Kyoto where the bakufu was established turned into a scene of deadly strife so he and his father were obliged to move to Ōmi Province for safety often.
After his father's death in 1550, he tried to fight against MIYOSHI Nagayoshi who plotted to rule Kinki region includes Kyoto and made peace with Nagayoshi. But there was another discord around him and he then moved to Kutsuki in Ōmi. There he changed his name into Yoshiteru and took up arms against Nagayoshi and the end was put on the discord between them. Then he recovered the power of the bakufu and ruled Japan directly. In 1564, Nagayoshi died and it encouraged him.
But there was another enemy who was called MATSUNAGA Hisahide who serverd Nagayoshi and watched for an opportunity to rule Japan. He planned making ASHIKAGA Yoshihide, cousin of Yoshiteru as next shogun who was a puppet ruler in realuty. In May 1565, Hisahide's son Hisamichi and MIYOSHI Yoshitsugu, heir of Nagayoshi forced their way to the residence of Yoshiteru and assassinated him. Yoshiteru who was a master of swordplay crossed swords with his enemies but was killed at last. In "Kuni-tori Monogatari", a Taiga Drama series in 1973, it shocks AKECHI Mitsuhide who expects and pays his respects to him.
ASHIKAGA Yoshiteru (Muga Takewaki) unsheathes his sword to fight against assassins