Taiga drama

(Redirected from Taiga Drama)

Taiga drama (Japanese: 大河ドラマ, Hepburn: Taiga dorama, "Big River Drama") is the name NHK gives to the annual year-long historical drama television series it broadcasts in Japan. Beginning in 1963 with the black-and-white Hana no Shōgai, starring kabuki actor Onoe Shoroku II and Awashima Chikage, the network regularly hires different writers, directors, and other creative staff for each taiga drama. The 45-minute show airs on the NHK General TV network every Sunday at 20:00, with rebroadcasts on Saturdays at 13:05. NHK BS, NHK BS Premium 4K and NHK World Premium broadcasts are also available.

Taiga dramas are very costly to produce.[1] The usual procedure of a taiga drama production would have one-third of the total number of scripts finished before shooting begins. Afterwards, audience reception is taken into account as the rest of the series is written.[2] Many times, the dramas are adapted from a novel (e.g. Fūrin Kazan is based on The Samurai Banner of Furin Kazan). Though taiga dramas have been regarded by Japanese viewers as the most prestigious among dramas in Japan, viewership ratings have considerably declined in recent years.[1]

Current series

Upcoming series

  • Berabou (2025)
  • Toyotomi Brothers! (2026)

List of series

Showa Era
#Romanised NameEnglish titleStartEndStarring[3]Supporting castNotesAverage Rating[4]
1Hana no Shōgai
花の生涯
Life of a Flower[5]7 April 196329 December 1963Onoe Shoroku II
(as Ii Naosuke)
Chikage Awashima
Kaoru Yachigusa
Kyōko Kagawa
Keiji Sada
Detail

Black and white.Bakumatsu period.

Only footage fragments of episodes 1 and 38 still exist.
20.2%
2Akō Rōshi
赤穂浪士
5 January 196427 December 1964Kazuo Hasegawa
(as Ōishi Kuranosuke
Isuzu Yamada
Osamu Takizawa
Chikage Awashima
Onoe Baikō VII
Detail

Black and white. Also the most viewed taiga drama in its early history.Set during the Edo period.

A scene from episode 7 and full footage of episode 47 still exist.
31.9%
3Taikōki
太閤記
3 January 196526 December 1965Ken Ogata
(as Toyotomi Hideyoshi)
Shiho Fujimura
Yoshiko Mita
Sessue Hayakawa
Kōji Takahashi
Detail

Black and white.Set in the Sengoku period.

Only episode 42 still exists.
31.2%
4Minamoto no Yoshitsune
源義経
Minamoto no Yoshitsune2 January 196625 December 1966Onoe Kikunosuke IV
(as Minamoto no Yoshitsune)
Ken Ogata
Junko Fuji
Osamu Takizawa
Isuzu Yamada
Detail

Black and white.Set during the Genpei War at the end of the Heian period.

Only episodes 1, 33, and 52 still exist.
23.5%
5San Shimai
三姉妹
Three Sisters1 January 196724 December 1967Mariko Okada
(as Mura)

Shiho Fujimura
(as Rui)
Komaki Kurihara
(as Yuki)

Tsutomu Yamazaki
Shinsuke Ashida
Kō Nishimura
Osamu Takizawa
Detail

Black and white.Set at the end of the Edo period into Meiji Restoration. It was chosen to commemorate the 100th year since the Meiji Restoration.

Only episode 19 still exists.
19.1%
6Ryōma ga Yuku
竜馬がゆく
Ryōma Goes7 January 196829 December 1968Kin'ya Kitaōji
(as Sakamoto Ryōma)
Ruriko Asaoka
Yoshie Mizutani
Hideki Takahashi
Keiju Kobayashi
Detail

Black and white.Bakumatsu period.Along with previous year's Taiga drama, this was also chosen as part of the 100th year celebration since the Meiji Restoration.

Only episode 16 still exists.
14.5%
7Ten to Chi to
天と地と
Heaven and Earth5 January 196928 December 1969Kōji Ishizaka
(as Nagao Kagetora/Uesugi Kenshin)
Fumie Kashiyama
Ineko Arima
Osamu Takizawa
Kōji Takahashi
Detail

Sengoku period.Only episode 50 and a fragment of episode 2 still exist.

Colour. Future broadcasts are in colour.
25.0%
8Momi no Ki wa Nokotta
樅の木は残った
The Fir Tree Remained4 January 197027 December 1970Mikijirō Hira
(as Harada Kai)
Sayuri Yoshinaga
Komaki Kurihara
Kinuyo Tanaka
Kin'ya Kitaōji
Detail

About the Date Disturbance during the Edo period.Although there were no battles, viewers commented that it was dark in tone.

It was once thought to be entirely lost, but episode 29 in full color was discovered to still exist. It was then revealed in February 2011 that video tapes of  51 episodes out of 52 were recovered, albeit in black and white due to the limitations of the recording technology at the time.
21.0%
9Haru no Sakamichi
春の坂道
Slope of Spring3 January 197126 December 1971Nakamura Kinnosuke
(as Yagyū Munenori)
Yoshio Harada
Yoko Tsukasa
Ichikawa Ebizō X
So Yamamura
Detail

Set during late Sengoku period to early Edo period.

No footage in full color still exist. Only the final episode still remains in black and white.
21.7%
10Shin Heike Monogatari
新・平家物語
New Tale of the Heike2 January 197224 December 1972Tatsuya Nakadai
(as Taira no Kiyomori)
Tamao Nakamura
Tsutomu Yamazaki
Masakazu Tamura
Osamu Takizawa
Detail

Set during the late Heian era.

Episodes 46 and 52 still exist in black and white.
21.4%
11Kunitori Monogatari
国盗り物語
Tale of Taking Countries7 January 197330 December 1973Mikijirō Hira
(as Saitō Dōsan)

Hideki Takahashi
(as Oda Nobunaga)

Keiko Matsuzaka
Shōhei Hino
Shigeru Tsuyuguchi
Masaomi Kondō
Detail

Sengoku period.

All footage of the regular broadcast is lost. In 2015, videotape recordings of episodes 37 and 38 were recovered.
22.4%
12Katsu Kaishū
勝海舟
6 January 197429 December 1974Tetsuya WatariHiroki Matsukata[6]
(as Katsu Kaishū)
Reiko Ohara
Yoshiko Kuga
Keiju Kobayashi
Onoe Shoroku II
Detail

Set during Bakumatsu at the end of the Edo period.

Only episodes 6, 7, 32, 35, 37, 38, 39, and 44 have been discovered to still exist.
24.2%
13Genroku Taiheiki
元禄太平記
6 January 197529 December 1975Kōji Ishizaka
(as Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu)
Tōru Emori
Muga Takewaki
Shinsuke Ashida
Hisaya Morishige
Detail

Set during the Edo period.

Episodes 2, 3, 7, and 18 still exist in its original broadcast form. As of 2016, a recording of episode 9 was recovered, as well as 41 videotaped episodes in 2019.
24.7%
14Kaze to Kumo to Niji to
風と雲と虹と
Wind, Clouds, and Rainbow4 January 197626 December 1976Gō Katō
(as Taira no Masakado)
Sayuri Yoshinaga
Masao Kusakari
Shigeru Tsuyuguchi
Ken Ogata
Detail

Heian period.

It is the oldest NHK Taiga drama to date where all 52 episodes have been preserved.
24.0%
15Kashin
花神
Flower Spirit2 January 197725 December 1977Nakamura Umenosuke IV
(as Ōmura Masujirō)
Masatoshi Nakamura
Jukichi Uno
Ruriko Asaoka
Hideki Takahashi
Detail

Bakumatsu period.

Only episodes 19, 24, 34, 39, and 52 (with 6 minutes missing) have been recovered.
19.0%
16Ōgon no Hibi
黄金の日日
Golden Days8 January 197824 December 1978Ichikawa Somegorō VI
(as Luzon Sukezaemon)
Komaki Kurihara
Jinpachi Nezu
Kōji Tsuruta
Matsumoto Kōshirō VIII
Detail

Depicts daily life of merchants and traders in Sakai during the Sengoku period.

Starting from this Taiga drama onward, all episodes of each work still exist.
25.9%
17Kusa Moeru
草燃える
Grass Burns7 January 197923 December 1979Kōji Ishizaka
(as Minamoto no Yoritomo)

Shima Iwashita
(as Hōjō Masako)

Ken Matsudaira
Hiromi Go
Keiko Matsuzaka
Onoe Shoroku II
Detail

Set during the Genpei War into the start of the Kamakura period. The story is told from the female main character's perspective.

All episodes still exist, however, 18 out of 51 episodes have distorted images and sound, as well as missing fragments.
26.3%
18Shishi no Jidai
獅子の時代
The Age of Lions6 January 198021 December 1980Bunta Sugawara
(as Hiranuma Eiji)

Gō Katō
(as Kariya Yoshiaki)

Reiko Ohara
Shinobu Otake
Minoru Chiaki
Kōji Tsuruta
Detail

Set during the Bakumatsu and Meiji Restoration periods.

Main leads are two fictional characters from rural Japan with commoner roots. It depicts their struggles to survive the chaotic, dark period.
21.0%
19Onna Taikōki
おんな太閤記
11 January 198120 December 1981Yoshiko Sakuma
(as Nene)
Masatoshi Nakamura
Pinko Izumi
Harue Akagi
Toshiyuki Nishida
Detail

Set during the Sengoku and early Edo periods.

Based on the novel Taikōki (which formed the basis of the 3rd Taiga Drama of the same title), with the story told from Toyotomi Hideyoshi's wife's perspective.
31.8%
20Tōge no Gunzō
峠の群像
10 January 198219 December 1982Ken Ogata
(as Ōishi Kuranosuke)
Ken Matsudaira
Juzo Itami
Nakamura Umenosuke IV
Jukichi Uno
Detail

Edo period.

This is the second depiction of the 47 Rōnin, which focused on different themes and an alternative insight into the Ako Incident.
23.7%
21Tokugawa Ieyasu
徳川家康
Tokugawa Ieyasu9 January 198318 December 1983Sakae Takita
(as Tokugawa Ieyasu)
Shinobu Otake
Tetsuya Takeda
Masako Natsume
Kōji Ishizaka
Detail
Set during the Sengoku and early Edo periods.
31.2%
22Sanga Moyu
山河燃ゆ
Burning Mountains and Rivers[5]8 January 198423 December 1984Matsumoto Kōshirō IX
(as Kenji Amo)

Toshiyuki Nishida
(as Tadashi Amo)

Reiko Ohara
Yoko Shimada
Kenji Sawada
Toshiro Mifune
Detail
First (and so far only) Taiga drama set in the Shōwa period of World War II
21.1%
23Haru no Hatō
春の波涛
Big Waves of Spring6 January 198515 December 1985Keiko Matsuzaka
(as Sada Yacco)
Masatoshi Nakamura
Morio Kazama
Chikage Awashima
Keiju Kobayashi
Detail

Set in the Meiji and Taishō eras.

About the life of a former Japanese geisha who became Japan's first actress.
18.2%
24Inochi
いのち
Inochi: Life[5]5 January 198614 December 1986Yoshiko Mita
(as Miki Iwata)
Tetsurō Tamba
Mako Ishino
Koji Yakusho
Ken Utsui
Detail

Shōwa era.First taiga drama set in postwar Japan. First taiga drama to be officially broadcast with English subtitles.

Fictional female lead.
29.3%
25Dokuganryū Masamune
独眼竜政宗
Masamune the One-Eyed Dragon[5]4 January 198713 December 1987Ken Watanabe

(as Date Masamune)

Tomokazu Miura
Teruhiko Saigō
Shima Iwashita
Shintaro Katsu
Detail
Late Sengoku to early Edo period.
39.7%
26Takeda Shingen
武田信玄
Shingen Takeda[5]10 January 198818 December 1988Kiichi Nakai
(as Takeda Shingen)
Kyōhei Shibata
Misako Konno
Toshiyuki Nishida
Ryōtarō Sugi
Detail

Sengoku period.

Last taiga drama to fully air during the Shōwa period.
39.2%
27Kasuga no Tsubone
春日局
Kasuga the Court Lady[5]1 January 198917 December 1989Reiko Ōhara
(as Lady Kasuga)
Aiko Nagayama
Shinji Yamashita
Tetsurō Tamba
Yoshiko Sakuma
Detail

Late Sengoku to early Edo periods. Focuses on the early reign of the Tokugawa shogunate.

Earliest premiere for a Taiga drama in 22 years since 1967's "Three Sisters"; the last taiga drama to air during the Shōwa period by only the first episode, and the second episode was delayed; first Taiga drama to be shown during the Heisei period.
33.1%
Heisei Era
28Tobu ga Gotoku
翔ぶが如く
As If in Flight[5]7 January 19909 December 1990Toshiyuki Nishida
(as Saigō Takamori)

Takeshi Kaga
(as Ōkubo Toshimichi)

Yūko Tanaka
Sumiko Fuji
Hideki Takahashi
Yūzō Kayama
Detail
Set during the Bakumatsu and Meiji Restoration periods centering around two of the last samurai. It is the first taiga drama to be firmly split into two parts.
23.2%
29Taiheiki
太平記
6 January 199125 December 1991Hiroyuki Sanada
(as Ashikaga Takauji)
Yasuko Sawaguchi
Tetsuya Takeda
Frankie Sakai
Kataoka Takao
Detail
26.0%
30Nobunaga
信長 KING OF ZIPANGU
Nobunaga: King of Zipang5 January 199213 December 1992Naoto Ogata
(as Oda Nobunaga)
Momoko Kikuchi
Keiko Takahashi
Ken Utsui
Mikijirō Hira
Detail

Sengoku period.

This is the second depiction of Oda Nobunaga in the main character role and the first full depiction as the sole lead.
24.6%
31Ryūkyū no Kaze
琉球の風 DRAGON SPIRIT
Wind of the Ryūkyū Islands[5]10 January 199313 June 1993Noriyuki Higashiyama
(as Keitai)
Atsuro Watabe
Tomoyo Harada
Rumiko Koyanagi
Kenichi Hagiwara
Detail

Depicts the Ryūkyū peoples during the Azuchi-Momoyama and Edo periods. It features a fictional character as the lead.

First part of a 3-part series.
17.7%
32Homura Tatsu
炎立つ
Burst Into Flames4 July 199313 March 1994Ken Watanabe
(as Fujiwara no Tsunekiyo, Fujiwara no Yasuhira)

Hiroaki Murakami
(as Fujiwara no Kiyohira)

Yūko Kotegawa
Kei Satō
Tsunehiko Watase
Kōtarō Satomi
Detail

Set during the Genpei War during the late Heian period, it focuses on the Northern Fujiwara Dynasty from its founding to its fall.

Second part of a 3-part series. Also had the latest premiere for a Taiga drama at 35 episodes split into three parts in itself.
17.3%
33Hana no Ran
花の乱
3 April 199425 December 1994Yoshiko Mita
(as Hino Tomiko)
Ichikawa Danjūrō XII
Mansai Nomura
Yorozuya Kinnosuke
Machiko Kyō
Detail

Muromachi to early Sengoku periods, focuses around the Ōnin War.

Conclusion of the 3-part series.
14.1%
34Hachidai Shōgun Yoshimune
八代将軍吉宗
Yoshimune[5]8 January 199510 December 1995Toshiyuki Nishida
(as Tokugawa Yoshimune)
Hideji Ōtaki
Nenji Kobayashi
Nakamura Baijaku II
Masahiko Tsugawa
Detail
Edo period.
About the Eighth Shogun Tokugawa Yoshimune, known as the "Father of Shogunate Reforms".
26.4%
35Hideyoshi
秀吉
Hideyoshi7 January 199622 December 1996Naoto Takenaka
(as Toyotomi Hideyoshi)
Yasuko Sawaguchi
Hiroaki Murakami
Etsuko Ichihara
Tetsuya Watari
Detail

Sengoku and Azuchi-Momoyama periods.

The second depiction of Hideyoshi in 31 years since 1965's Taikōki.
30.5%
36Mōri Motonari
毛利元就
Mōri Motonari5 January 199714 December 1997Nakamura Hashinosuke III
(as Mōri Motonari)
Yasuko Tomita
Takaya Kamikawa
Keiko Matsuzaka
Ken Ogata
Detail

Sengoku period.

This work was made to commemorate the 500th anniversary since Motonari's birth.
23.4%
37Tokugawa Yoshinobu
徳川慶喜
Tokugawa Yoshinobu4 January 199813 December 1998Masahiro Motoki
(as Tokugawa Yoshinobu)
Bunta Sugawara
Ayako Wakao
Hikari Ishida
Reiko Ohara
Detail

Bakumatsu period.

It covers the life of the last Tokugawa shōgun.
21.1%
38Genroku Ryōran
元禄繚乱
Chūshingura[5]1 January 199912 December 1999Nakamura Kankurō V
(as Ōishi Kuranosuke)
Shinobu Otake
Noriyuki Higashiyama
Honami Suzuki
Kenichi Hagiwara
Detail

Edo period.

Third depiction of the 47 Rōnin and the Ako Incident.
20.2%
39Aoi Tokugawa Sandai
葵 徳川三代
Aoi[5]9 January 200017 December 2000Masahiko Tsugawa
(as Tokugawa Ieyasu)

Toshiyuki Nishida
(as Tokugawa Hidetada)Onoe Tatsunosuke II
(as Tokugawa Iemitsu)

Tōru Emori
Nakamura Baijaku II
Mayumi Ogawa
Shima Iwashita
Detail

Azuchi-Momoyama to early Edo periods.It depicts the events of the first three Tokugawa shōguns; this is the second depiction of Tokugawa Ieyasu where he's a main character.

First series to be fully filmed in high definition (HD).[7] Future series are also broadcast in HD.
18.5%
40Hōjō Tokimune
北条時宗
Hōjō Tokimune[5]7 January 20019 December 2001Motoya Izumi
(as Hōjō Tokimune)
Atsuro Watabe
Ken Watanabe
Sumiko Fuji
Kin'ya Kitaōji
Detail
Kamakura period.
18.5%
41Toshiie to Matsu
利家とまつ~加賀百万石物語~
Toshiie and Matsu[5]6 January 200215 December 2002Toshiaki Karasawa
(as Maeda Toshiie)

Nanako Matsushima
(as Maeda Matsu)

Takashi Sorimachi
Teruyuki Kagawa
Ken Matsudaira
Bunta Sugawara
Detail
Sengoku and early Edo periods.
22.1%
42Musashi
武蔵 MUSASHI
Musashi5 January 20037 December 2003Ichikawa Shinnosuke VII
(as Miyamoto Musashi)
Ryoko Yonekura
Shinichi Tsutsumi
Tsunehiko Watase
Makoto Fujita
Detail
Edo period.
16.7%
43Shinsengumi!
新撰組!
11 January 200412 December 2004Shingo Katori
(as Kondō Isami)
Tatsuya Fujiwara
Koji Yamamoto
Masato Sakai
Kōji Ishizaka
Detail
Bakumatsu period.
17.4%
44Yoshitsune
義経
Yoshitsune9 January 200511 December 2005Hideaki Takizawa
(as Minamoto no Yoshitsune)
Ken Matsudaira
Mikijirō Hira
Kiichi Nakai
Tetsuya Watari
Detail

Depicts the Genpei War during late Heian period.

Second depiction of Minamoto no Yoshitsune in Taiga dramas.
19.5%
45Kōmyō ga Tsuji
功名が辻
Love and Glory8 January 200610 December 2006Yukie Nakama
(as Yamauchi Chiyo)

Takaya Kamikawa
(as Yamauchi Kazutoyo)

Tetsuya Takeda
Gin Maeda
Akira Emoto
Hiroshi Tachi
Detail

Sengoku to early Edo periods.

It depicts a minor samurai and his wife as dual main characters
20.9%
46Fūrin Kazan
風林火山[8]
The Trusted Confidant7 January 20079 December 2007Masaaki Uchino
(as Yamamoto Kansuke)
Ichikawa Kamejirō II
Gackt
Sonny Chiba
Tatsuya Nakadai
Detail

Sengoku period.

It depicts the life of one of Takeda Shingen's 24 Generals.
18.7%
47Atsuhime
篤姫
Princess Atsu6 January 200821 December 2008Aoi Miyazaki
(as Atsuhime)
Eita
Masato Sakai
Hideki Takahashi
Kin'ya Kitaōji
Detail
Bakumatsu period.
24.5%
48Tenchijin
天地人
Heart of a Samurai4 January 200922 November 2009Satoshi Tsumabuki
(as Naoe Kanetsugu)
Kazuki Kitamura
Takako Tokiwa
Hiroshi Abe
Hiroki Matsukata
Detail

Sengoku to early Edo periods.

Depicts the life of one of the Uesugi clan's long-serving vassals.
21.2%
49Ryōmaden
龍馬伝
Ryōmaden: The Legend3 January 201028 November 2010Masaharu Fukuyama
(as Sakamoto Ryōma)
Teruyuki Kagawa
Nao Ōmori
Kiyoshi Kodama
Kōtarō Satomi
Detail

Bakumatsu period.

Second depiction of Sakamoto Ryōma as the main role in Taiga dramas.
18.7%
50
江〜姫たちの戦国〜[9]
Princess Go9 January 201127 November 2011Juri Ueno
(as )
Rie Miyazawa
Asami Mizukawa
Osamu Mukai
Kin'ya Kitaōji
Detail
Late Sengoku to early Edo periods.
17.7%
51Taira no Kiyomori
平清盛[10]
Kiyomori8 January 201223 December 2012Kenichi Matsuyama
(as Taira no Kiyomori)
Hiroshi Tamaki
Masaki Okada
Shota Matsuda
Kiichi Nakai
Detail

Late Heian period's Genpei War.

The second Taiga drama to depict Taira no Kiyomori as its main character.
12.0%
52Yae no Sakura
八重の桜
Yae's Sakura[11]6 January 201315 December 2013Haruka Ayase
(as Niijima Yae)
Hidetoshi Nishijima
Hiroki Hasegawa
Nakamura Shidō II
Toshiyuki Nishida
Detail
Bakumatsu to Meiji periods.
14.6%
53Gunshi Kanbei
軍師官兵衛
Strategist Kanbe5 January 201421 December 2014Junichi Okada
(as Kuroda Kanbei)
Miki Nakatani
Tori Matsuzaka
Naoto Takenaka
Kyōhei Shibata
Detail
Sengoku to early Edo periods.
15.8%
54Hana Moyu
花燃ゆ
Burning Flower4 January 201513 December 2015Mao Inoue
(as Sugi Fumi)
Takao Osawa
Yūsuke Iseya
Kengo Kora
Yoshiko Mita
Detail
Bakumatsu to Meiji periods.
12.0%
55Sanada Maru
真田丸
Sanada Maru10 January 201618 December 2016Masato Sakai
(as Sanada Yukimura)
Yo Oizumi
Masami Nagasawa
Seiyō Uchino
Masao Kusakari
Detail

Sengoku to early Edo periods.

Depicts the life of the "Last Sengoku Hero".
16.6%
56Onna Jōshu Naotora
おんな城主 直虎
Naotora: The Lady Warlord[12]8 January 201717 December 2017Ko Shibasaki
(as Ii Naotora)
Haruma Miura
Issey Takahashi
Masaki Suda
Kaoru Kobayashi
Detail
Sengoku to Azuchi-Momoyama periods.
12.8%
57Segodon
西郷どん
Segodon7 January 201816 December 2018Ryohei Suzuki
(as Saigō Takamori)
Eita
Keiko Kitagawa
Shota Matsuda
Ken Watanabe
Detail

The second work to depict Saigō Takamori as its main lead in Taiga dramas.

Last taiga drama to air in its entirety during the Heisei period.
12.7%
58Idaten
いだてん~東京オリムピック噺~
Idaten: The Epic Marathon to Tokyo6 January 201915 December 2019Nakamura Kankurō VI
(as Shizo Kanakuri)

Sadao Abe
(as Masaji Tabata)

Haruka Ayase
Takeshi Kitano
Mirai Moriyama
Koji Yakusho
Detail

Set during Meiji and Shōwa eras.

Last taiga drama to premiere during the Heisei period and the first Taiga drama to be shown during the Reiwa period.
  8.2%
Reiwa era
59Kirin ga Kuru
麒麟がくる
Awaiting Kirin19 January 20207 February 2021Hiroki Hasegawa
(as Akechi Mitsuhide)
Shōta Sometani
Mugi Kadowaki
Haruna Kawaguchi
Masahiro Motoki
Detail

Sengoku period.

First Taiga drama to premiere in the Reiwa period.
14.4%
60Seiten o Tsuke
青天を衝け
Reach Beyond the Blue Sky14 February 202126 December 2021Ryo Yoshizawa
(as Shibusawa Eiichi)
Kengo Kora
Ai Hashimoto
Tsuyoshi Kusanagi
Kaoru Kobayashi
Detail
Meiji Restoration period to Shōwa era.
14.1%
61Kamakura-dono no 13-nin
鎌倉殿の13人
The 13 Lords of the Shogun9 January 202218 December 2022Shun Oguri
(as Hōjō Yoshitoki)
Eiko Koike
Koji Yamamoto
Yo Oizumi
Toshiyuki Nishida
Detail
Late Heian period's Genpei War to Kamakura period.
12.7%
62Dousuru Ieyasu
どうする家康
What Will You Do, Ieyasu?8 January 202317 December 2023Jun Matsumoto
(as Tokugawa Ieyasu)
Kasumi Arimura
Junichi Okada
Keiko Kitagawa
Hiroshi Abe
Detail

Sengoku to early Edo periods.

This work is the third depiction of where Tokugawa Ieyasu appears as the Taiga drama's starring character.
11.2%
63Hikaru Kimi e
光る君へ
Dear Radiance7 January 20242024Yuriko Yoshitaka
(as Murasaki Shikibu)
Tasuku Emoto
Kuranosuke Sasaki
Gorō Kishitani
Yasunori Danta
Detail
Set during mid-Heian period depicting the life of one of Japanese's first novel authors, who penned The Tale of Genji.
64Berabou
べらぼう ~蔦重栄華乃夢噺~
20252025Ryusei Yokohama
(as Tsutaya Jūzaburō)
Shota Sometani
Hio Miyazawa
Kataoka Ainosuke VI
Ken Watanabe
Detail
Set during mid-Edo period, which depicts the life of publishing illustrated books and ukiyo-e woodblock prints.
65Toyotomi Kyōdai!
豊臣兄弟!
20262026Taiga Nakano
(as Toyotomi Hidenaga)
TBA
Detail
Sengoku and Azuchi-Momoyama periods.

NHK Special Drama

Saka no Ue no Kumo was originally set for a 2006 broadcast as "21st Century Taiga Drama". However, the scriptwriter of the series committed suicide, causing a delay in production. The series was aired as "NHK Special Drama" in three parts, each part airing from late November to late December of each year.

TitleseasonEpisodesStartEndStarringSupporting cast
Saka no Ue no Kumo15 eps29 November 200927 December 2009Masahiro Motoki
Hiroshi Abe
Teruyuki Kagawa
Miho Kanno
Gō Katō
Hideki Takahashi
Tetsuya Watari
24 eps5 December 201026 December 2010
34 eps4 December 201125 December 2011

Fantasy taiga drama

TitleseasonEpisodesStartEndStarringSupporting cast
Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit14 eps26 March 20169 April 2016Haruka AyaseMasahiro Higashide
Mizuki Itagaki
Mikijirō Hira
Tatsuya Fujiwara
29 eps21 January 201725 March 2017
39 eps25 November 201727 January 2018

New Big Jidaigeki

NHK broadcast three taiga dramas covering modern and contemporary history from 1984 to 1986. Instead, they specially prepared these three productions for jidaigeki fans. Many viewers see them as almost equivalent to Taiga dramas.[13]

#Romanised NameKanji NameEpisodesStartEndStarringSupporting cast
1Miyamoto Musashi宮本武蔵45 eps4 April 198413 March 1985Koji YakushoYūko Kotegawa
Eiji Okuda
Kōji Naka
Tetsurō Tamba
2Sanada Taiheiki真田太平記45 eps3 April 198519 March 1986Tsunehiko WataseMasao Kusakari
Kurara Haruka
Misako Konno
Tetsurō Tamba
3Musashibō Benkei武蔵坊弁慶34 eps9 April 198612 December 1986Nakamura Kichiemon IITarō Kawano
Keiko Oginome
Bunta Sugawara
Yorozuya Kinnosuke

Series overviews

The set of Ryūkyū no Kaze (1993) is now a park in Okinawa.

See also

References

External links