Taiga drama (大河ドラマ) is the name NHK gives to the annual, year-long historical fiction television series it broadcasts in Japan. Beginning in 1963 with the black-and-white Hana no Shōgai, starring kabuki actor Onoe Shōroku and Takarazuka 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. Satellite, HDTV digital satellite, and NHK World Premium broadcasts are also available.
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Current series
- Atsuhime (2008)- Starring Aoi Miyazaki. Aoi plays the role of Tenshōin, the wife of Tokugawa Iesada (1824-1858), the 13th Shogun. She will also be the youngest lead artist in taiga drama history, beating Hideaki Takizawa's record when he starred in Yoshitsune.
Upcoming series
- Tenchijin (2009)- Cast list and summary not available.
- Saka no Ueno Kumo (Fall 2009)- Originally set for a 2006 broadcast, but the suicide of the series' scriptwriter caused a delay in production.
List of series
| # | Romanised Name | Kanji (or Kana) Name | Start | End | Cast | Additional Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hana no Shōgai | 花の生涯 | 7 April1963 | 29 December1963 | Shoroku Onoe (尾上松緑) Chikage Awashima (淡島千景) |
Black and white |
| 2 | Akō Rōshi | 赤穂浪士 | 1 January1964 | 27 December1964 | Kazuo Hasegawa (長谷川一夫) Osamu Takizawa (滝沢修) |
Black and white. Also the most viewed taiga drama in its history. |
| 3 | Taikōki | 太閤記 | 3 January1965 | 26 December1965 | Ken Ogata (緒形拳) Koji Takahashi(高橋幸治) |
Black and white |
| 4 | Minamoto no Yoshitsune | 源義経 | 2 January1966 | 25 December1966 | Kikunosuke Onoe (尾上菊之助) Junko Fuji (富司純子) |
Black and white |
| 5 | San Shimai | 三姉妹 | 1 January1967 | 24 December1967 | Mariko Okada (岡田茉莉子) Shiho Fujimura (藤村志保) |
Black and white |
| 6 | Ryōma ga Yuku | 竜馬がゆく | 7 January1968 | 29 December1968 | Kinya Kitaooji (北大路欣也) Ruriko Asaoka (浅丘ルリ子) |
Black and white |
| 7 | Ten to Chi to | 天と地と | 5 January1969 | 28 December1969 | Koji Ishizaka (石坂浩二) Koji Takahashi(高橋幸治) |
Colour. Future broadcasts are in colour. |
| 8 | Mominoki wa Nokotta | 樅の木は残った | 4 January1970 | 27 December1970 | Mikijiro Hira (平幹二朗) Sayuri Yoshinaga (吉永小百合) |
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| 9 | Haru no Sakamichi | 春の坂道 | 3 January1971 | 26 December1971 | Kinnosuke Yorozuya (萬屋錦之介) | |
| 10 | Shin Heike Monogatari | 新・平家物語 | 2 January1972 | 24 December1972 | Tatsuya Nakadai (仲代達矢) | |
| 11 | Kunitori Monogatari | 国盗り物語 | 7 January1973 | 30 December1973 | Keiko Matsuzaka (松坂慶子) Yoshiko Mita (三田佳子) |
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| 12 | Katsu Kaishū | 勝海舟 | 6 January1974 | 29 December1974 | Tetsuya Watari (渡哲也) Hiroki Matsukata (松方弘樹) |
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| 13 | Genroku Taiheiki | 元禄太平記 | 6 January1975 | 29 December1975 | ||
| 14 | Kaze to Kumo to Niji to | 風と雲と虹と | 4 January1976 | 26 December1976 | Ken Ogata (緒形拳) Go Kato (加藤剛) |
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| 15 | Kashin | 花神 | 2 January1977 | 25 December1977 | Umenosuke Nakamura (中村梅之助) Masatoshi Nakamura (中村雅俊) |
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| 16 | Ōgon no Hibi | 黄金の日日 | 8 January1978 | 24 December1978 | Somegoro Ichikawa (市川染五郎) | |
| 17 | Kusa Moeru | 草燃える | 7 January1979 | 23 December1979 | Koji Ishizaka (石坂浩二) Shima Iwashita (岩下志麻) |
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| 18 | Shishi no Jidai | 獅子の時代 | 6 January1980 | 21 December1980 | Go Kato (加藤剛) | |
| 19 | Onna Taikōki | おんな太閤記 | 11 January1981 | 20 December1981 | Toshiyuki Nishida (西田敏行) Masatoshi Nakamura (中村雅俊) |
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| 20 | Tōge no Gunzō | 峠の群像 | 10 January1982 | 19 December1982 | Ken Ogata (緒形拳) Ken Matsudaira (松平健) |
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| 21 | Tokugawa Ieyasu | 徳川家康 | 9 January1983 | 18 December1983 | Sakae Takita (滝田栄) Tetsuya Takeda (武田鉄矢) |
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| 22 | Sanga Moyu | 山河燃ゆ | 8 January1984 | 23 December1984 | Koshiro Matsumoto (松本幸四郎) Kenji Sawada (沢田研二) |
First (and so far) only Taiga drama set in the Shōwa period of World War II |
| 23 | Haruno Hatō | 春の波涛 | 6 January1985 | 15 December1985 | Morio Kazama (風間杜夫) Keiko Matsuzaka (松坂慶子) |
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| 24 | Inochi | いのち | 5 January1986 | 14 December1986 | Yoshiko Mita (三田佳子) Koji Yakusho (役所広司) |
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| 25 | Dokuganryū Masamune | 独眼竜政宗 | 4 January1987 | 13 December1987 | Ken Watanabe (渡辺謙) Kumiko Goto (後藤久美子) |
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| 26 | Takeda Shingen | 武田信玄 | 10 January1988 | 18 December1988 | Kiichi Nakai (中井貴一) Misako Konno (紺野美沙子) |
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| 27 | Kasuga no Tsubone | 春日局 | 1 January1989 | 17 December1989 | Shinji Yamashita (山下真司) Aiko Nagayama (長山藍子) |
Earlist premiere for a Taiga drama. |
| 28 | Tobu ga Gotoku | 翔ぶが如く | 7 January1990 | 9 December1990 | Takeshi Kaga (鹿賀丈史) Hideki Takahashi (高橋英樹) |
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| 29 | Taiheiki | 太平記 | 6 January1991 | 25 December1991 | Hiroyuki Sanada (真田広之) Yasuko Sawaguchi (沢口靖子) |
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| 30 | Nobunaga | 信長 | 5 January1992 | 13 December1992 | Naoto Ogata (緒形直人) Momoko Kikuchi (菊池桃子) |
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| 31 | Ryūkyū no Kaze | 琉球の風 | 10 January1993 | 13 June1993 | Higashiyama Noriyuki (東山紀之) Watabe Atsuro (渡部篤郎) |
Part 1 of 3 |
| 32 | Homura Tatsu | 炎立つ | 4 July1993 | 13 March1994 | Watanabe Ken (渡辺謙) Hiroaki Murakami (村上弘明) |
Part 2 of 3. Latest premiere for a Taiga drama. |
| 33 | Hana no Ran | 花の乱 | 3 April1994 | 25 December1994 | Mita Yoshiko (三田佳子) Ichikawa Danjūrō XII (十二代目市川団十郎) |
Part 3 of 3. Also the least viewed Taiga Drama in history. |
| 34 | Hachidai Shōgun Yoshimune | 八代将軍吉宗 | 8 January1995 | 10 December[1995[]] | Nishida Toshiyuki (西田敏行) Kobayashi Nenji (小林稔侍) |
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| 35 | Hideyoshi | 秀吉 | 7 January1996 | 22 December1996 | Naoto Takenaka (竹中直人) Yasuko Sawaguchi (沢口靖子) |
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| 36 | Mōri Motonari | 毛利元就 | 5 January1997 | 14 December1997 | Hashinosuke Nakamura (中村橋之助) Yasuko Tomita (富田靖子) |
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| 37 | Tokugawa Yoshinobu | 徳川慶喜 | 4 January1998 | 13 December1998 | Motoki Masahiro(本木雅弘) Ishida Hikari(石田ひかり) |
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| 38 | Genroku Ryōran | 元禄繚乱 | 1 January1999 | 12 December1999 | Nakamura Kanburo(中村勘三郎) Matsudaira Ken (松平健) |
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| 39 | Aoi Tokugawa Sandai | 葵徳川三代 | 9 January2000 | 17 December2000 | Masahiko Tsugawa (津川雅彦) Toshiyuki Nishida (西田敏行) |
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| 40 | Hōjō Tokimune | 北条時宗 | January 72001 | December 92001 | Izumi Motoya(和泉元彌) Watabe Atsuro (渡部篤郎) |
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| 41 | Toshiie to Matsu | 利家とまつ~加賀百万石物語~ | 6 January2002 | 15 December2002 | Toshiaki Karasawa (唐沢寿明) Nanako Matsushima (松嶋菜々子) Takashi Sorimachi (反町隆史) |
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| 42 | Musashi | 武蔵 MUSASHI | 5 January2003 | 7 December2003 | Shinnosuke Ichikawa (市川新之助) Ryoko Yonekura (米倉涼子) |
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| 43 | Shinsengumi! | 新撰組! | 11 January2004 | 12 December2004 | Shingo Katori (香取慎吾) Koji Yamamoto (山本耕史) Tatsuya Fujiwara (藤原竜也) Joe Odagiri (オダギリジョー) |
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| 44 | Yoshitsune | 義経 | 9 January2005 | 11 December2005 | Hideaki Takizawa (滝沢秀明) Kiichi Nakai (中井貴一) Aya Ueto (上戸彩) Satomi Ishihara(石原さとみ) |
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| 45 | Kōmyō ga Tsuji | 功名が辻 | 8 January2006 | 10 December2006 | Yukie Nakama (仲間由紀恵) Takaya Kamikawa (上川隆也) |
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| 46 | Fūrin Kazan | 風林火山 | 7 January2007 | 9 December, 2007 | Masaaki Uchino (内野聖陽) Kamejirō Ichikawa (市川亀治郎) Yuki Shibamoto (柴本幸) Gackt |
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| 47 | Atsuhime | 篤姫 | 6 January2008 | Not Yet Broadcast | Aoi Miyazaki (宮崎あおい) | Upcoming series |
| 48 | Tenchijin | 天地人 | January 2009 | Not Yet Broadcast | Satoshi Tsumabuki (妻夫木聡) | Upcoming series |
21st Century Taiga Drama
| Romanised Name | Kanji (or Kana) Name | Start | End | Cast | Additional Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saka no Ueno Kumo | 坂の上の雲 | Fall 2009 | Estimated Fall 2011 | Upcoming series. Originally set for a 2006 broadcast, but the scriptwriter of the series committed suicide, causing a delay in production. This will be the first Taiga Drama to stagger its airing throughout three years. |
Recent series
The set of Ryūkyū no Kaze (1993) is now a park in Okinawa.
- Fūrin Kazan (2007). Based on Inoue Yasushi's best-selling historical novel, this drama is the story of Yamamoto Kansuke, a warrior who has achieved high rank in warlord Takeda Shingen's army by not-so-honorable means.
- Kōmyō-ga-tsuji: Yamauchi Kazutoyo no Tsuma. Kamikawa Takaya plays the role of Yamauchi Kazutoyo, the military commander and daimyo who founded the Tosa han and built Kochi Castle. Nakama Yukie plays the role of Chiyo, the ever-supporting wife of Kazutoyo. The story by Shiba Ryotaro spans the closing years of the Sengoku period, the Azuchi-Momoyama period, and the beginning of the Edo period.
- Yoshitsune (2005). Takizawa Hideaki stars in the title role as Minamoto no Yoshitsune; Matsudaira Ken plays Musashibō Benkei. The screenplay is by Kaneko Naruto, based on the original by Miyao Tomiko. Vladimir Ashkenazy conducted the NHK Symphony Orchestra in the theme music by Iwashiro Tarō. NHK's first Taiga drama on the subject was in 1966.
- Shinsengumi! (2004). Katori Shingo appeared as Kondō Isami; Yamamoto Kōji played Hijikata Toshizō; Fujiwara Tatsuya played the tragic young Okita Sōji.
- 武蔵 MUSASHI (2003). Kabuki actor Ichikawa Shinnosuke VII (now Ichikawa Ebizō XI) held the lead role as the swordsman Miyamoto Musashi, whose lives spanned the end of the sengoku and the beginning of the Edo periods. 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 and the Latin alphabet.
- Toshiie and Matsu (2002). Karasawa Toshiaki as Maeda Toshiie and Matsushima Nanako as Matsu recounted the establishment of the Tokugawa shogunate from the point of view of an outside daimyo.
- Hōjō Tokimune (2001). Kyogen actor Izumi Motoya played the lead character, heading a cast that included Watanabe Ken. Major events in the series included the Mongol Invasions of Japan.
- Aoi Tokugawa Sandai (2000). Veteran actor Tsugawa Masahiko, who turned sixty in the year 2000, reprised the role of Tokugawa Ieyasu, which he had assumed in the 1987 Taiga drama and has played on other occasions. Nishida Toshiyuki played his son Hidetada. Nishida has nine other roles in Taiga dramas to his credit, including the lead in Hachidai Shogun Yoshimune. Charles Dutoit conducted the NHK Symphony Orchestra in the performance of the title music.
- Genroku Ryōran (1999). Kabuki actor Nakamura Kankurō V played Oishi Kuranosuke in this sweeping story of the Genroku period during which the events of the Forty-seven Ronin occurred.


