Seven new cast members have been announced for the NHK Taiga drama "Berabou: Tsutae Eika no Yumebanashi," which will begin airing on January 5, 2025, and it has been revealed that model and actor Tominaga Ai will be appearing. This will be Tominaga's first time appearing in a Taiga drama, and she will play Takaoka, the head of the Ooku.
Takaoka is the most powerful man in the Ooku, and holds real power in the shogunate alongside Tanuma Okitsugu (Watanabe Ken) and Matsudaira Takemoto (Ishizaka Koji). He takes Tanehime, the younger sister of Tan'an Kenmaru (later Matsudaira Sadanobu, Terada Kokoro), as the adopted daughter of the 10th shogun, Ieharu (Mashima Hidekazu), and schemes to make her the legal wife of Ieharu's eldest son, Iemoto (Oku Tomoya).
Tominaga commented, "I had the opportunity to appear in a period drama for the first time in NHK Drama 10's 'Ooku,' which will be broadcast in 2023, and it was a wonderful experience, so I am very happy to be able to appear in another period drama. I would like to use that experience to play a new role in a way that suits me."
Regarding Takaoka, she said, "There are not many historical records left of her, but I hope you will look forward to seeing how she lived her life in the story of 'Berabou,' and what her thoughts were as she commanded the unique organization known as Ooku and what she was aiming for."
It has been announced that Harada Taizo will play Miura Shoji, a close aide to Tanuma Okitsugu, Kazama Shunsuke will play Tsuruya Kiemon, a local brothel broker, Adachi Yumi will play Ritsuko, the proprietress of the Yoshiwara brothel "Daikokuya", Aiki Reika will play Asagao, a prostitute, Kimura Ryo will play Hezutsu Tosaku, a comic book writer and kyoka poet who is Hiraga Gennai's partner, and Yamamura Momiji will play Shige, a supervisor for the greatest courtesan of the time, Daresode (Fukuhara Haruka). Like Tominaga, this will be Yamamura's first appearance in a taiga drama.
"Berabou ~Tsutajueika no Yumebanashi~" is the 64th taiga drama, and depicts the life of Tsutaya Juzaburo, who is said to have built the foundations of Japan's media industry and pop culture, with Yokohama Ryusei starring in the lead role. The production team bills the story as "a remarkable young man who was born with nothing - no parents, no money, no artistic talent - but became the darling of his time as 'the media king of Edo.'"
