NHK's taiga drama "Toyotomi Brothers!" starring Taiga Nakano will be broadcast in 2026. The story is the first Sengoku taiga drama in three years, and the protagonist is Toyotomi Hidenaga (played by Nakano), the younger brother of the "great ruler of Japan." The other day, 10 new cast members were announced. Shun Oguri and Aoi Miyazaki, who have both starred in taiga dramas, will play the siblings Oda Nobunaga and Oichi, respectively, which caused a big stir, but what drew voices of surprise and surprise was Kohei Matsushita's appearance as Tokugawa Ieyasu. Speaking of Ieyasu, he was the protagonist of the previous Sengoku taiga drama "What Will Ieyasu Do?", played by Matsumoto Jun, but what happened before that? Here, we will review the great actors who have played Ieyasu in taiga dramas.
◇ In "Seiten wo Tsuke", Kitaoji Kinya's "Ieyasu" says "Good evening"
The taiga drama series began in 1963. "What Will Ieyasu Do?" is the 21st work to be considered a "Sengoku" story, and "Toyotomi Brothers!" is the 22nd.
The still-fresh-in-our-minds film "What Will Ieyasu Do?" starring Matsumoto depicts Ieyasu as a weak boy (or was he a wimp?) who grows up under the protection of his vassals and how they work together to put an end to the turbulent times. However, a film that deals with Ieyasu's existence in a more unique way than this film is "Aoi Tou wo Tsuke," released in 2021 and set in the late Edo period to modern times.
Although it is not a "Sengoku" story, Ieyasu appears as a "historical narrator" watching over the main character, Eiichi Shibusawa (played by Ryo Yoshizawa). On this occasion, Kinya Kitaoji "re-appeared" as Ieyasu for the first time in 10 years since the 2011 Taiga drama "Go: Princesses of the Warring States." It was also a tradition that the viewers would reply "Good evening" to the opening greeting "Good evening."
In "Kirin ga Kuru," which aired the year before "Seiten wo Tsuke" (2020), Shunsuke Kazama played Ieyasu from his youth when he "hadn't accomplished anything yet." In the 2017 Sengoku Taiga drama "Naotora: The Lady Warlord," Sadao Abe embodied the troubled Ieyasu, who was still a timid middle manager, with his natural humor and charm, and was well received.
Ieyasu also appeared in "Sanadamaru" in 2016, the year before "Naotora". The role was played by Masaaki Uchino, who played Ieyasu as the "greatest and strongest nemesis" of the main character, Yukimura Sanada (played by Masato Sakai), but who also portrayed a timid and cautious character.
Also in the 2010s, Akira Terao's appearance in "Gunshi Kanbei" in 2014 was a hot topic as he played Ieyasu for the second time in 41 years since "Kunitori Monogatari" in 1973.
◇What comes to mind when you hear the words “Ieyasu actor”?
Masahiko Tsugawa, like Kitaoji and Terao, played Ieyasu twice in the historical dramas. The works were "Dokuganryu Masamune" in 1987 and "Aoi Tokugawa Sandai" in 2000. When you hear "Ieyasu actor", many people probably think of Tsugawa.
By the way, the first Ieyasu to play the memorable role in the Taiga drama was Kikuzo Onoe in "Taikoki" in 1965. He was followed by Masamichi Matsuyama in "Heaven and Earth" in 1969, and Satoshi Yamamura in "Haru no Sakamichi" in 1971, who both made their mark in the history of Taiga dramas.
Furthermore, the taiga drama has had a stellar lineup of "Ieyasu actors," including Kodama Kiyoshi (1978's "Golden Days"), Frankie Sakai (1981's "Onna Taikoki"), Takita Sakae (1983's "Tokugawa Ieyasu"), Nakamura Hashinosuke (1988's "Takeda Shingen"), and Tamba Tetsuro (1989's "Kasuga no Tsubone"). Since then, Ieyasu has been played by a host of other unique actors, including Go Hiromi (1992's "Nobunaga: King of Zipangu"), Nishimura Masahiko (1996's "Hideyoshi"), Takashima Masahiro (2002's "Toshiie and Matsu"), Kitamura Kazuo (2003's "Musashi"), and Matsukata Hiroki (2009's "Tenchi-jin").
Nishida Toshiyuki, a regular cast member who appeared in a total of 14 taiga dramas and who passed away in October last year at the age of 76, made the long-awaited role of Ieyasu in his 11th taiga drama, 2006's Koumyo Komyo ga Tsuji.
◇ When Kohei Matsushita was offered the role of Ieyasu, "My mind went blank for a moment"
Let's get back to the topic of "Toyotomi Brothers!"
Matsushita, who will be the latest "Ieyasu actor" if nothing else, will be appearing in a taiga drama for the second time, following "To Dear Radiance (Hikaru Kimi e)" in 2024. Since suddenly coming into the limelight in the NHK Asadora drama "Scarlet" in the latter half of 2019, he has been cast in a number of popular works and has become an indispensable presence in the film industry, but he does not seem like Ieyasu, even in his past roles. When his appearance was announced the other day, he commented, "When I heard about the offer, I was so surprised, happy, and under such pressure that my mind went blank for a moment."
Meanwhile, the description of Ieyasu in this story states that "he stands in the way of the Toyotomi brothers, who aim to unify the country after the death of Nobunaga, as their greatest and most powerful rival," so it goes without saying that he will undoubtedly be the most important character in the story.
Matsushita said, "This is a role that has been played by many people before, but I believe that everyone was aiming to create an Ieyasu like no one has seen before. Of course, I will take on the challenge with that same spirit." I can secretly hope that he will take advantage of the unexpectedness and live through the story as Ieyasu of the "Toyotomi Brothers!"
