NHK's taiga drama "Toyotomi Brothers!" (General TV, Sunday 8pm and others) will begin airing on January 4th, 2026. The story centers on Toyotomi Hidenaga (Koichiro), who, together with his older brother Hideyoshi (Tōkichirō), uses their strong bond to achieve the miraculous feat of unifying the country. It is a success story of hope and dreams, depicting the rise of the powerful and the rise of the powerful. The lead role is played by actor Nakano Taiga. About six months have passed since filming began in June this year, and we spoke to him about his current state of mind and his thoughts as the "leader of the troupe."
For Nakano, "Toyotomi Brothers!" is his sixth taiga drama. He said that he has always thought, "Looking at the backs of my predecessors standing in the center of the work, they're so cool."
Nakano says that starring in a taiga drama was something he had dreamed of since he began acting. Although he had always wanted to do it someday, he was "keenly aware of how far away it was," and "there was a part of me that pushed that big dream to the back of my mind."
"When I received the offer to play the lead role in this historical drama, I felt as if a big dream that had been in the back of my mind had suddenly appeared before my eyes, and I was truly surprised. I never thought something like this could happen. I have had the opportunity to appear in many different productions up until now, but rather than feeling like I was being guided by something special, I felt like everything, regardless of the size of the work, is connected, and so the faces of the people who have helped me up until now came to mind."
On the other hand, he is not overly nervous about being entrusted with the ``big role'' of starring in a historical drama, and remains very natural, saying, ``I can't immediately act like a leader, and I'm just me.''
"From the time I received the offer until filming began, I wondered whether I would be able to act like the leader of a historical drama that I had always dreamed of, but when filming began, I was just being myself (laughs). I decided that I had no choice but to be myself, and so filming began."
So what does Nakano mean by "being yourself"? When I listened to him, I could see his sense of mission as the chairman.
"I think it's best to have a bright, fun, and harmonious atmosphere on set, and I work hard every day to make that happen. Taiga dramas have a lot of staff, and over the long filming period, many actors come and go, and being on a taiga drama set, I think there's bound to be some tension, so I hope I can create an atmosphere where everyone can relax and enjoy themselves."
"Toyotomi Brothers!" will start on January 4, 2026. The first episode will be extended by 15 minutes.
