The second episode, "The Bell of Wishes," of the 2026 NHK Taiga drama "Toyotomi Brothers!" (General TV, Sunday 8:00 PM and other channels), starring actor Nakano Taiga, aired on January 11th. The episode depicted the departure of Koichiro (played by Nakano), and Emma Miyazawa, who plays the older sister Tomo, spoke about her role.
"Toyotomi Brothers!" is the 65th taiga drama. It is a success story of hope and dreams, depicting the miracle of the Toyotomi brothers, Hidenaga (Koichiro) and his older brother Hideyoshi (Tokichiro), who achieve the great feat of unifying the country with their strong bond.
Tomo is a "strong older sister who is strict with her siblings."
The elder sister of the Toyotomi brothers. She was a strong-willed and determined woman. She gave birth to and raised three boys, but her younger brother Hideyoshi, who was unable to provide an heir, used her as a political tool. Hidetsugu, the eldest son who later became Hideyoshi's successor, was accused of treason and executed along with his wife and children.
Miyazawa revealed, "I see this character as having a strong vitality that I have never played before."
"As the eldest daughter, she has a strong sense of responsibility to somehow manage the household. That's why she has a lot of strong lines, and she's particularly nasty to her brothers and quick to get violent (laughs). But I like that kind of strength in Tomo, and I would like to be like her if I were in the same situation, so I try to act with all my might. Especially in the beginning, I imagined that somewhere in her mind, Tomo was thinking, 'If I were a man, I could have done more.' Being single in your 20s was rare at the time, and I don't know why, but I felt that she was sticking to her single life out of some kind of conviction."
Regarding the atmosphere within the family, in the first episode Koichiro, who is not suited to conflict, is portrayed as completely pathetic, while Tokichiro (Ikematsu Sosuke) is completely playful, and Miyazawa felt that "Nakano and Ikematsu played the two characters very well."
"In a good way, their mother, Naka-san (Sakai Maki), supports her family in a warm and generous way. Their younger sister, Asahi (Anna Kurasawa), is also growing up in a very relaxed environment. I think the reason our family has the "straightforwardness" and "integrity" to live positively even in the difficult wartime world is largely due to the kind of upbringing their mother has given them, and I think it's something unique to the family of 'Toyotomi Brothers!'"
He also feels that the drama is "a story with the straightforwardness of a boys' manga."
"This work features people and eras that even people who aren't particularly knowledgeable about history will know, but I think it's the type of work that goes straight to the point and hits the nail on the head. There's a thrilling feeling of working your way up from the bottom to the top, and the story of gradually achieving seemingly reckless ambitions is fascinating. Up until now, the spotlight has tended to be on Hideyoshi, but this time the main character is Hidenaga (Koichiro), who captivates everyone along with Hideyoshi (Tōkichirō). I hope you'll follow these brothers to the very end, as if you were rooting for a hero in a boys' manga."
