The 20th episode of the NHK Taiga drama "BROTHERS IN ARMS （Toyotomi Brothers!）" (NHK General, Sundays at 8pm, etc.), starring actor Taiga Nakano, aired on May 24th, and fans of Asadora reacted to the actor playing Junkei Tsutsui, who rules Yamato.
In episode 20, Nobunaga (Shun Oguri) is furious with Hideyoshi (Sosuke Ikematsu) for abandoning the campaign against the Uesugi clan and returning home without permission. He orders Hideyoshi to be placed under house arrest and sentenced to death.
While the entire Hashiba family is working tirelessly to plead for clemency, news arrives that Matsunaga Hisahide (Naoto Takenaka) has betrayed them again. Having narrowly escaped death, Hideyoshi and Koichiro (Nakano) go to negotiate with Hisahide and convey Nobunaga's intention that if he hands over the unique tea utensil, Hiragumo, the rebellion will be overlooked.
However, despite the exceptionally generous terms, Hisahide inexplicably refused to accept them... and that's how the story unfolded.
Tsutsui Junkei was entrusted with Yamato by Nobunaga. This role is played by actor Ikuya Naganuma. Naganuma is well-known to fans of Asadora for his role as Akatsu Yujiro, one of the "Salt Army" members who appeared in the 2018 second half of the NHK morning drama "Manpuku". The "Salt Army" is the collective name for the employees of "Tachibana Salt Industry" (later "Tachibana Nutritional Foods"), which was founded by Manpei (Sakura Ando), the husband of the heroine Fukuko (Sakura Ando). Akatsu and Fukuko's mother, Suzu (Keiko Matsuzaka), formed a popular "comedic duo" at the time.
Furthermore, Naganuma has appeared in the 2019 Taiga drama "Idaten: Tokyo Olympic Story," the 2019 second half Asadora"Scarlet," and the 2022 second half Asadora"Maiagare!".
In "BROTHERS IN ARMS （Toyotomi Brothers!）", Junkei makes only a brief appearance at the beginning of episode 18, making his full appearance in episode 20. He joins the Oda army led by Nobutada (played by Yuta Koseki) and surrounds Shigisan Castle, where Hisahide is holed up. There, he says, "I don't understand my lord's (Nobunaga's) thinking. If we attack and capture the castle in one go, taking Matsunaga's head will be a piece of cake," and expresses his indignation, unable to contain his long-held resentment, saying, "Why do we have to negotiate after coming all this way!"
On social media, fans were excited, making connections to "Manpuku," with comments such as: "I've been wondering for a while who he is, even though I've seen him somewhere before (in the official introduction post), but that's it! It's Akatsu! It's Akatsu! Wow! The narration is by the wife!", "I thought it was Junkei Tsutsui speaking native Japanese, but it's Akatsu? Isn't it Akatsu from Manpuku!", "Junkei Tsutsui is the guy who played Akatsu! Is the Grand Madam watching?", "Huh? Shigeaki Tsutsui, Akatsu? It's Akatsu, right? Akatsu has really come a long way! I'm sure the wife of Bushimusu is very happy!", and "Personally, I was so happy to see Junkei Tsutsui as Akatsu in action. I'm sure the Grand Madamu is saying he did a great job!"
