The popular period drama "Abarenbou Shogun," which was broadcast from 1978 to 2003, will be revived for the first time in about 17 years in "TV Asahi Drama Premium 'Shin Abarenbou Shogun'" (January 4, 2025 at 9:00 pm). Matsudaira Ken, who plays the main character Tokugawa Yoshimune, and Nishihata Daigo of "Naniwa Danshi," who plays the eldest son, Ieshige, were interviewed recently. Matsudaira, who ran on the beach in Hakuba for the first time in 20 years, said, "I was a little nervous at first, but once I started running, it was fine," revealing that he didn't feel any gap in his running.
The story is set more than twenty years after the reign of Yoshimune. At the beginning of the series, Yoshimune was a young shogun, but now he is approaching his 60th birthday and is faced with the issue of succession. His eldest son, Ieshige, is paralyzed in his right arm and face due to illness, and while there are voices within Edo Castle calling for him to be deposed, a huge conspiracy attacks the shogun family.
Just as Yoshimune lives among the common people as the third son of a poor samurai, Tokuda Shinnosuke (nicknamed Shin-san), Ieshige also escapes the castle and interacts with the common people under the name of Tokunaga Fukutaro, the third son of a merchant family. Matsudaira praised Nishihata's performance of Ieshige and Fukutaro, saying, "It's the same as when I play the Shogun and Shinnosuke, but I like how he clearly distinguishes between the two, like yin and yang."
Nishihata took on the difficult role of swinging a rapier sword with his left arm, which is not his dominant hand, and Matsudaira praised him, saying, "Your movements were agile and sharp." Regarding the appearance of Ieshige, he said, "It's the first time that (Yoshimune's) son has appeared in the story, so it's very fresh. (The historical facts have been incorporated) and it's become a new 'Abarenbo Shogun' that is different from the previous ones."
This film is directed by Takashi Miike, who is also known as the "master of violence." Matsudaira said, "It has a different touch from the previous series. Even in the fight scenes, we shot a lot of detailed shots of the hands, so I'm really looking forward to seeing how they connect." He revealed that the fight scenes were "innovative." He also said, "I had an image of Director Miike as being 'brutal' (laughs). I feel that he really respected the world view that had been created up until now and filmed it in a way that didn't go beyond the image of the series."
At the end of the press conference, the members looked back on 2024 and announced the "Kanji of the Year" that they had written on colored paper. Matsudaira, who chose "Joy", said with a smile, "It was a busy year, but I hope I was able to make everyone happy and smile." Nishihata, who wrote "First Time", said, "In this 'New Abarenbou Shogun,' I was able to experience new things like wearing a topknot and sword fighting, and it was also the first time for the group to try an Asian tour, so it was a year full of firsts."
