On March 4th, it was revealed that actor Kan'ichiro Sato, the son of actor Koichi Sato, will appear in the NHK Asadora drama "Bakebake, " starring Akari Takaishi , in the second half of 2025. Kan'ichiro will play Yamane Ginjiro, the arranged marriage partner of the heroine Toki (played by Takaishi). This will be Kan'ichiro's first time appearing in a Asadora.
Kanichiro Yamane, who plays Ginjiro Yamane, was born as the second son of a poor foot soldier in Inaba, Tottori Prefecture, and grew up in extreme poverty. Under the strict upbringing of his father, he continued to live the life of a samurai even as times changed. He ends up having an arranged marriage with Toki. His hobbies are Joruri and ghost stories, and reading and telling them are also pleasures... This is the kind of character he is.
Kan'ichiro said, "Personally, I have had many opportunities to work on period dramas, but this is my first time working on a production set in the Meiji period, so I am approaching it with a very fresh feeling. The early Meiji period was a time when society was in turmoil due to rapid modernization, and conflicts with people who held traditional values were prominent. The story depicts the main character, Toki, struggling to survive while observing these changes in the times, and is a fun yet somewhat sad story that gives a sense of the atmosphere of the times. I very much enjoyed reading the script. The character I play is born into a poor family due to the decline of the samurai class, and meets the main character, Toki, as an arranged marriage partner. He is a man who is sincere, insightful, and has a pure heart that never forgets to be considerate of those around him. I will do my best to become a part of the production."
Production manager Hashizume Kuniomi commented, "Yamane Ginjiro, played by Kan'ichiro, is Toki's arranged marriage partner. Like Toki, he is one of the samurai who fell into decline as the era changed to the Meiji era. He is a man who has an honest and pure heart, even in his poor and difficult circumstances. I offered the role to Kan'ichiro, as I believed he would be able to understand these honest feelings and express them in a more appealing and three-dimensional way. I am very much looking forward to seeing the heartwarming interactions between Toki and Ginjiro."
"Bakebake" is based on Setsu Koizumi, the daughter of a fallen Yakumo Koizumi samurai and wife of Lafcadio Hearn. The story is about a couple who love "ghost stories" together with their foreign husband, and who shed light on and spin stories on behalf of the "nameless people" who had been forgotten in Meiji Japan as Westernization progressed. The script is written by Mitsuhiko Fujiki, who has worked on NHK's "Asagaya Sisters' Relaxed Life Together" and WOWOW's "Tokyu Series."
