It was announced on May 29th that the title of the NHK Asadora drama series for the second half of 2026 will be "Blossom," and that actor Shizuka Ishibashi will play the lead role. This was revealed at a production announcement held at the NHK Osaka Broadcasting Station on the same day.
"Blossom," the 115th serial TV drama, is based on the story of writer Chiyo Uno, who continued to seek freedom throughout the Meiji, Taisho, and Showa eras. She leaves her hometown of Iwakuni, Yamaguchi, meets fascinating people, and pursues her dreams, moving forward into the turbulent times of the Taisho and Showa eras. The script is written by Tsuyoshi Sakurai, known for "Your Goods Are Here" and "Boogie Woogie."
Ishibashi, who was born in Iwakuni, plays the main character, Tama Hano. Her biological mother died when she was two years old, and she was raised by her father and his stepmother. After graduating from a girls' school, she started working as a substitute teacher, but was fired and moved to Tokyo relying on relatives. She begins her career as a writer after submitting a novel for a contest.
Despite being engulfed in many hardships, including the Great Kanto Earthquake, war, marriage and divorce, bankruptcy and debt, Tama faced life as a writer. At times she made enemies and was misunderstood, hurt others and was hurt herself, but she remained true to herself in her pursuit of freedom, and by incorporating her feelings into her novels, she brings "happiness" to readers.
Ishibashi commented, "I was surprised when I was first asked to take on the role. It was a bolt from the blue, and I'm still surprised by it. I wondered what kind of person Chiyo Uno was, and as I read through her books I realized what a wonderful person she was. I'm very happy to think that I'll be able to delve deeper into the story of such a wonderful person together with the staff and cast over the course of over a year. I hope we can create a production that will make people all over the country watch and think, "Wow, that was great today," so I would appreciate your support."
Ishibashi was born in Tokyo in 1994. He made his acting debut in 2015. He has appeared in popular works such as "Tokyo Love Story," "Omameda Towako and her Three Ex-husbands," and the NHK Taiga drama "The 13 Lords of the Shogun." This will be his second time appearing in a morning drama, following "Hanbun, Aoi" in 2018.
The Asadora " Anpan " starring Mio Imada is currently being broadcast. " Bakebake " starring Akari Takaishi will be broadcast in the second half of 2025, and " Kaze,Kaoru " starring Ai Mikami will be broadcast in the first half of 2026.
