The first episode of the 2026 NHK Taiga drama "Toyotomi Brothers!" (NHK General TV, Sunday 8pm and other channels), starring actor Nakano Taiga, titled "Two Monkeys," was broadcast on January 4th with an extended 15 minutes, and it was revealed that the average viewership rating (according to Video Research, Kanto region, same below) was 13.5% for households and 8.2% for individuals. This surpassed the worst-rated first episode of a Taiga drama, "UNBOUND (Berabou)," which had a household viewership of 12.6% and an individual viewership of 7.3%, and the second-worst, "To Dear Radiance (Hikaru Kimi e)," which came in second with a household viewership of 12.7% and an individual viewership of 7.5%.
"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.
The script is written by Hiroyuki Yatsu, known for "Naoki Hanzawa" (TBS) and the Asadora"Ochoyan." The music is by Hideaki Kimura, and the narrator is Sakura Ando, an actor.
In the first episode, Koichiro (Nakano), born into a poor farming family in Nakamura, Owari, spends his days contentedly cultivating the fields and living with the soil. One day, a group of bandits attacks the village, and his childhood friend, Nao (Shiraishi Sei), is about to be kidnapped. His brother, Tokichiro (Ikematsu Sosuke), returns to the village for the first time in eight years and saves him from the predicament.
Tokichiro, who dreams of becoming a great success by serving the young Sengoku warlord Oda Nobunaga (Shun Oguri Shun), asks Koichiro to become his retainer...
