The third episode, "The Eve of the Decisive Battle," of the 2026 NHK Taiga drama "Toyotomi Brothers!" (General TV, Sunday 8:00 PM and others), starring actor Nakano Taiga, will be broadcast on January 18th. Takaya Sakoda will appear in the role of Ishikawa Kazumasa from this episode.
Sakoda will be appearing in a taiga drama following his roles as Yazawa Sanjuro Yoriyuki in "Sanada Maru" in 2016, Eto Shinpei in "Segodon" in 2018, and Minamoto Noriyori in "The 13 Lords of the Shogun" in 2022. He has also been cast in many TBS Sunday Theatre productions, and is now earning the nickname "Sunday Man."
In "Toyotomi Brothers!", he plays Kazumasa Ishikawa, a confidant who served Tokugawa Ieyasu as his attendant from a young age. Later, he defected from Ieyasu during a conflict with Hideyoshi.
Sakoda commented, "Last time, during the Warring States period, it was a year of just running through it headfirst, but this time, thanks to a little bit of personal growth, I'm hoping to be able to live through the same era with a philosophical outlook... but it looks like I won't be able to! I'll absolutely survive until the end! I'll run through it headfirst! I'll fight and fight and push my lord to the top of the world!!"
"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.
