The third episode, "The Eve of the Decisive Battle," of the 2026 NHK Taiga drama "Toyotomi Brothers!" (General TV, Sunday 8:00 PM and other channels), starring actor Nakano Taiga, aired on January 18th, and average viewership (according to Video Research, Kanto region, same below) was 12.9% for households and 7.4% for individuals. The episode also saw the first appearance of Matsudaira Motoyasu (Tokugawa Ieyasu), played by Kohei Matsushita.
"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 third episode, Koichirou (Nakano), Tokichiro (Ikematsu Sosuke), and Nao (Shiraishi Sei) leave their hometown of Nakamura and arrive in Kiyosu, the castle town of Oda Nobunaga (Shun Oguri Shun).
They visit Oda vassal Asano Nagakatsu (played by Miyagawa Ichirota) to pay their respects, and it is decided that Nao will become a maid to Nagakatsu's daughter, Nene (played by Hamabe Minami). The two brothers begin living together, but Tōkichirō reveals a secret plan to Koichiro.
And finally, the large army of Imagawa Yoshimoto (played by Otsuru Yoshitan) begins its march towards Owari... The famous "zori sandal episode" is also featured, in which Tōkichirō is seen hiding Nobunaga's straw sandals in his pocket.
