The fifth episode of the NHK Taiga drama "Toyotomi Brothers!" (General TV, Sundays at 8pm and other times), starring actor Nakano Taiga, entitled "The Truth that Came from a Lie," was broadcast on February 1st, and viewers reacted with a variety of opinions to the discovery of a kunai (a sword with a poisoned tip) among the belongings of Osawa Jirozaemon (Matsuo Satoru), the lord of Unuma Castle.
"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 morning drama "Ochoyan." The music is by Hideaki Kimura, and the narrator is Sakura Ando, an actor.
In the fifth episode, Nobunaga (played by Shun Oguri), who has moved his base to Komakiyama Castle, decides to hold a tournament in front of the Oda clan. Koichiro (played by Sosuke Ikematsu) devises a plan to expose Toshiie Maeda (played by Shunsuke Daito), a rival of Tokichiro (played by Sosuke Ikematsu), in the tournament. Nobunaga tasks the two with strategizing for Unuma Castle, which is essential for the attack on Mino.
However, Osawa Jirozaemon, the lord of Unuma Castle, has so far refused to respond to any attempts to persuade him. Will Koichiro and his companions be able to change Jirozaemon's mind?
With Tōkichirō taken hostage, Jirozaemon and Koichiro head to Nobunaga. However, when Jirozaemon is given an audience with Nobunaga, a kunai with a poisoned blade is found in his belongings, and the situation takes a sudden turn. Nobunaga ignores Jirozaemon's claims that he has no recollection of the crime, and the episode ends with him ordering his retainers to "kill him."
Was Jirozaemon framed? If we believe what Jirozaemon says, then someone else must have planted the plant... On social media, comments such as "Wasn't the discovery of a kunai in Lord Osawa's luggage a setup by Inuchiyo...?", "Maybe they found a poisoned kunai in the luggage and assumed there was an intention to assassinate him? I wonder if this was a setup by Oda's side," and "Was the kunai planted by his son, a spy for Lord Saito, or perhaps by Lord Oda himself?" were raised.
Also in the same episode, Takenaka Hanbei, a famous military strategist representing the Warring States period, appears by name only, leading to comments such as, "Could this be a plot by Saito, suspecting Osawa of defecting? Hanbei, whose name only appears this time, could be behind it," "Takenaka Hanbei must be the reason that Lord Osawa's attendant had hidden a poisoned blade," and "It was probably Takenaka Hanbei who gave Osawa's attendant a poisoned hidden weapon. Perhaps he saw through Oda's attempts to seduce Osawa and used it to his advantage."
