The taiga drama "Toyotomi Brothers!" (NHK General TV, Sunday 8pm and others) stars actor Nakano Taiga. The fifth episode, "The Truth that Came from a Lie," aired on February 1st, featured Saito Dosan, played by Maro Akaji. Dosan's daughter, Kagetsuyo (Nohime), who married Oda Nobunaga and became his wife, is known as Nohime. The "absence" of a character from "Toyotomi Brothers!" has been a hot topic up until now, and Chief Producer Matsukawa Hirotaka, who oversees production, explains the reason for this.
It is said that Kagetsuyo (Nohime) either died early or lived after Nobunaga's death, and despite being a princess shrouded in mystery, she has frequently appeared in past historical dramas. She also fought alongside Nobunaga against Akechi's forces during the Honnoji Incident, meeting her end. Although she is a popular character, there is currently no sign of her in "Toyotomi Brothers!"
Regarding the fact that there are a certain number of fans who are disappointed by their absence this time, Matsukawa expressed his understanding, saying, "I have received many such voices," but added that the reason is that "they want to highlight the Oda siblings."
"Nobunaga (Oguri Shun) and Ichi (Miyazaki Aoi) are siblings. In portraying the contrast between them and the Toyotomi brothers, Hideyoshi (Ikematsu Sosuke) and Hidenaga (Nakano), Nobunaga's loneliness is a given, and when his wife or children appear, it becomes a little blurred. I wanted to show them as 'just two siblings,'" he explains.
In the future, Ichi will marry Asai Nagamasa (Nakajima Ayumu) and become the mother of the three Asai sisters: Chacha, Hatsu, and Go.
"When that happens, Nobunaga will become even more lonely. In portraying Nobunaga's loneliness, I thought that Kicho's presence would be, if I may say, a hindrance, but it would cloud the theme. Even in the historical research meeting, I was asked, 'Is this really okay?' But I said that for 'Toyotomi Brothers!' I was determined to go that way," he said, revealing the circumstances.
Nobunaga's sons, the eldest Nobutada (played by Koseki Yuta) and the third Nobutaka (played by Yuki Kosei), will also appear in the future, but as adults. Their mother, Nobunaga's concubine, "must exist," but she is "turned off" in the drama, and the same goes for Kagetsuyo.
"It's not a very deep relationship, it's a dry one in a sense. Nobunaga has many wives, including Kicho, but Ichi is the only one who can get inside Nobunaga, and Nobunaga is the only one who can tell him his true feelings," he said, revealing what goes on behind the scenes.
