The eighth episode of the NHK Taiga drama "BROTHERS IN ARMS （Toyotomi Brothers!）" (General TV, Sundays at 8pm and other times), starring actor Nakano Taiga, titled "Suminomata Ichiyajo" (Suminomata Ichiyajo Castle), was broadcast on March 1st, and it was found that the average viewership rating (according to Video Research, Kanto region, same below) was 12.1% for households and 7.3% for individuals.
"BROTHERS IN ARMS （Toyotomi Brothers!）" is the 65th taiga drama. It depicts the miracle of the Toyotomi brothers, Hidenaga (Koichiro) and his older brother Hideyoshi (Tōkichirō), who achieve the great feat of unifying the country with their strong bond. It is a success story of hope and dreams, depicting the rise to power.
In the eighth episode, Koichiro (Nakano) and his men march to Sunomata. However, Nobunaga's (Shun Oguri) true target is not Sunomata, but the northern castle guarded by Ando Moriyasu (Tetsushi Tanaka), one of the Mino Three.
Tōkichirō (Ikematsu) embarks on a grand plan to build a fortress in Sunomata, knowing that it will be a sacrificial pawn to divert the attention of Saitō Tatsuoki (Hamada Tatsuomi), the lord of Mino Province, from his northern castle. Meanwhile, Nao (Shiraishi Sei) returns to Nakamura to seek permission to marry Koichiro. Surprisingly, he is warmly welcomed by his father, Kizaemon (Okura Koji), but...
Nao had finally made peace with Kizaemon, but on the way back from his hometown of Nakamura, he got caught up in a fight and lost his life trying to protect a girl he saw. Eventually, Koichiro also came face to face with Nao's body. He called out to Nao, saying, "I'm still alive. I kept my promise," but naturally, Nao didn't respond, and he eventually burst into tears.
"What is this state of affairs? What is this?" Koichiro shouted. He then continued to shout, "Nao! Nao! Wake up, Nao! Wake up, Nao!" but his pleas were not answered, and the screen went black, as if going dark, and the episode ended.
