The 14th episode of the NHK Taiga drama "BROTHERS IN ARMS （Toyotomi Brothers!）" (NHK General, Sundays at 8pm, etc.), starring actor Taiga Nakano, aired on April 12th and depicted the famous "Retreat from Kanegasaki (Battle of Kanegasaki)." Masaki Masaki Suda's portrayal of Takenaka Hanbei was worthy of the title of "one of the greatest military strategists of the Sengoku period," but he also showed a rare display of screaming, which attracted the attention of viewers.
In episode 14, Nobunaga (Ayumu Nakajima) is furious when he learns that Asai Nagamasa (Shun Oguri) has defected to the Asakura side. However, he regains his composure thanks to Fujikichiro's (Sosuke Ikematsu) quick thinking and decides to retreat.
With only a small force, Fujikichiro is tasked with holding off the Asakura army until Nobunaga returns to Kyoto, acting as the rearguard. Koichiro (played by Nakano) takes on the most dangerous role among them. The brothers' life-or-death retreat begins... and so the story unfolds.
Sugata, who plays Hanbei, says that there was a scene in that episode that served as a major turning point in Hanbei's growing to trust the Toyotomi brothers more deeply.
In a scene where Koichiro asks Asai why he didn't say that he thought Asai would betray them, and Asai pleads with him to trust them more, Sugata says, "There will be more scenes with just the three of us, but I feel that we are gradually getting closer."
Furthermore, in the Battle of Kanegasaki, Hanbei stood on the front lines for the first time as part of the Oda army. Sugata believes that "the sense of distance from 'death' is one of the important elements when playing a character who lives in the Sengoku period."
"Because Hanbei is usually a character who takes a step back, I wanted to properly express the fear of death that makes him scream, and his strong desire to return alive at all costs. So I suggested that he fight while screaming, and we incorporated that into the performance," he recalled.
"BROTHERS IN ARMS （Toyotomi Brothers!）" is the 65th Taiga drama. With Toyotomi Hidenaga (Koichiro) as the protagonist, it depicts the miraculous feat of unifying Japan together with his older brother Hideyoshi (Tokichiro) through their strong bond, a success story of dreams and hopes.
