It was announced on April 22nd that actress Kasumi Yamaya will appear in the NHK Taiga drama "BROTHERS IN ARMS （Toyotomi Brothers!）" (NHK General, Sundays at 8pm, etc.) as Dashi, a beautiful woman known as "the modern Yang Guifei."
Yamaya's first appearance in a Taiga drama since "The 13 Lords of the Shogun" (2022) marks her return to the series. In this drama, she plays Dashi, the wife of Araki Murashige, the lord of Arioka Castle in Settsu Province, who was entrusted by Nobunaga with the task of pacifying Harima Province. Dashi is a beautiful woman known as the "modern Yang Guifei," and also Murashige's greatest supporter.
Yamaya said, "Last year I auditioned for ' BROTHERS IN ARMS （Toyotomi Brothers!）'. I didn't get the role, but I couldn't give up on it, and I spent the last year prioritizing roles where I could wear a kimono, believing that I would have the opportunity to play it someday. It's a role I'm very attached to. I will do my best to leave a lasting impression that only I can portray."
He continued, "Tortoise Matsumoto (who played the role of Arakimura Shigehisa) is someone who delivers a sincere and heartfelt performance, and he helped me a lot. I vividly remember him laughing a lot when the cameras weren't rolling. I acted while overlapping those scenes with the emotions of the character. Listening to 'Banzai ~Suki de Yokatta~' on my way to the studio during filming is also a good memory."
In addition to Yamaya, it has also been revealed that Eiji Okuda will play Yorimasa Horiike, the father of Kei's (Riho Yoshioka) deceased husband; Yumi Aso will play Kinu Horiike, Yorimasa's wife; Mio Tanaka will play Yoshichika Bessho; Shugo Shogo Hama will play Shigemune Bessho; Shogo Hama will play Terumoto Mori; and Danshun Tachikawa will play Ekei Ankokuji.
"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.
