The NHK Taiga drama "BROTHERS IN ARMS （Toyotomi Brothers!）", starring actor Taiga Nakano (NHK General, Sundays at 8 PM, etc.), featured the first appearance of Leo Matsumoto as Ishida Mitsunari in its 18th episode, "Hashiba Brothers!", which aired on May 10th. Matsumoto, who won the role through an audition, is attracting attention for his youth (currently 26 years old) and handsome looks. Let's take a look back at the history of actors who have played Mitsunari in Taiga dramas, leading up to Matsumoto's appearance.
◇The first actor to play the role was Koji Ishizaka from "Taikoki," who was still a university student at the time.
The Taiga drama series, which began in 1963 and boasts a long history, first featured Ishida Mitsunari in "Taikoki" in 1965. At that time, Koji Ishizaka, who was still a university student, was chosen for the role.
Speaking of Ishizaka, he became a hot topic last year for his role as Matsudaira Takemoto, characterized by his long white eyebrows, in the historical drama "UNBOUND (Berabou)". His memorable first step as a historical drama actor was as Mitsunari in "Taikoki" about 60 years ago.
If Ishizaka was the first actor to play Mitsunari in a Taiga drama, then the second was Nakamura Atsuo in "Haru no Sakamichi" in 1971. This drama was the first Taiga drama to depict the Battle of Sekigahara. After that, Kondo Masaomi in "Ogon no Hibi" in 1978, Takuma Shin in "Onna Taikoki" in 1981, Kaga Takeshi in "Tokugawa Ieyasu" in 1983, and Okuda Eiji in "Dokuganryu Masamune" in 1987 all made their mark on the history of Taiga dramas as actors who played Mitsunari.
Looking at the Taiga dramas since the Heisei era, we find a diverse array of names, including Masato Ibu (1989 "Kasuga no Tsubone"), Hiroyuki Sanada (1996 "Hideyoshi"), Toru Emori (2000 "Aoi Tokugawa Sandai"), Ryuji Harada (2002 "Toshiie to Matsu"), Hashinosuke Nakamura (now Shikan Komyo ga Tsuji Tsuji"), Shun Oguri(2009 "Tenchijin"), and Masato Hagiwara (2011 "Go: Hime-tachi no Sengoku").
Incidentally, Oguri played the young Mitsunari in "Hideyoshi," so "Tenchijin" marks his first "re-enactment" of the role in 13 years.
◇ Koji Yamamoto, who gained popularity as "Mitsunari," suffers from stomach ache due to stress, revealing his "physique."
In the 2014 drama "Gunshi Kanbei,"Kei Tanaka played Mitsunari, creating a dark and villainous image of Mitsunari who fiercely opposed the main character, Kuroda Kanbei (Junichi Okada).
In 2016, Koji Yamamoto's portrayal of Mitsunari in "Sanada Maru" was also popular, as he played a cool yet passionate Mitsunari. In addition to his portrayal of a character who suffers from stomach aches when stressed, Yamamoto's "stripping scenes" that revealed his physique also attracted attention, and the image of "Mitsunari who was surprisingly muscular when he took his clothes off" is still etched in the hearts of Taiga drama fans.
Matsumoto's predecessor was Nakamura Shichinosuke in the 2023 production of "What to Do, Ieyasu?". In that production, Shichinosuke brilliantly portrayed Mitsunari, who, despite his competence in single-handedly handling the practical affairs of the Toyotomi regime, was also immature and unable to understand the feelings of others or admit that he was "wrong."
Then, in "BROTHERS IN ARMS （Toyotomi Brothers!）", Ishida Mitsunari made his first appearance in a Taiga drama in three years. In episode 18, "Hashiba Brothers!", his encounter with Hideyoshi (played by Sosuke Ikematsu) was depicted in the form of an audition for retainers.
Although the famous anecdote of "Three Cups of Tea," in which a young boy (Mitsunari) offered Hideyoshi three cups of tea when he stopped by a temple (the veracity of which is uncertain), was not included, the scene in which Mitsunari is carried by Todo Takatora (played by So Kaku So) while still in a meditative posture became a topic of discussion.
While Matsumoto has an image of Mitsunari as a "calm and intelligent warrior," he is also eager to "show Mitsunari's endearing side" in the future, so his performance will continue to be something to watch. (Fumio Kishitani/MANTANWEB)
