is a prime-time television '' jidaigeki'' in

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. From March 16, 1970 to March 15, 1999, 402 episodes and 15 seasons were broadcast. Also, a two-hour special aired on March 20, 2006, commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of the ''

National National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

Gekijō'', which occupies the Monday evening 8:00–8:54 pm time slot on the TBS network, sponsored by Matsushita. It alternated, seasonally, with ''

Mito Kōmon is a Japanese ''jidaigeki'' or period drama that was on prime-time television from 1969 to 2011, making it the longest-running ''jidaigeki'' in Japanese television history. The title character is the historic Tokugawa Mitsukuni, former vice-''sh ...

'' and '' Edo o Kiru''. The title character is

Ōoka Tadasuke was a Japanese samurai in the service of the Tokugawa shogunate. During the reign of Tokugawa Yoshimune, as a magistrate (''machi-bugyō'') of Edo, his roles included chief of police, judge and jury, and Yamada Magistrate ( Yamada bugyō) prio ...

, a historical person who was a magistrate in the city of

Edo Edo ( ja, , , "bay-entrance" or "estuary"), also romanized as Jedo, Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of Tokyo. Edo, formerly a ''jōkamachi'' (castle town) centered on Edo Castle located in Musashi Province, became the ''de facto'' capital of ...

(the forerunner of modern Tokyo) during the time of

Tokugawa Yoshimune was the eighth ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan, ruling from 1716 until his abdication in 1745. He was the son of Tokugawa Mitsusada, the grandson of Tokugawa Yorinobu, and the great-grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu. Lineage Yoshimune ...

in the eighteenth century. The magistrate acted as chief of police, judge and jury. The show was a detective-courtroom program. Actor

Gō Katō was a Japanese entertainer and actor. Katō starred in the long-running TV series ''Ōoka Echizen'' (1970~2006). Overviews The son of an elementary school principal, Katō studied literature and theatre. As an actor, he made his film debut in ...

created the title character and played him throughout the life of the series.

Sōgen Asahina was an influential Japanese Rinzai zen master and founder of Nippon wo Mamoru kai. He was also a prolific writer and a calligrapher. Born in Shizuoka Prefecture, Asahina graduated from Nihon University. He studied at Myōshin-ji in Kyoto and a ...

did the title calligraphy.

Takeo Yamashita Takeo may refer to: * Takéo Province, a province of Cambodia **Doun Kaev (town), formerly known as Takéo, the capital of Takéo province *Ta Keo, an Angkorian temple in Cambodia *Takeo, Saga, a city in Saga Prefecture, Japan *Takeo (given name), ...

did the music. The series was produced by C.A.L. It has been widely rerun on terrestrial and pay satellite television in Japan. Some episodes available on DVD.

Cast

Muga Takewaki was a Japanese actor. Filmography Film * ''Assassination'' (1964) * ''Kyu-chan no Dekkai Yume'' (1967) * '' Mito Kōmon'' (1978) * '' Shōsetsu Yoshida gakkō'' (1983) - Eisaku Satō Television * '' Ōoka Echizen'' (1970-2006) - Sakakibara I ...

as Iori Sakakibara (A doctor at the Koishikawa Yōjōsho (the Koishikawa "city hospital").) * Takashi Yamaguchi as

Chiezō Kataoka (March 30, 1903 – March 31, 1983) was a Japanese film and television actor most famous for his starring roles in jidaigeki. Career Born in 1903 in Gunma Prefecture (his real name was Masayoshi Ueki), he was raised in Tokyo. As a child he began ...

as Tadasuke's father * Masayo Utsunomiya as Yukie Tadasuke's wife *

Shirō Ōsaka Shiro, Shirō, Shirow or Shirou may refer to: People * Amakusa Shirō (1621–1638), leader of the Shimabara Rebellion * Ken Shiro (born 1992), Japanese boxer * Shiro Azumi, Japanese football player 1923–1925 * Shiro Ichinoseki (born 1944), Ja ...

as Genjiro * Gentarō Takahashi as Tatsu * Kōtarō Satomi as Masakichi *

Shigeru Amachi was a Japanese actor. He appeared in more than 120 films from 1953 to 1984. Career Amachi joined the Shintoho studio as one of its "New Face" actors of 1951 and established himself in action and jidaigeki films. He gained fame for the nihilist ...

as Kamiyama *

Kōji Wada was a Japanese pop singer. He was best known for performing theme songs for several installments of the ''Digimon'' anime television series, including his recording debut in 1999 with his first and most famous single, "Butter-Fly", the theme so ...

: Kazama Shunsuke

References

External links

C.A.L
site for Ōoka Echizen

for 2006 special
Fan site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ooka Echizen 1970 Japanese television series debuts 1999 Japanese television series endings 1970s Japanese television series 1980s Japanese television series 1990s Japanese television series Japanese drama television series Jidaigeki television series TBS Television (Japan) dramas Cultural depictions of Tokugawa Yoshimune