or ''Slashing Edo'' was a popular ''

jidaigeki is a genre of film, television, video game, and theatre in Japan. Literally meaning "period dramas", they are most often set during the Edo period of Japanese history, from 1603 to 1868. Some, however, are set much earlier—'' Portrait of H ...

'' on Japan's

Tokyo Broadcasting System formerly is a Japanese media and licensed broadcasting holding company. It is the parent company of the television network and radio network . It has a 28-affiliate television network called JNN (Japan News Network), as well as a 34-affili ...

. During the decades from its 1973, premiere until 1994, finale, 214 episodes aired. It lasted through eight series, with several casts and settings. It ran on Monday evenings in the 8:00–8:54 prime time slot, sponsored by

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, c ...

, and remains popular in reruns. The first series featured popular actor

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 ...

, a co-star in the network's program ''Ōoka Echizen'', which alternated with ''Edo o Kiru'' in the same time slot. He played Hoshina Masayuki, half-brother of ''

shōgun , officially , was the title of the military dictators of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, though during part of the Kamak ...

Tokugawa Iemitsu Tokugawa Iemitsu (徳川家光, August 12, 1604 – June 8, 1651) was the third ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa dynasty. He was the eldest son of Tokugawa Hidetada with Oeyo, and the grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu. Lady Kasuga was his wet nurse, who a ...

, masquerading as Azusa Ukon in a good-over-evil drama set in Edo. Also on the cast was

Matsuzaka Keiko (born July 20, 1952) is a Japanese actress. Early life Born in Ōta, Tokyo, her father was a naturalized South Korean while her mother was Japanese. Career In the 1960s, Matsuzaka became a child actress. Matsuzaka grew into adulthood in fil ...

, who continued in the next several versions of the show. Versions two through six starred the popular actor/singer Saigō Teruhiko in the role of

Tōyama Kagemoto was a hatamoto and an official of the Tokugawa shogunate during the Edo period of Japanese history. His ancestry was of the Minamoto clan of the Mino Province. His father, Kagemichi, was the magistrate of Nagasaki. Biography During his youth, K ...

, or

Tōyama no Kin-san is a popular character based on the historical Tōyama Kagemoto, a samurai and official of the Tokugawa shogunate during the Edo period of Japanese history. In kabuki and kōdan, he was celebrated under his childhood name, Kinshirō, shortened to ...

, a

samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They h ...

who lived among the commoners, to the point of having a huge '' sakura''

tattoo A tattoo is a form of body modification made by inserting tattoo ink, dyes, and/or pigments, either indelible or temporary, into the dermis layer of the skin to form a design. Tattoo artists create these designs using several tattooing ...

drawn on his shoulder, but later became chief administrator of Edo. In this version of the Kin-san story (which has been the subject of several other series), Kinshiro lived in the house of the woman who had been his nursemaid (played by

Masumi Harukawa , born , is a Japanese actress. Filmography * 1963: ''The Insect Woman'' * 1964: '' Unholy Desire'' * 1964: ''Kunoichi Keshō'' * 1967: ''Zatoichi's Cane Sword'' * 1968: ''The Human Bullet'' * 1968: '' Curse of the Blood'' * 1974: '' Pastoral: T ...

, later O-Sai of ''

Abarenbō Shōgun (Abarenbō Shōgun) was a Japanese television program on the TV Asahi network. Set in the eighteenth century, it showed fictitious events in the life of Yoshimune, the eighth Tokugawa ''shōgun''. The program started in 1978 under the title '' ...

''), the proprietor of a fish-dealer. O-Yuki (

Keiko Matsuzaka (born July 20, 1952) is a Japanese actress. Early life Born in Ōta, Tokyo, her father was a naturalized South Korean while her mother was Japanese. Career In the 1960s, Matsuzaka became a child actress. Matsuzaka grew into adulthood in film ...

), pretending to be her daughter, is actually a daughter of

Tokugawa Nariaki Tokugawa Nariaki (徳川斉昭, April 4, 1800 – September 29, 1860) was a prominent Japanese ''daimyō'' who ruled the Mito Domain (now Ibaraki Prefecture) and contributed to the rise of nationalism and the Meiji Restoration. Biography C ...

, ''

daimyō were powerful Japanese magnates, feudal lords who, from the 10th century to the early Meiji period in the middle 19th century, ruled most of Japan from their vast, hereditary land holdings. They were subordinate to the shogun and nominal ...

'' of the

Mito Mito may refer to: Places *Mito, Ibaraki, capital city of Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan *Mito, Aichi, a Japanese town *Mito, Shimane, a Japanese town * Mitō, Yamaguchi, a Japanese town * Mito District, a district in the province of Concepción, Per ...

domain Domain may refer to: Mathematics *Domain of a function, the set of input values for which the (total) function is defined **Domain of definition of a partial function **Natural domain of a partial function **Domain of holomorphy of a function * Do ...

, and eventually marries Kin-san. Wearing a purple cloth over her head and face, and wielding a sword in the

Yagyū Shinkage-ryū is one of the oldest Japanese schools of swordsmanship (''kenjutsu''). Its primary founder was Kamiizumi Nobutsuna, who called the school Shinkage-ryū. In 1565, Nobutsuna bequeathed the school to his greatest student, Yagyū Munetoshi, who ...

manner, she works outside the law to bring justice to the wicked. At her right hand is an employee at the shop, Jirokichi (

kabuki is a classical form of Japanese dance- drama. Kabuki theatre is known for its heavily-stylised performances, the often-glamorous costumes worn by performers, and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers. Kabuki is though ...

actor

Matsuyama Eitarō 270px, Matsuyama City Hall 270px, Ehime Prefectural Capital Building is the capital city of Ehime Prefecture on the island of Shikoku in Japan and also Shikoku's largest city. , the city had an estimated population of 505,948 in 243541 househo ...

, 1942–1991). The former

Robin Hood Robin Hood is a legendary heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature and film. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions of the legend, he is dep ...

-style thief

Nezumi Kozō is the nickname of , a Japanese thief and folk hero who lived in Edo (present-day Tokyo) during the Edo period.Goodman, David G. (1986). Pg 256-257. "After Apocalypse: Four Japanese Plays of Hiroshima and Nagasaki", New York: Columbia Universit ...

, he became an undercover agent for the Kin-san/O-Yuki team.

Morishige Hisaya was a Japanese actor and comedian. Born in Hirakata, Osaka, he graduated from Kitano Middle School (now Kitano High School), and attended Waseda University. He began his career as a stage actor, then became an announcer for NHK, working in M ...

(b. 1913) played Nariaki in special guest appearances. Actress

Judy Ongg Judy Ongg (; born 24 January 1950) is a Taiwanese-Japanese singer, actress, author, and woodblock-print artist. Born in Taipei, she graduated from Sophia University in Tokyo, Japan, and after which, she became a naturalized Japanese citizen. H ...

assumed a supporting role as the female constable O-kyō in the fourth series. A major cast change brought veteran ''jidaigeki'' actor

Kōtarō Satomi (born 28 November 1936) is a Japanese actor from the city of Fujinomiya, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. In 1956, he signed with Toei film company. He appears in both contemporary roles and in the historical dramas known as '' jidaigeki''. Sele ...

to the lead role, again as Kin-san, for the seventh and eighth series.

References

{{reflist

External links

C.A.L (Creative Associates Limited) site
(producers)

1973 Japanese television series debuts 1994 Japanese television series endings 1970s Japanese television series 1980s Japanese television series 1990s Japanese television series Jidaigeki television series Jidaigeki TBS Television (Japan) dramas