is a Japanese

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 Hel ...

or period drama that was broadcast in prime-time in 1977 to 1978. It is based on

Eiji Yoshikawa was a Japanese historical novelist. Among his best-known novels are revisions of older classics. He was mainly influenced by classics such as ''The Tale of the Heike'', ''Tale of Genji'', ''Water Margin'' and ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms'', m ...

's novel

Naruto Hichō is a series of jidaigeki novels written by Eiji Yoshikawa. The stories were originally serialized as a serial in the Japanese newspaper ''Osaka Mainichishimbun'' , between 1926 and 1927. It has been re-released in book format in 1927 and 1933. Yo ...

. The lead star is

Masakazu Tamura was a Japanese film and theatre actor. Profile Masakazu Tamura was born 1 August 1943 in Kyoto, Japan to Japanese actor Tsumasaburō Bandō. Tsumasaburō Bandō died when Tamura was only nine years old. His brothers Takahiro and Ryō are also ...

. Norizuki is an

Oniwaban The or was a group of government-employed undercover agents (''onmitsu''), established by the 8th Tokugawa ''shōgun'', Tokugawa Yoshimune (1684–1751). They were under the direct command of the shōgun and were in charge of undercover intellig ...

Tokugawa Shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate (, Japanese 徳川幕府 ''Tokugawa bakufu''), also known as the , was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Tokugawa-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia ...

. He goes to Awa Province to investigate a conspiracy in the Tokushima Han. There was a remake broadcast in 2018.

Cast

as Norizuki Gennojō * Kyoko Mitsubayashi as Otsuna *

Mieko Harada is a Japanese actress from Tokyo. She has played various roles in many motion pictures, television shows and television dramas since her debut in 1974. Career Harada most notably portrayed Lady Kaede in Akira Kurosawa's 1985 film ''Ran'', and ...

as Chie *

Kō Nishimura was a Japanese actor who appeared in supporting roles in such films as Akira Kurosawa's ''The Bad Sleep Well'' and '' Yojimbo'', Kihachi Okamoto's ''Sword of Doom'', Yoshitaro Nomura's ''Zero Focus'', and Kon Ichikawa's '' The Burmese Harp'' ( ...

as Yoami *

Hideo Takamatsu was a Japanese actor from Nankoku, Kōchi Prefecture. Takamatsu appeared in more than 120 films between 1948 and 2007. Profile In 1951, he signed his contract with Daiei film company. Two years later, Takamatsu made his film debut with ''Ikare ...

as Tendō Ikkaku * Takashi Yamaguchi as

Hiraga Gennai was a Japanese polymath and ''rōnin'' of the Edo period. Gennai was a Pharmacology, pharmacologist, student of ''Rangaku'', physician, author, painter and inventor well known for his ''Elekiter, Erekiteru'' (electrostatic generator), ''Kandan ...

Asami Kobayashi Asami Kobayashi (; born 29 November 1953), which is the stage name for Toshiko Tanabe (), is a Japanese singer, actress and model. Life and career Born in Kōriyama, Kobayashi started her career as an idol while still at high school; she ma ...

as Oyone *

Takeshi Kusaka was a Japanese actor and voice actor from Toshima, Tokyo. He was the founder of the Shiki Theatre Company. He remarried with actress Fujiko Kimura in 2010. Roles Live action films *'' Assassination'' (1964) ( Narahara Shigeru) *'' Honoo to onna ...

as Zeami * Reo Morimoto as Mankichi *

Shinjirō Ehara was a Japanese actor. Ehara joined Toei Company and began his acting career with"Nagurikomi Nijyuohachinin shu". In 1957, he won Elan d'or Award for Newcomer of the Year. He died on 27 September 2022, aged 85. Selected filmography Film *''Jun'a ...

Magobei *

Ichirō Arishima was a Japanese comedian and actor. Nicknamed "The Japanese Chaplin", he is best known outside Japan for his appearance as Tako, the promoter of King Kong in ''King Kong vs. Godzilla'' (1962). Arishima's real name was Tadao Oshima. He was bor ...

as Monji no Tora * Takuzō Kakuno *

Kōjirō Kusanagi was a Japanese actor. Biography He began acting at the Yoshi Hijikatas theatre Company after dropping out of Nihon University. Kusanagi made his film debut in 1953 in ''Yoake Mae'' directed by Kōzaburō Yoshimura. In 1956, he starred in ''Dar ...

as Togashi * Seiji Matsuyama as Hayashi Keinosuke

References

1978 Japanese television series debuts 1970s drama television series Jidaigeki television series {{Japan-tv-prog-stub