is a 1978 Japanese television series. It is the 16th

NHK , also known by its Romanization of Japanese, romanized initialism NHK, is a Japanese public broadcasting, public broadcaster. It is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television licence, television license fee. NHK ope ...

''taiga'' drama, and is based on

Saburo Shiroyama Saburō Shiroyama (城山三郎, b. ''Eiichi Sugiura;'' 8 August 1927 – 22 March 2007) was a Japanese novelist. Shiroyama was born in Aichi Prefecture, and studied economics at Hitotsubashi University. He later taught economics at Nagoya Gaku ...

's novel of the same title. The series is the first ''taiga'' drama to focus on the lives of commoners and merchants, and the first ''taiga'' drama to be filmed outside Japan. It had the average viewership rating of 25.9% with the peak reaching 34.4%. All episodes still exist.

Plot

It depicts the lives of merchants and people of Sakai city in the

Sengoku period The was the period in History of Japan, Japanese history in which civil wars and social upheavals took place almost continuously in the 15th and 16th centuries. The Kyōtoku incident (1454), Ōnin War (1467), or (1493) are generally chosen as th ...

Cast

The People of
Sakai is a city located in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. It has been one of the largest and most important seaports of Japan since the medieval era. Sakai is known for its '' kofun'', keyhole-shaped burial mounds dating from the fifth century. The ''kofun ...

* Ichikawa Somegorō VI as Luzon Sukezaemon **Atsushi Kurimata as young Sukeza *

Komaki Kurihara is a Japanese stage and film actress. She has appeared in 30 films since 1967. She starred in the 1974 film ''Sandakan No. 8'', which was entered into the 25th Berlin International Film Festival. In 1975 she was a member of the jury at the 9th ...

as Mio * Takuzo Kawatani as Sugitana Zenjūbō * Jinpachi Nezu as

Ishikawa Goemon was the leader of a group of bandits during the Azuchi-Momoyama period in Japan. Over time, and especially during the Edo period (1603-1867), his life and deeds became a center of attention, and he became known as a legendary Japanese outlaw h ...

* Kōji Tsuruta as

Sen no Rikyū , also known simply as Rikyū, was a Japanese tea master considered the most important influence on the ''chanoyu'', the Japanese "Way of Tea", particularly the tradition of '' wabi-cha''. He was also the first to emphasize several key aspect ...

Tetsurō Tamba was a Japanese actor with a career spanning five decades. He appeared in nearly 300 film and television productions, both in leading and supporting roles, and was the winner of two Japan Academy Film Prizes. At the height of his career, he wa ...

Imai Sōkyū was a 16th century merchant in the Japanese port town of Sakai, and a master of the tea ceremony. His ''yagō'' was Naya. Biography A relative of the Amago and Sasaki samurai clans, Sōkyū originally came from Yamato Province. After settl ...

*Ryūzō Hayashi as

Imai Sōkun was a prominent weapons merchant in the Japanese port town of Sakai, and master of the Japanese tea ceremony. He was also known by the names Imai Hiratsuna and Imai Kanehisa. Sōkun was the son of weapons merchant and tea master Imai Sōkyū, ...

Masahiko Tsugawa , born Masahiko Katō (加藤雅彦 ''Katō Masahiko''; January 2, 1940 – August 4, 2018) was a Japanese actor and director. Career Tsugawa was born January 2, 1940, in Kyoto, Japan. After acting as a child, he made his major debut at 16 in t ...

as Tsuda Sōgyū

People of Toyotomi clan

Ken Ogata , better known by his stage name , was a Japanese actor. He appeared in more than 50 movies and 25 television series. For his merits and contribution to arts in 2000 received Japan's Medal of Honor with Purple Ribbon. Among many movie awards an ...

Toyotomi Hideyoshi , otherwise known as and , was a Japanese samurai and ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) of the late Sengoku period, Sengoku and Azuchi-Momoyama periods and regarded as the second "Great Unifier" of Japan.Richard Holmes, The World Atlas of Warfare: ...

* Yukiyo Toake as Nene *

Shiho Fujimura Shiho Fujimura (藤村志保 ''Fujimura Shiho'', 3 January 1939 – 12 June 2025) was a Japanese actress. She was given a Special Prize for her career at the 2008 Yokohama Film Festival. Fujimura died on 12 June 2025, at the age of 86. Filmogr ...

Yodo-dono or (1569 – June 4, 1615), also known as Lady Chacha (茶々), was a Japanese historical figure in the late Sengoku period. She was the concubine and the second wife of Japanese ruler Toyotomi Hideyoshi. As the mother of his son and successor ...

* Sakuragi Kenichi as

Toyotomi Hidetsugu was a during the Sengoku period of Japan. He was the nephew and retainer of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the unifier and ruler of Japan from 1590 to 1598. Despite being Hideyoshi's closest adult, male relative, Hidetsugu was accused of atrocities and at ...

* Usui Masaaki as

Maeda Toshiie was one of the leading generals of Oda Nobunaga following the Sengoku period of the 16th century extending to the Azuchi–Momoyama period. His preferred weapon was a yari and he was known as "Yari no Mataza" (槍の又左), Matazaemon (又左 ...

Masaomi Kondō is a Japanese actor. Career Born in Kyoto, Kondō made his film debut in Shohei Imamura's '' The Pornographers'' in 1966. Filmography Films Television References External links Official profile * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kondo, Masaomi 1942 bi ...

Ishida Mitsunari was a Japanese samurai and military commander of the late Sengoku period of Japan. He is probably best remembered as the commander of the Western army in the Battle of Sekigahara following the Azuchi–Momoyama period of the 16th century. He ...

Akira Onodera is a Japanese actor and narrator. He is well known for his role as Denka in '' Taiyō ni Hoero!''. He made his television debut in 1969 with ''Panto Akogare''. In 2015, Onodera won the award for best supporting actor of Tokyo Sports Film Award ...

Konishi Yukinaga Konishi Yukinaga (小西行長, baptized under the Portuguese personal name Agostinho; 1558 – November 6, 1600) was a Japanese daimyō who served under Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Known as a Kirishitan daimyo, he is notable for his role as the ...

Nobuyuki Katsube is a Japanese actor and voice actor. Filmography Film * '' Japan's Longest Day'' (1967) ( Michinori Shiraishi) * '' Violent Cop'' (1989) (Deputy Police Chief Higuchi) * '' Spellbound'' (1999) (Ōta) * '' Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter'' (2014) (S ...

Kuroda Kanbei , also known as , was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the late Sengoku through the early Edo period. Renowned as a man of great ambition, he succeeded Takenaka Hanbei as a chief strategist and adviser to Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Kuroda became a Christia ...

People of Oda clan

* Kōji Takahashi as

Oda Nobunaga was a Japanese ''daimyō'' and one of the leading figures of the Sengoku period, Sengoku and Azuchi-Momoyama periods. He was the and regarded as the first "Great Unifier" of Japan. He is sometimes referred as the "Demon Daimyō" and "Demo ...

Taketoshi Naito was a Japanese actor. He appeared in more than 70 films between 1953 and 2003. He died of lymphoma on 21 August 2012. Selected filmography Film * '' Mahiru no ankoku'' (1956) * ''An Actress'' (1956) - Akio Satomi * '' The Burmese Harp'' (1956) ...

Akechi Mitsuhide , first called Jūbei from his clan and later from his title, was a Japanese ''samurai'' general of the Sengoku period. Mitsuhide was originally a bodyguard of the last Ashikaga shogunate, Ashikaga ''shōgun'' Ashikaga Yoshiaki and later, one of ...

* Kobayashi Kaori as

Oichi was a female historical figure in the late Sengoku period. She is known primarily as the mother of three daughters who became prominent figures in their own right – Yodo-dono, Ohatsu

* Tadashi Okuno as

Oda Nagamasu was a Japanese daimyō and a brother of Oda Nobunaga who lived from the late Sengoku period through the early Edo period. Also known as or , the Tokyo neighborhood Yūrakuchō is named for him. Nagamasu converted to Christianity in 1588 ...

* Saburō Yokō as

Oda Nobukatsu also known as Kitabatake Tomotoyo was a Japanese samurai of the Azuchi–Momoyama period. He was the second son of Oda Nobunaga. He was adopted as the head of the Kitabatake clan from Ise Province. He survived the decline of the Oda clan ...

(Kitabatake Nobukatsu) * Shōken Nitta as

Shibata Katsuie or was a Japanese samurai and military commander during the Sengoku period. He was retainer of Oda Nobuhide. He served Oda Nobunaga as one of his trusted generals, was severely wounded in the 1571 first siege of Nagashima, but then fought ...

* Nagatoshi Sakamoto as

Niwa Nagahide , also known as (), his other legal alias was (), was a Japanese samurai of the Sengoku through Azuchi-Momoyama periods of the 16th century. He served as senior retainer to the Oda clan, and was eventually a daimyō in his own right. Going o ...

People of Hosokawa clan

* Yoko Shimada as

Hosokawa Gracia , usually referred to as , (1563 – 25 August 1600) was a member of the aristocratic Akechi family from the Sengoku period. Gracia is best known for her role in the Battle of Sekigahara; Ishida Mitsunari attempted to take her hostage to s ...

People of Tokugawa clan

Kiyoshi Kodama was a Japanese TV personality and actor. He hosted the Asahi Broadcasting Corporation quiz show '' Panel Quiz Attack 25'' continuously for thirty-six years from its start in April 1975 until he was forced to step down due to poor health at the ...

Tokugawa Ieyasu Tokugawa Ieyasu (born Matsudaira Takechiyo; 31 January 1543 – 1 June 1616) was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan, which ruled from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was the third of the three "Gr ...

Jirō Yabuki also known as Jirō Chiba is a retired Japanese actor. His older brother was Sonny Chiba. He is known for playing the role of Kazuya Taki in the tokusatsu superhero series ''Kamen Rider (1971 TV series), Kamen Rider''. He started his acting car ...

Hattori Hanzō or ''Second Hanzō'', nicknamed , was a famous samurai of the Sengoku era, who served the Tokugawa clan as a general, credited with saving the life of Tokugawa Ieyasu and then helping him to become the ruler of united Japan. He is often a ...

People of Mōri clan

Shigeru Kōyama was a Japanese actor. Career Born in Kure, Hiroshima, Kōyama joined the Bungakuza theatre troupe in 1952, first as a directorial assistant and then as an actor. He made his film debut in 1953 in Tadashi Imai's '' An Inlet of Muddy Water''. H ...

Ankokuji Ekei was a military monk and descendant of the Takeda clan of Aki province. He served the Mōri clan and later the Toyotomi clan. Biography Although it is certain that he was from the Aki Takeda clan, there are various theories about his birth yea ...

Others

*Noboru Matsuhashi as

Ashikaga Yoshiaki "Ashikaga Yoshiaki" in '' The New Encyclopædia Britannica''. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 15th edn., 1992, Vol. 1, p. 625. was the 15th and final ''shōgun'' of the Ashikaga shogunate in Japan who reigned from 1568 to 1573 when he ...

* Vic Vargas * Luis Cangas as Luis Fróis * Matsumoto Kōshirō VIII as Jinbei, Sukezaemon's father * Terumasa Fujima as Sukeza

References

Taiga drama 1978 Japanese television series debuts 1970s drama television series Cultural depictions of Oda Nobunaga Cultural depictions of Tokugawa Ieyasu Cultural depictions of Toyotomi Hideyoshi Cultural depictions of Akechi Mitsuhide Jidaigeki television series {{Japan-tv-prog-stub