is a Japanese television jidaigeki or period drama that was broadcast in 1979. It is based on

Jirō Osaragi was the pen-name of a popular Japanese writer in Shōwa period Japan, known primarily for his historical fiction novels, which appeared serialized in newspapers and magazines. His real name was . Early life Osaragi Jirō was born in Yokohama. H ...

's novel of the same title. It depicts the story of the revenge of the forty-seven rōnin of Ako against Lord Kira from Hotta Hayato's point of view.

Kaneto Shindo was a Japanese film director, screenwriter, film producer, and writer, who directed 48 films and wrote scripts for 238. His best known films as a director include '' Children of Hiroshima'', '' The Naked Island'', '' Onibaba'', '' Kuroneko'' a ...

was in charge of the script for several episodes.

Plot

Set in the eighteenth century, during the reign of the fifth Tokugawa shōgun

Tokugawa Tsunayoshi was the fifth ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa dynasty of Japan. He was the younger brother of Tokugawa Ietsuna, as well as the son of Tokugawa Iemitsu, the grandson of Tokugawa Hidetada, and the great-grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu.Nussbaum, Louis- ...

. Akō-han is demolished by the Tokugawa shogunate. Hotta Hayato is a ronin who is living a desperate life because of his sad past. But one day he starts working for Chisaka Takafusa, the Chief retainer(

Karō were top-ranking samurai officials and advisors in service to the ''daimyōs'' of feudal Japan. Overview In the Edo period, the policy of ''sankin-kōtai'' (alternate attendance) required each ''daimyō'' to place a ''karō'' in Edo and anothe ...

) of the

Uesugi clan The is a Japanese samurai clan which was at its peak one of the most powerful during the Muromachi period, Muromachi and Sengoku periods (14th to 17th centuries).Georges Appert, Appert, Georges. (1888) ''Ancien Japon,'' p. 79./ref> At its heigh ...

. The Uesugi clan and Chisaka are wary of

Ōishi Kuranosuke Oishi may refer to: * Ōishi (surname), a Japanese surname * Oishi (Philippine brand), a snack company from the Philippines * Oishi Group, a Thai food-and-drink company * Ōishi Station, a train station in Nada-ku, Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japa ...

and Ako Roshi's movements, so Chisaka orders Hotta to observe Ōishi Kuranosuke. But Hotta gradually comes to like the personality of Ōishi and even helps Ōishi.

Cast

Starring role

* Yorozuya Kinnosuke as

* Masakazu Tamura as Hotta Hayato

Asano Clan/ Akō Rōshi

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 fil ...

as Aguri *

Kyōko Kishida was a Japanese actress and voice actress. Biography Kishida was born in Tokyo in 1930 as the second daughter of playwright Kunio Kishida. Her older sister was the children's author and poet Eriko Kishida and she was cousins with actor Shin Ki ...

as Ōishi Riku *

Ken Matsudaira is a Japanese actor and musician from Toyohashi, Aichi, Japan. His real name is . Career In 1974, he joined Shintaro Katsu's production company and made his debut with the television series Zatoichi as a guest. For a quarter of a century, h ...

as Asano Takumi no Kami *

Kohji Moritsugu is a Japanese actor best known for his role as Dan Moroboshi in ''Ultraseven''. Filmography Films *''The Music'' (1972) *'' Zero Fighter Burns'' (1984) *'' Furimukeba Ai'' (1984) *'' Robot Carnival'' (1987) - Protagonist in "Presence" segment * ...

as Maehara Isuke * Goro Ibuki as Horibe Yasubei *

Ryosuke Kagawa was a Japanese actor. His son was child actor Sō Shuntarō. He appeared in more than 400 films between 1928 and 1986. His final film role was in the 1986 film ''Dixieland Daimyō'' directed by Kihachi Okamoto. Selected filmography * '' Sto ...

as Horibe Yahei * Kazuo Kitamura as Ōno Kurobei * Genji Kawai as Okuda Magodayou * Rantaro Mine as Hazama Shinroku * Shunya Wazaki as Kataoka Gengoemon *

Kō Nishimura was a Japanese actor. Known in the Western world, West primarily for supporting roles in such films as Akira Kurosawa's ''The Bad Sleep Well'' and ''Yojimbo (film), Yojimbo'', Kihachi Okamoto's ''Sword of Doom'', Yoshitaro Nomura's ''Zero Focus ...

as Onodera Jyounai * Nobuo Kawai as Fujii Mataemon *

Ken Nishida is a Japanese actor and voice actor. He is noted for his roles in ''Return of Ultraman'',西田健
at JMDB (Retrieved on May ...

as Shindo Toshimoto *

Akiji Kobayashi , sometimes credited as Shōji Kobayashi, was a Japanese actor. He attended Nihon University College of Art, but withdrew before completing his degree and joined the Haiyuza Theatre Company in 1949. He made his film debut with ''Satsujin Yogisha' ...

as Hara Sōemon

Uesugi Clan/Kira Clan

So Yamamura , sometimes credited as Satoshi Yamamura, was a Japanese actor and film director. Biography Yamamura was born Koga Hirosada in Tenri, Nara Prefecture, and graduated from the University of Tokyo. In 1942, Yamamura and Isao Yamagata formed the B ...

as Chisaka Takafusa *

Eitaro Ozawa , also credited as Sakae Ozawa (小沢栄), was a Japanese film actor and stage actor and director. He appeared in more than 200 films between 1935 and 1988, directed by notable filmmakers such as Kenji Mizoguchi, Mikio Naruse, Keisuke Kinoshita ...

as Kira Kōzuke no suke * Rokkō Toura as Matsubara * Yūki Meguro as Uesugi Noritsuna *

Yūsuke Kawazu was a Japanese actor. Life and career Kawazu was born in Tokyo on 12 May 1935. While still a student at Keio University, Kawazu signed with Shochiku in 1958 and debuted in Keisuke Kinoshita, Kinoshita's ''The Eternal Rainbow''. He became one o ...

as Kobayashi Haihichi

Tokugawa Shogunate

Katsuo Nakamura is a Japanese actor. Nakamura is a former Kabuki actor as well as his older brother Kinnosuke Nakamura. His first film appearance was in the 1955 film ''Furisode Kenpo''. He won the award for best supporting actor at the 5th Japan Academy Prize ...

Mikio Narita was a Japanese actor. He was most famous for playing villains, and often worked with Kinji Fukasaku. Narita graduated from Haiyuza Theatre Company acting school and joined Daiei Film. His career as a screen actor started in 1963. His film debut ...

Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu was a Japanese samurai of the Edo period. He was an official in the Tokugawa shogunate and a favourite of the fifth shōgun, Tokugawa Tsunayoshi. His second concubine was Ogimachi Machiko, a writer and scholar from the noble court who wr ...

* Shinsuke Mikimoto as Araki Jūzaemon * Shigeru Amachi as Wakizaka Awaji no kami *

Toshiro Mifune was a Japanese actor and producer. The recipient of numerous awards and accolades over a lengthy career, he is widely considered one of the greatest actors of all time. He often played hypermasculine characters and was noted for his commandin ...

as Tachibana Sakon (special appearance)

Others

* Shingo Yamashiro as Maruoka * Junko Miyashita as Ochika * Katsumasa Uchida as Iizawa Shinnosuke *

Nenji Kobayashi is a Japanese actor. He won the award for best supporting actor at the 23rd Japan Academy Prize for ''Poppoya''. Kobayashi signed with Toei in 1961 and started his acting career with small roles. Filmography Film * '' Soshiki Bōryoku'' (19 ...

as Iwase Kageyu *

Mie Nakao Mie Nakao (Japanese: 中尾ミエ; born 6 June 1946 in Kokura) is a Japanese actress and singer. With and she co-starred in the hit 1963 teen movie ''Hai, Hai Sannin Musume'' ("Yes, Yes, The Three Girls"). The three actress became the latest ...

* Yūsuke Takita * Ryunosuke Kaneda as Ryukō * Yutaka Nakajima as Oen * Isamu Nagato as Kumo no Bunjyuro *

Jun Hamamura was a Japanese actor. He appeared in more than 130 films between 1938 and 1995. Selected filmography * ''Wolf The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the grey wolf or gray wolf, is a Canis, canine native to Eurasia and Nor ...

as Hozumi Sōzaemon * Yoshio Inaba as Nakajima Gorosaku *

Hiroki Matsukata , better known by his stage name , was a Japanese actor. He was the son of ''jidaigeki'' actor Jūshirō Konoe and actress Yaeko Mizukawa and has a younger brother, Yūki Meguro, who is also an actor. With ex-wife actress Akiko Nishina he had ...

as Tsuchiya Chikara (special appearance) *

Mayumi Ogawa is a Japanese actress. She won the award for best supporting actress at the 3rd Japan Academy Prize and at the 4th Hochi Film Award for '' Vengeance Is Mine'' and '' The Three Undelivered Letters''. In 2008, Ogawa got ordained as a Shingon Budd ...

as Yougiri Dayou (special appearance)

Episodes

*1, Hana no Ame 花の雨 *2, Toshou Matsu no Dairōka 刃傷松の大廊下 *3, Hiruandon to Neko Hiyōbu 昼行燈と猫兵部 *4, Jorō Gumo 女郎蜘蛛 *5, Fuuno Midareru Akō Jō 風雲乱れる赤穂城 *6, Hokoritakaki Bushi 誇り高き武士 *7, Antō 暗闘 *8, Missho 密書 *9.Ketsudan 決断 *10, Haru no Arashi 春の嵐 *11, Kuranosuke Anstsu 内蔵助暗殺 *12, Ippatsu no Jūsei 一発の銃声 *13, Shiro Akewatashi 城明け渡し *14, Matatabi またたび *15, Bōenkyō 遠眼鏡 *16, Yugao no Onna 夕顔の女 *17, Kinjirareta Koi 禁じられた恋 *18, Semi Shigure 蝉しぐれ *19, Hiren no Omoji 悲恋の大文字 *20, Hotarubi 螢火 *21, Twuioku no Aki 追憶の秋 *22, Kuranosuke Edoe 内蔵助江戸へ *23, Saikai 再会 *24, Jōen *25, Kiratei wo Sagure *26, Yamashina no Wakare *27, Hahato Ko Higan no katami *28, Adauchi eno Kadode *29, Datsuraku suru Seishun *30, Oishi Azumakudari *31, Hissi no Kōbō *32, Shukume no Shitō *33, Uchiiri Zenya 討入り前夜 *34, Iza! Uchiiri いざ! 討入り *35, Akatsuki no Gaisen 暁の凱旋 *36, Genroku Bushidō 元禄武士道

References

1979 Japanese television series debuts 1970s drama television series Jidaigeki television series Television shows based on Japanese novels Television series set in the 17th century {{Japan-tv-prog-stub