is a 2011 Japanese historical drama television series and the 50th NHK taiga drama. It was written for television by Kumiko Tabuchi,大河ドラマ第50 作江（ごう）　姫たちの戦国
. based on her own novel of the same name. The drama stars

Juri Ueno is a Japanese actress. She first gained recognition in the 2005 film '' Swing Girls'' where she was a recipient of Newcomer of the Year prize at the Japanese Academy Awards. Ueno achieved mainstream success for playing the titular role in the li ...

in the title role, with Rie Miyazawa and Asami Mizukawa as

Cha-cha Cha-Cha, Cha Cha, ChaCha or Chacha may refer to: Music *Cha-cha-cha (dance), a dance of Cuban origin *Cha-cha-cha (music), a genre of Cuban music * ''Cha Cha'' (album), a 1978 album by Herman Brood & His Wild Romance * ''Cha Cha'' (soundtrack), t ...

and

Hatsu Hatsu is both a Japanese surname and a unisex Japanese given name, meaning "beginning". Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese manga artist *, Japanese wrestler *, Japanese politician *, Japanese teacher, journalist and politician *Hats ...

respectively, the sisters of Gō. The series was criticized by viewers for being "dark" and "boring", and it received two '' Shinchō'' Razzie Awards for Worst TV Series and Worst Actress (Juri Ueno).

Plot

At the center of a network of powerful warriors, the title character is Oeyo, also known as Ogō. The series carries the subtitle ''Himetachi no Sengoku'' (), spotlighting the ladies of the

Sengoku period The was a period in Japanese history of near-constant civil war and social upheaval from 1467 to 1615. The Sengoku period was initiated by the Ōnin War in 1467 which collapsed the feudal system of Japan under the Ashikaga shogunate. Variou ...

. Gō was a daughter of Oichi, the sister of

Oda Nobunaga was a Japanese '' daimyō'' and one of the leading figures of the Sengoku period. He is regarded as the first "Great Unifier" of Japan. Nobunaga was head of the very powerful Oda clan, and launched a war against other ''daimyō'' to unif ...

. Oichi was the wife of Sengoku ''

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 nominall ...

'' Azai Nagamasa. The couple had three daughters. The first,

Yodo-dono or (1569 – June 4, 1615) was a prominently placed figure in the late- Sengoku period. She was the daughter of Oichi and sister of Ohatsu and Oeyo. She was a concubine and second wife of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who was then the most powerfu ...

, became the second wife of

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

and mother of his successor Hideyori. The second, Ohatsu, married another Sengoku daimyo, Kyōgoku Takatsugu. The third daughter was Gō. She was the first wife of Saji Kazunari. However, he joined forces with

Tokugawa Ieyasu was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan, which ruled Japan from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was one of the three "Great Unifiers" of Japan, along with his former lord Oda Nobunaga and fel ...

in the Battle of Komaki and Nagakute, and opponent

forced them to divorce. Her second husband, Toyotomi Hidekatsu, was a nephew of Hideyoshi, but died in the Japanese invasions of Korea. Finally, Gō married Tokugawa Hidetada, the second

Tokugawa shogun 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' ...

, and gave birth to his successor Iemitsu as well as his brother Tadanaga. Her two daughters were Senhime, who married Hideyori, and

Masako Masako (written: , , or in hiragana) is a feminine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: * *, (1888–1940), 6th daughter of Emperor Meiji *, Japanese long-distance runner *Masako Ebisu (born 1945), Japanese voice actress *, ...

(Kazuko), consort of Emperor Go-Mizunoo. Moreover, her granddaughter ascended the throne as Empress Meishō.

Cast

Principal

as Gō, youngest daughter of Azai Nagamasa, mother of Iemitsu * Rie Miyazawa as

, oldest daughter of Azai Nagamasa * Asami Mizukawa as

, older sister of Gō

Azai Family

* Mana Ashida as young Cha-cha * Honami Suzuki as Ichi, mother of Gō * Saburō Tokitō as Azai Nagamasa, father of Gō * Minori Terada as Azai Hisamasa, father of Azai Nagamasa, grandfather of Go *Masayuki Yui as Akao Kiyotsuna

Oda Family

Etsushi Toyokawa is a Japanese actor. Biography Born in Yao, Osaka, he studied at Shimizudani High School, and eventually dropped out of Kwansei Gakuin University to pursue a career in acting. He began by joining the sho-gekijo theatrical troupe "Under Thir ...

, brother of Ichi, uncle of Gō *

Ayumi Tanida is a feminine Japanese given name. It is rarely used as a surname. Possible writings Ayumi can be written using different kanji characters and can mean: *歩み, "course" "walking" "progress" ;as a given name *歩, "progress", "walking", "a ste ...

as Oda Nobutada, eldest son of Oda Nobunaga *

Yūta Yamazaki Yūta, Yuta or Yuuta is a common masculine Japanese given name. Possible writings Yūta can be written using different combinations of kanji characters. Some examples: *勇太, "courage, thick" *勇汰, "courage, excessive" *勇多, "courage, ...

as Oda Nobukatsu, second son of Oda Nobunaga *

Yūta Kanai is a Japanese actor. Filmography Film *''A Class to Remember IV'' (2000), Daisuke Kawashima *'' L: Change the WorLd'' (2008) *'' Confessions'' (2010) *'' From Me to You'' (2010) *'' 64: Part I'' (2016) *'' 64: Part II'' (2016) *''Fragments of th ...

as Oda Nobutaka, third son of Oda Nobunaga *Takashi Kobayashi as Oda Nobukane, uncle of Gō

Vassal of Oda Family

* Yasuo Daichi as Shibata Katsuie *Keisaku Wada as Maeda Toshiie **Shun Ōide as Old Toshiie * Takehiro Hira as Saji Kazunari, cousin of three sisters *Yoshiharu Takeda as Ikeda Tsuneoki * Jundai Yamada as Sakuma Morimasa * Kōji Seto as Mori Ranmaru * Shōta Sometani as Mori Bōmaru * Shōgo Sakamoto as Mori Rikimaru

Akechi Family

* Masachika Ichimura as

Akechi Mitsuhide , first called Jūbei from his clan and later from his title, was a Japanese ''samurai'' general of the Sengoku period best known as the assassin of Oda Nobunaga. Mitsuhide was a bodyguard of Ashikaga Yoshiaki and later a successful general under ...

, a general under Oda Nobunaga * Mimura as Hosokawa Gracia, a daughter of Akechi Mitsuhide *Yū Kamio as

Saitō Toshimitsu was a Japanese samurai of the Sengoku period. He was a castle commander of Kuroi Castle. He was a retainer of Inaba Ittetsu, but later joined Akechi Mitsuhide. Oda Nobunaga was not pleased that Toshimitsu chose to work under Mitsuhide, an ...

Toyotomi Family The was a Japanese clan that ruled over the Japanese before the Edo period. Unity and conflict The most influential figure within the Toyotomi was Toyotomi Hideyoshi, one of the three "unifiers of Japan". Oda Nobunaga was another primary u ...

* Gorō Kishitani as

, vassal of Oda Nobunaga * Shinobu Otake as

One 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

, legal wife of Toyotomi Hideyoshi * Tomoko Naraoka as

Naka Naka may refer to: Places in Japan * Naka, Hyōgo, a former town in Hyōgo Prefecture * Naka, Ibaraki, a city in Ibaraki Prefecture * Naka, Tokushima, a town in Tokushima Prefecture * Naka District, Ibaraki, a district in Ibaraki Prefecture * Nak ...

, mother of Toyotomi Hideyoshi * Yukiya Kitamura as

Toyotomi Hidetsugu was a daimyō 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 atrociti ...

, a nephew and retainer of Toyotomi Hideyoshi *Yoshihiko Hakamada as Hashiba Hidenaga, Toyotomi Hidenaga *

Taiga Taiga (; rus, тайга́, p=tɐjˈɡa; relates to Mongolic and Turkic languages), generally referred to in North America as a boreal forest or snow forest, is a biome characterized by coniferous forests consisting mostly of pines, spruces ...

as Toyotomi Hideyori * Shiori Kutsuna as Senhime * Sawa Suzuki as

Kyōgoku Tatsuko (? – October 22, 1634) was a Japanese woman who lived from the Sengoku period to the early Edo period. She was the younger sister of Kyōgoku Takatsugu. She was first the wife of Wakasa ''daimyō'' Takeda Motoaki, but after his death she be ...

Vassal of Toyotomi Family

* Masato Hagiwara as

Ishida Mitsunari Ishida Mitsunari (, 1559 – November 6, 1600) 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 ...

*Toshio Shiba as Kuroda Kanbei * Shinji Takeda as Ōno Harunaga

Tokugawa Family The is a Japanese dynasty that was formerly a powerful ''daimyō'' family. They nominally descended from Emperor Seiwa (850–880) and were a branch of the Minamoto clan (Seiwa Genji) through the Matsudaira clan. The early history of this clan r ...

* Kin'ya Kitaōji as

, father of Tokugawa Hidetada * Osamu Mukai as Tokugawa Hidetada, third son of Tokugawa Ieyasu *Kayo Asano as Lady Tsukiyama *Shōgo Kimura as Tokugawa Nobuyasu, eldest son of Tokugawa Ieyasu *

Yasuko Tomita is a Japanese actress. She won the Award for Best Newcomer at the 6th Yokohama Film Festival and at the 8th Japan Academy Prize for '' Aiko 16 sai''. She also won the award for best actress at the 9th Yokohama Film Festival for ''Bu Su''. In 1 ...

as Fuku *Naoto Kinosaki as Takechiyo *Tomoyuki Imagawa as Kunimatsu *Kaito Kobayashi as Hoshina Kōmatsu * Mone Kamishiraishi as Masa

Vassal of Tokugawa Family

* Masao Kusakari as Honda Masanobu *Shunsuke Kariya as Honda Tadakatsu *Ken'ichi Sakuragi as Sakai Tadatsugu

Others

* Motoya Izumi 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.Ackroyd, ...

, the 15th shogun of the Ashikaga shogunate *Jin Nakayama as Asakura Yoshikage * Kōji Ishizaka as Sen no Rikyū, famous tea masters *Manabu Hamada as Sanada Yukimura * Tatsumi Fujinami as Sanada Masayuki * Takumi Saito as Kyōgoku Takatsugu *Akira Hamada as Mōri Terumoto *Koji Shimizu as Hōjō Ujimasa *Nobuyoshi Hisamatsu as

Takeda Katsuyori was a Japanese '' daimyō'' of the Sengoku period, who was famed as the head of the Takeda clan and the successor to the legendary warlord Takeda Shingen. He was son in law of Hojo Ujiyasu. Early life He was the son of Shingen by the daugh ...

Production

''Gō'' was announced as the 50th taiga drama by the NHK on June 17, 2009, to be based on the novel of the same name by Kumiko Tabuchi, who is also the writer for the drama. Tabuchi, composer Ryō Yoshimata, and actress Tomoko Naraoka all previously worked on the 47th taiga drama '' Atsuhime'' in 2008. With the success of ''Atsuhime'', Tabuchi was asked in the middle of its run if she can write a series about Gō and her sisters, to which she agreed to. Though she began to write the teleplays for ''Gō'' in 2008, she would decide to complete the novel first before continuing to write the scripts. The usual taiga drama production would first have one-third of the expected number of scripts finished before shooting begins. Afterwards, audience reception is taken into account as the rest of the series is written.

Production credits

*Sword fight arranger - Kunishirō Hayashi

Episode list

The first and last episodes are 73 minutes long. The rest are 45 minutes long without commercials.

Reception

Though ''Gō'' was rigorous in trying to achieve an accurate depiction of Japanese history, it was reported to have been negatively received by viewers, who complained about the series being "dark" and "boring".

Soundtrack

*''NHK Taiga Drama Gō: Hime-tachi no Sengoku, Original Soundtrack'' (February 16, 2010)

Bibliography

;Official guide *''NHK Taiga Drama Story Gō First Volume'' (December 18, 2010) *''NHK Taiga Drama Story Gō Latter Volume'' (May 29, 2011) *''NHK Taiga Drama, Historical Handbook, Gō'' (December 21, 2010) ;Novel *''Gō First Volume'' (October 31, 2009) *''Gō Last Volume'' (January 29, 2010) *''Gō, New Edition, First Volume'' (November 12, 2010) *''Gō, New Edition, Latter Volume'' (November 12, 2010) *''Gō, New Edition, Last Volume'' (November 12, 2010) ;Comic *''Gō 1'' (December 20, 2010) *''Gō 2'' (April 13, 2011)

Accolades

References

External links

NHK website

* < Ryōmaden , Taiga drama , Taira no Kiyomori > {{DEFAULTSORT:Go (Tv Series) Taiga drama 2011 Japanese television series debuts 2011 Japanese television series endings Jidaigeki Television series about sisters Television series set in the 16th century Television series set in the 17th century Cultural depictions of Akechi Mitsuhide Cultural depictions of Oda Nobunaga Cultural depictions of Sanada clan Cultural depictions of Toyotomi Hideyoshi Cultural depictions of Tokugawa Ieyasu Television shows set in Osaka Television shows set in Shiga Prefecture