The sixth episode, "Brotherly Bonds," of the historical drama "Toyotomi Brothers!" (NHK General TV, Sundays at 8 p.m. and other times), starring actor Nakano Taiga, will be broadcast on February 15th. This will be the first episode in two weeks following a hiatus due to the House of Representatives election, and Chief Producer Matsukawa Hirotaka, who oversees production, spoke about the background behind the casting of Oguri Shun, who plays Oda Nobunaga, the "lonely charismatic leader who aims to unify the country" and one of the main cast members who has enlivened the drama so far.
"Toyotomi Brothers!" is the 65th taiga drama. It depicts the miracle of the Toyotomi brothers, Hidenaga (Koichiro) and his older brother Hideyoshi (Tōkichirō), who achieve the great feat of unifying the country through their strong bond. It is also available on NHK ONE, and the four episodes aired in January have been viewed a total of 4,059,000 times (based on the number of views within the seven days of each episode's broadcast).
"Toyotomi Brothers!" will be Oguri's 10th taiga drama. He will play Nobunaga, a charismatic military commander who expanded his territory with bold and innovative strategies and exceptional leadership, and aimed to unify the country under the slogan "Tenka Fubu" (Unifying the World with Military Power). He is the absolute lord of the brothers Koichiro (Nakano) and Tōkichirō (Ikematsu Sosuke), who are striving to rise in their careers.
However, he has a bitter past in which he killed his younger brother Nobukatsu (played by Motoki Nakazawa) with his own hands during a rival battle for the head of the family. This trauma was depicted at the end of the fourth episode, "Okehazama!", which aired on January 25th, but according to Matsukawa, it will be revealed again in the sixth episode, "Brotherly Bonds."
So why was Oguri chosen to play the role of Nobunaga, who carries such a bitter past and the scars from that time in his heart?
Matsukawa explained the reason for choosing Oguri, saying, "I chose him because he can express both 'humanity and weakness' and also give off a sense of 'power and determination.'"
"As you all have noticed, this work contrasts the Toyotomi brothers with the Oda brothers. Currently, the relationship between the Oda brothers is that of Ichi (played by Miyazaki Aoi) and Nobunaga, but before that there was the tragic relationship between brothers, that of Nobukatsu and Nobunaga. Many people have played the role of Oda Nobunaga in historical dramas, and I'm sure each person has their own image of Nobunaga, but I think Oguri was the perfect choice for the role in 'Toyotomi Brothers!' He is very powerful and scary, but he also exudes a sense of weakness and a certain friendliness, which I think is very Oguri-like," he concluded.
