The 16th episode of the Taiga drama "BROTHERS IN ARMS （Toyotomi Brothers!）" (NHK General, Sundays at 8 PM, etc.), starring Taiga Nakano, aired on April 26th. The episode depicted Oda Nobunaga's (Shun Oguri) burning of Mount Hiei. Towards the end, Akechi Mitsuhide (Jun Kaname), who had distinguished himself in battle, was granted the land of Sakamoto in Omi by Nobunaga. However, Mitsuhide's feelings were far from calm... We spoke to Jun Kaname, who plays Mitsuhide.
◇Even though he received a reward from Nobunaga, he "didn't feel happy."
"BROTHERS IN ARMS （Toyotomi Brothers!）" is the 65th Taiga drama. With Toyotomi Hidenaga (Koichiro) as the protagonist, it depicts the miraculous feat of unifying Japan together with his older brother Hideyoshi (Tokichiro) through their strong bond, a success story of dreams and hopes.
Mount Hiei, the head temple of the Tendai sect and considered a sacred mountain protecting the capital, was attacked by Nobunaga when it sided with the Asai-Asakura alliance, and he ordered that even women and children be killed. In episode 16, it was striking to see Hideyoshi secretly help the women and children escape, while Mitsuhide followed Nobunaga's orders and killed them.
Kaname confessed the difficulty he faced while playing the role, saying, "There was a huge part of it that I just couldn't accept within myself..." He continued, "At the command of his superior (Nobunaga), he abandons himself and even kills women and children, but I made sure to portray the feeling that he 'didn't really want to do it.' I tried to express the struggles of being a middle manager."
He explained that Mitsuhide's state of mind was "like desperately trying to hold himself together when he was about to collapse." Although his military achievements at Mount Hiei were recognized and he was given the land of Sakamoto in Omi by Nobunaga, he said, "I didn't show any happiness in that scene."
"I confronted Nobunaga, played by Oguri-san, with the intention of submitting my resignation letter saying, 'I'm not doing this anymore.' But Nobunaga knew I had that resignation letter in my pocket, so he kept giving me rewards to prevent me from submitting it. I struggled with that."
On the other hand, he was reprimanded by Ashikaga Yoshiaki (played by Onoe Ukon), whom he greatly admired, for attacking Mount Hiei.
"When I went to see the Shogun (Yoshiaki), he told me something like, 'You're fired.' I wondered what I should have done. I wish I could show the Shogun all my weaknesses, but because I want to protect him, I can't show my weaknesses. That's where the pain comes in."
◇In this version of Mitsuhide, "he is not the type to try to start a rebellion on his own."
Episode 16 was memorable for showing Mitsuhide caught between Nobunaga and Yoshiaki. Some say this episode may have laid the groundwork for the Honnoji Incident that Mitsuhide would later instigate.
"I don't even know which side I should follow from here on out. I think that anguish is really evident in this 16th episode, and I talked a lot with the director about how far we should portray Mitsuhide's weakness. For Mitsuhide, the 16th episode feels like a major turning point. There's still a long way to go to Honnoji Temple, but I think there will be two or three more mountains like this ahead, and by the time we reach Honnoji Temple, they'll be bigger than Mount Fuji (laughs). I think we'll be able to smash them down with a bang."
However, Mitsuhide himself has no intention of taking "that action" yet.
"At this stage, he's probably thinking, 'Why am I the only one going through this?' I think he's still mostly confused. If this trend spreads to other people, he might think, 'Oh, I'm not the only one,' and his anger might subside a little..."
At the time of the interview, Mr. Kaname said he hadn't yet read the script up to the "Honnoji Incident," but he did say some things that seemed like "hints" about what will happen next.
"This version of Mitsuhide is a very patient person, so I don't think he's the type to start a rebellion on his own. I think he wouldn't get that emotionally charged unless someone egged him on. So, I think he would think and think and think until he finally decides, 'Okay, I'll do it.'"
