The NHK Taiga drama "BROTHERS IN ARMS （Toyotomi Brothers!）" (NHK General, Sundays at 8 PM, etc.), starring actor Taiga Nakano, featured the first appearance of Kanbei Kodera (later known as Kanbei Kuroda), played by Yuki Kura, in its 21st episode, "Turbulent Times! Takeda Castle," which aired on May 31st. When it comes to the role of Kanbei Kuroda in Taiga dramas, the image of Junichi Okada, who starred in the 2014 drama "Gunshi Kanbei," is still very strong. So, let's take a look back at what other actors have played Kanbei in Taiga dramas besides Okada and Kura.
◇After playing "Kanbei," Junichi Okada has had virtually no appearances in the last 10 years?
It is said that there are 22 historical dramas set in the Sengoku period, including "BROTHERS IN ARMS （Toyotomi Brothers!）", which began in 1963. The first "Sengoku Taiga" was "Taikoki" in 1965, in which Takahiro Tamura played the role of Kuroda Kanbei (Takataka).
After that, Kanbei was played by Toru Emori in "Kunitori Monogatari" in 1973, Nobuyuki Katsube in "Ogon no Hibi" in 1978, Yasuyuki Sugano in "Onna Taikoki" in 1981, and Yasunori Irikawa in "Tokugawa Ieyasu" in 1983. After a considerable gap, Masato Ibu took on the role in "Hideyoshi" in 1996, then Yosuke Saito in "Komyo ga Tsuji" in 2006, and Toshio Shiba in "Go: Hime-tachi no Sengoku" in 2011.
Then, in 2014, Okada gave a superb performance in "Gunshi Kanbei." It was at this point that the name "Kuroda Kanbei," who had risen from a supporting role to a leading one, became widely recognized, not just by history buffs.
What about the last 10 years? Looking at the period after "Gunshi Kanbei," although set in the Sengoku period, Kanbei himself did not appear in any of the three dramas: "Sanada Maru" (2016), "Naotora: The Lady Warlord" (2017), and "Dōsuru Ieyasu" (2023). In "Kirin ga Kuru" (2020), he appeared in a Taiga drama for the first time in six years, played by Gaku Hamada, but his appearance was quite limited, only in the final episode.
◇Is Kanbei finally going to be active again? Expectations for Yuki Kura
Considering these circumstances, "BROTHERS IN ARMS （Toyotomi Brothers!）" may be the first historical drama in a long time to feature Kuroda Kanbei in action.
In this series, Kanbei was serving the Kodera family in Harima (western Hyogo Prefecture), the front line of the power struggle between the Oda and Mori clans. However, when Hideyoshi (Sosuke Ikematsu) was put in charge of conquering Harima, Kanbei took the initiative to join Hideyoshi's ranks. He is "another genius strategist" who harbors a rivalry with Takenaka Hanbei (Masaki Suda), and in his first appearance in episode 21, there was a scene depicting him and Hanbei "clashing."
Kura, who plays Kanbei, is currently 26 years old. This year, the films "Love Trial" and "Kyojo Requiem" have already been released, and he is currently appearing in the Kansai TV/Fuji TV drama series "A Vote in the Galaxy." His first starring role in an NHK drama, "One Day Her Panties," also aired recently. Furthermore, he has upcoming projects such as the films "Blue Lock" and "Matching True Love."
"BROTHERS IN ARMS （Toyotomi Brothers!）" is the first historical drama series to feature this character, and we have high hopes that it will carry that momentum into the sixth chapter, "The Conquest of Harima," which began in episode 21. (Fumio Kishitani/MANTANWEB)
