The NHK Taiga drama "BROTHERS IN ARMS （Toyotomi Brothers!）", starring actor Nakano Taiga (NHK General, Sundays at 8 PM, etc.), featured the first appearance of Mori Ran, played by Ichikawa Danko, in its 25th episode, "Omens of Disaster," which aired on June 28th. Mori Ran, generally known as "Mori Ranmaru," is a familiar figure to history buffs as a close retainer of Oda Nobunaga. He is said to have lost his life along with Nobunaga in the "Honnoji Incident," and is often depicted as a "beautiful young man" in fiction. Let's take a look back at who has been cast in this "beautiful young man" role in past Taiga dramas.
◇In the 1996 production of "Hideyoshi," Masahiro Matsuoka played Ranmaru.
The Taiga drama series, which began in 1963 and boasts a long history, first featured Takao Kataoka (at the time) as Mori Ranmaru. This was in the 1965 series "Taikoki".
Subsequently, Hisayuki Nakajima played Ranmaru in "Kunitori Monogatari" (1973), Yo Morishita in "Onna Taikoki" (1981), Ayumu Tsuchiya in "Tokugawa Ieyasu" (1983), Manabu Uchiike in "Kasuga no Tsubone" (1989), and Taro Ishino in "Nobunaga: KING OF ZIPANGU" (1992). Masahiro Matsuoka also played Ranmaru in "Hideyoshi" (1996).
In the 2000s, Eiji Wentz first played Ranmaru in the 2002 drama "Toshiie to Matsu." Following that, Dai Watanabe played Ranmaru in the 2006 drama "Komyo ga Tsuji," and then in the 2011 drama "Go: Hime-tachi no Sengoku,"Koji Seto made his debut in a period drama playing Ranmaru.
Then, in 2014, Hayato Kakizawa played the role of Ranmaru in "Gunshi Kanbei." Furthermore, in 2020, Mizuki Itagaki played Ranmaru, adding a special touch to the final episodes.
The previous historical drama set in the Sengoku period, following "BROTHERS IN ARMS （Toyotomi Brothers!）", was "What Will Ieyasu Do?" in 2023. In this drama, Riku Onishi, a former child actor, appeared under the name Ran Mori. The character's tagline was "Nobunaga's page who accompanied him to the end of his life."
Incidentally, three years later, Onishi made a comeback to the Taiga drama series in "BROTHERS IN ARMS （Toyotomi Brothers!）". He appeared in the drama from episode 25, "Omen of Disturbance," playing the grown-up Yoichiro Hashiba.
◇"Mori Ran" Ichikawa Danko talks about the fateful "Honnoji Incident"
Dango, who plays Mori Ran in "BROTHERS IN ARMS （Toyotomi Brothers!）", is a rising star in the Kabuki world, also known as the eldest son of Teruyuki Kagawa. He is currently 22 years old, and this will be his first appearance in a Taiga drama.
Mori Ran is the third son of Mori Yoshinari and a young retainer of Nobunaga. In his first appearance in episode 25, "Omens of Disaster," he played an active role in the sumo wrestling scene, understanding Nobunaga's intentions and defeating senior retainers such as Hayashi Hidetada (played by Suwa Taro), Sakuma Nobumori (played by Tetsushi Tanaka), and Ando Morinari (played by Tanaka Tetsushi), thus playing a part in the banishment.
Only a short time remained until the fateful "Honnoji Incident"...
Dango revealed, "After Mitsuhide's betrayal, Nobunaga cut down many enemies in the raging flames, and when I rushed to his side, exhausted both physically and mentally, and saw his lonely expression, I thought from the bottom of my heart, 'At this final moment, I will do everything I can to make sure he can rest in peace.'" He continued, "When Nobunaga was finally about to commit suicide, a wave of emotions washed over me one after another: my gratitude to Nobunaga, my sense of duty as a samurai to face his death with dignity, and yet, the overwhelming feeling that I didn't want my lord to die. It was at this moment that I witnessed my lord's final moments."
Dango continued, "I hope that the emotional struggles of Mori Ran will be conveyed to everyone who watches." Mori Ran's final moments are also something to look forward to. (Fumio Kishitani/MANTANWEB)
