Matsumoto Jun hugs Yonekura, Kitagawa Keiko has a hand-holding date with DAIGO… Aura photos of famous actors in the Taiga “Douhou Ieyasu”.

2023-01-14

Matsujun and Yonekura Ryoko, who plays Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first shogun of the Edo Shogunate, shake hands firmly; photo taken in November 2004.

In an interview with “Sports Hochi” dated January 5, Matsumoto Jun (39) of Arashi, who plays Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first shogun of the Edo Shogunate, in the 23rd NHK Taiga Drama “Dousuru Ieyasu” (“What to Do”), said the following. [Matsumoto] is the first shogun of the Tokugawa Shogunate.

I think it will be an interesting experience to spend a year playing a military commander that everyone knows. At first I also had the image of Masahiko Tsugawa and Toshiyuki Nishida (who played Ieyasu in the past). I had an image of a tanuki father with good looks. This time Ieyasu is portrayed as a human being with a no-good attitude.

Tokugawa Ieyasu, whom Matsujun fell in love with. In his younger days, Ieyasu seems to have had many hardships, unlike the impression he gives as a “heavenly ruler” who had plenty of time on his hands.

Ieyasu was born into a family of small feudal lords in Mikawa (now Aichi Prefecture). In his childhood, he was taken hostage by the feudal lord Imagawa Yoshimoto (Nomura Mansai in the film), who was said to be “the best archer on the Tokaido. After Yoshimoto was killed in the Battle of Okehazama, he formed an alliance with Nobunaga Oda (Junichi Okada), but they were not equals. He suffered many bitter defeats at the hands of powerful enemies, most notably at the Battle of Mikagahara, where he suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Shingen Takeda (Hiroshi Abe), who was reputed to be the strongest man in the Warring States period, and even prepared to die.

In “What to Do,” Ieyasu, who is at the mercy of the times, is portrayed well. It is the weak part of Ieyasu before he became “Tenkajin. As Mr. Matsumoto said, Ieyasu is not the ‘good-looking raccoon dog father’ of the past, but a ‘human-like’ Ieyasu.

Matsujun’s true face is also very human. It was in November 2004 that he and Yonekura Ryoko were seen hugging and shaking hands firmly.

The two were drinking until dawn with Ittoku Kishibe and Kayoko Kishimoto. Matsujun came out of a fashionable restaurant in Tokyo, shook hands with Yonekura passionately and hugged her.　The expressions on their faces were impressive as they left the place with regret.

Matsujun, with his strong sensibility, would be able to portray Ieyasu’s complicated life.

The most beautiful woman in the Warring States is played by ……

Kitagawa and DAIGO at the beginning of their relationship; they were so in love that they held hands even when they were only 2m away from the entrance of the store to their car!

The cast of “What to Do” is full of great actors. The women supporting Ieyasu are Nanako Matsushima as Ieyasu’s mother, Oodai no Mata, Kasumi Arimura as his regular wife, Sena, and Alice Hirose as his side wife, Oai no Mata. …… The fierce generals under their command are Yuki Yamada as Tadakatsu Honda, Takayuki Yamada as Hanzo Hattori, Yutaka Matsushige as Kazumasa Ishikawa, and Nao Omori as Tadatsugu Sakai. ……

Of particular note is Keiko Kitagawa (36), who plays Oda Nobunaga’s sister, Oichi no Kata.

Oichi is famous as the most beautiful woman of the Warring States period. However, her life was fleeting. Her first husband, Nagamasa Asai (Yusuke Onuki in the film) of Omi (present-day Shiga Prefecture), rebelled against her brother Nobunaga and died in battle. She then married Katsuie Shibata (Mitsuo Yoshihara), a subordinate of Nobunaga, but was destroyed by Hideyoshi Toyotomi (Murotsuyoshi). Oichi no Kataoka became a martyr to Katsuie and committed suicide.

Ms. Kitagawa is perfectly suited for the role of the beautiful but fragile Oichi, as she starred in the movie “First Love,” released in February 2009, and the drama “Rikokatsu” (TBS) in April of the same year, etc. The drama “The School of Themis – Legal Youth White Paper” (Fuji TV), which started in January, was her first starring role in “Tsuki 9”. She has a reputation for being able to handle both lighthearted roles and serious female roles with aplomb. She is the most successful actress in the industry today.

Kitagawa’s success is supported by her husband, DAIGO. Kitagawa gave birth to her first child in September 2008 and returned to work two months later at a super speed that would not have been possible without DAIGO’s support. FRIDAY” frequently caught the two on a hand-holding date just before their marriage, and other scenes of their friendship.

The epic drama of the Warring States period featuring famous actors is finally about to begin, and following “Kamakuradono no 13-nin” in 2010, it is sure to be a big topic of conversation.