<figure id="attachment_460220" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-460220" style="width: 849px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="33fc3709"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/03/f9ea2c844acebf160fb15a15968e087d.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-460220" class="wp-caption-text">The show has been doing well, maintaining double-digit viewer ratings through March 1 (from the program&#8217;s official X@nhk_toyotomi).</figcaption></figure>
<h3><span class="strongInContent"> The performances of the two main actors have been well received.</span></h3>
<p> NHK&#8217;s popular historical drama &#8220;Toyotomi Brothers! . depicts the royalistic Warring States period in a straightforward manner and has firmly captured the hearts of Taiga fans. Household viewer ratings remained in double digits for the first time in three years until March 1.</p>
<p> In particular, many in the industry are praising Taiga Nakano (33), who plays the lead role of Hidenaga Toyotomi. Since he had not yet had much experience as a leading actor, many were concerned before the broadcast <span class="strongInContent">, wondering if he would really be able to play the role</span>. However, after opening the door, everyone seemed to be drawn in by her performance, <span class="strongInContent">saying that &#8220;Nakano is even better than expected&#8221; and &#8220;the balance between comical and serious is amazing.</span></p>
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<p> However, it was only Toyotomi Hideyoshi who unified the country. The younger brother Hidenaga, played by Nakano, supports his elder brother. The most difficult role is that of Sousuke Ikematsu (35), who plays Hideyoshi. He is required to give off the aura of a future ruler while at the same time not standing out too much from the leading role, but so far he has done an excellent job of it.</p>
<p> A TV magazine writer commented on Ikematsu&#8217;s acting ability as follows.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> Ikematsu is the complete opposite of Hideyoshi, and as an actor he has been on an elite career path. His film debut was Tom Cruise&#8217;s &#8220;The Last Samurai&#8221; (&#8217;03). He was highly acclaimed for his brilliant performance as a sensitive young boy who has a heart-to-heart talk with Tom. I don&#8217;t know about young people these days, but there is no one in the industry who doesn&#8217;t know about his enormous achievement. I think he was not only a top-ranked actor, but had only been offered major roles since he was a young man.</span></p>
<p> However, it seems that Ikematsu himself did not have that luxury at all. A writer who has been covering Ikematsu for many years says, &#8220;The first time I interviewed Ikematsu was when I was a student at the University of Tokyo.</p>
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<p><span class="strongInContent"> The first time I interviewed Ikematsu was shortly after he graduated from university. At the time, I still had a strong image of him as &#8220;that girl from The Last Samurai,&#8221; and I thought he had a lot of leeway (laughs).</span></p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> (Laughs.) However, when I interviewed him, I found that he was full of a sense of crisis. She had a very low self-esteem and said, &#8220;I have to survive somehow,&#8221; without smiling, and I could sense that she was extremely impatient. I felt that he was just overvalued by &#8220;The Last Samurai,&#8221; and that he was not really capable. I got the impression that he doubted himself more than anyone else.</span></p>
<p> In fact, despite his name value, Ikematsu at this time was appearing in a series of low-key films that did not attract much attention, and he seemed to be daring to avoid the sunlight. However, when she entered her late 20s, a change occurred.</p>
<div data-friday-nextpage-lead=" She became a different person."></div>
<h3><span class="strongInContent">I guess I&#8217;ve been completely liberated.&#8221;</span></h3>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> He was a different person. He looked glistening and hot, and his eyes looked straight at me and were powerful. He seemed to have had a change of heart, saying, &#8220;I was afraid of mainstream productions, because the success or failure of the hit would be seen in a big way, but I decided to take on the challenge.</span></p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> Right around this time, the drama series &#8220;MOZU&#8221; (&#8217;14, WOWOW, TBS), in which he appeared, became a big hit, and Ikematsu, who played a ruthless hit man, attracted a lot of attention. That was a reputation that had nothing to do with &#8220;The Last Samurai,&#8221; so perhaps he has finally been freed from the spell.</span></p>
<p> That is why Ikematsu is deeply moved by the fact that he has reached the semi-leading role in the NHK Taiga Drama, which can be considered the ultimate mainstream drama, and says, &#8220;I <span class="strongInContent">&#8216;ve climbed the ladder.</span></p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> He said, &#8220;I&#8217;ve been completely liberated. I guess I no longer doubt my talent. Incidentally, I had the opportunity to interview him again later, when he was in his 30s, and he was completely calm and relaxed. He talked passionately about acting, but when I asked him about his love life, he suddenly turned into a loser. It was funny to hear him say in a hushed voice, &#8216;Ehhh, I don&#8217;t understand it well,'&#8221; (laughs).</span></p>
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<p> Takahiko Kageyama, professor of media creation at Doshisha Women&#8217;s University, said <span class="strongInContent">, &#8220;Sousuke Ikematsu is my favorite actor, and I have been watching his works for a long time</span>.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> In the drama &#8220;Umi no Hajimari&#8221; starring Ren Meguro, he played the difficult role of a colleague who was actually deeply in love with the deceased woman played by Kotone Furukawa, and it was very impressive.</span></p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> The appeal of Mr. Ikematsu&#8217;s performance is his ability to delicately express the loneliness and sadness that lies deep within, despite his seemingly bright and pop-like performance. He is the kind of actor that makes filmmakers want him to play difficult roles. It seems to me that many of the roles he has played so far have been difficult ones. His acting ability is probably due to the fact that he struggled with various thoughts and feelings when he was young. I can see some overlap with Yuya Yagira.</span></p>
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<p> However, some fans say that Hideyoshi&#8217;s current role is &#8220;too light&#8221; for Ikematsu, who has played so many difficult roles in the past. Mr. Kageyama is not worried about this point either.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> Ikematsu-san, who plays the young Hideyoshi, may be lacking in some areas from the point of view of the royal fans,&#8221; he said. But I think the people casting the film thought it over before casting Mr. Ikematsu. The current Hideyoshi is probably a &#8220;stepping stone&#8221; for the more serious character he will play later in the film,&#8221; said Kageyama.</span></p>
<p> It will be interesting to see how he plays Hideyoshi as he rises to prominence in the future.</p>

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<div data-friday-nextpage-lead=" [Image] This magazine directly asked about his friendship with Yumi Kawai!"></div>
<figure id="attachment_448432" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-448432" style="width: 1290px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="d5086048"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2025/12/97303edb150ead25818fdbb82ff27bee.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-448432" class="wp-caption-text">Ikematsu was interviewed directly by &#8220;FRIDAY&#8221; in late November &#8217;25. He was on his way to the location for &#8220;Toyotomi Brothers! The relationship is going well? He was on his way to the location of &#8220;Toyotomi Brothers! he answered, &#8220;Yes, we are.</figcaption></figure>
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<figure id="attachment_448434" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-448434" style="width: 2433px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="ff925863"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2025/12/e5fc2463d29a674cadda77b6f28825f7.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-448434" class="wp-caption-text"> Yumi Kawai (25) emerged from the same apartment as Ikematsu in November &#8217;25 (from the December 12, &#8217;25 issue).</figcaption></figure>
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<figure id="attachment_448436" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-448436" style="width: 1532px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="445beb47"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2025/12/763c98d403604005d995b60625898396.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-448436" class="wp-caption-text"> Kawai, who was touring in the main region of Japan, got into a cab and left with a large suitcase in her hand, perhaps to pick up her luggage (from the December 12, &#8217;25 issue).</figcaption></figure>


 Nanako

 Takayuki Ogawauchi

 NHK's historical drama "Toyotomi Brothers! is doing well. The drama has been attracting attention not only for its lead actor, Taga Nakano, but also for the performance of Sousuke Ikematsu, who plays Hideyoshi. However, it seems that Ikematsu once suffered from the "Last Samurai" curse. ......

The complete opposite of Hideyoshi, the man who rose to the top!　How Sousuke Ikematsu was &#8220;released&#8221; from &#8220;The Last Samurai&#8217;s Curse&#8221;.

The complete opposite of Hideyoshi, the man who rose to the top!　How Sousuke Ikematsu was “released” from “The Last Samurai’s Curse”.

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The complete opposite of Hideyoshi, the man who rose to the top! How Sousuke Ikematsu was “released” from “The Last Samurai’s Curse”.

Access Ranking

The complete opposite of Hideyoshi, the man who rose to the top!　How Sousuke Ikematsu was “released” from “The Last Samurai’s Curse”.