<figure id="attachment_460424" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-460424" style="width: 800px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="51a679af"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/03/d3639248ec030e29da2b93b6c719af3b.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-460424" class="wp-caption-text">Toyotomi Brothers! Sei Shiraishi (left) and Taiga Nakano (right) co-star in</figcaption></figure>
 NHK&#8217;s current historical drama &#8220;Toyotomi Brothers! is about to rewrite the history of historical historical dramas that have been in the doldrums in recent years.
 The overwhelming acting ability of the lead actor, Taiga Nakano (33), which has been called &#8220;Nakano Taiga Gekijo&#8221; (Nakano Taiga Theater), and the intimidating presence of the ruthless Nobunaga, played by Shun Oguri (43), have created a return to the traditional Sengoku period dramas. The show&#8217;s return to the royal road to the Warring States period drama has brought back history fans who had stayed away, and the latest episode (the 9th episode) broadcast on March 8 maintained viewer ratings of more than 10%, showing a solid response.
 However, behind the glamorous front page of the drama, there was a tremendous casting maneuver that put NHK&#8217;s pride on the line and a fierce battle for the next generation of stars&#8217; seats.
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<h2> The performance of a &#8220;hot actress&#8221; making her first appearance in a historical drama was highly acclaimed.</h2>
 Last May, Mei Nagano (26), who was originally cast as the childhood friend of Koichiro (Hidenaga), played by Nakano, dropped out of the drama at the last minute due to the affair scandal. NHK cried out to a major entertainment agency, Flame.
 A source in the entertainment industry who is well versed in the drama&#8217;s production revealed this behind-the-scenes story. Sei Shiraishi (27) was suddenly cast as Nagano&#8217;s understudy.
 The reason behind Shiraishi&#8217;s appointment was that she had to appear in the drama alongside other signature actresses from the same agency, such as Riho Yoshioka (33) and Michiko Kichise (51). However, expectations for Shiraishi are even higher than that. Haruna Kawaguchi, 31, is expected to make a great start as the understudy of Erika Sawajiri, 39, who was cast out of the drama &#8220;Kirin ga Kuru,&#8221; broadcast in 2008. Kawaguchi seized the opportunity and quickly became one of the top actresses in the industry.
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 He continues.
 Shiraishi even kicked out of the drama &#8220;Broadcasting Station Occupation&#8221; (NTV), starring Sho Sakurai (44), which aired in September last year, to concentrate on this film. The commercial broadcasters are in the frustrating situation of having to watch her determination with their fingers crossed.
 As if to back up her determination, viewers praised her acting ability one after another. It is no exaggeration to say that she has been the driving force behind the double-digit viewer ratings since the first episode.
<div data-friday-nextpage-lead=" NHK&#39;s &quot;casting&quot; that set the game in motion."></div>
<h2>Two &#8220;hot stocks&#8221;.</h2>
 In addition to Shiraishi, there are other actors to watch out for in this film. The main attraction is Kazu Inoue, 21, of Nogizaka46, who was chosen to play the role of Chasa, the future Yododono . Although she has little acting experience, she has the talent of having won an audition in which more than 1,600 people participated. Sachinobu Okada , a professor of sociology at Yamato University, analyzes this selection as follows: &#8220;The previous film &#8216;Belabo&#8217; is a very good film, but it is not a good film.
 The previous film, &#8220;Belabo&#8221; was criticized for using too many comedians to create a buzz, so we decided to use a merit-based approach this time around. Ms. Inoue&#8217;s selection was the result of her true face, which she exposed in the audition and which struck a chord with the judges.&#8217; Her schedule will be tight until August 26 or so, but after we expect more inquiries from various stations.&#8221;
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 Another actor who Okada is confident will make it is Rei Matsumoto (25), who plays the role of Mitsunari Ishida in the series. He was cast as a regular cast member in the television series &#8220;Omusubi,&#8221; which aired in 2012, but caused a stir when it was announced that he had been offered the role rather than auditioning for it.
 He is not a member of a major agency, but he won this major role in this film by audition, beating out many other strong actors. His ability is well documented.
 Matsumoto&#8217;s winning performance without any discovery is unusual in today&#8217;s TV world. His reputation as an actor is very high, and he is already receiving enthusiastic attention from commercial producers.
 The fact that NHK is pouring so much effort into this film is also a sign of its sense of crisis as an organization. However, negative topics such as the failure of negotiations for the appearance of Arashi in the Kohaku Uta Gassen and the change of occupation of Mayuko Wakuda, 37, as a freelance TV announcer, have continued.
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 From &#8220;Hikaru Kimi he&#8221; to &#8220;Belabo,&#8221; it is said that the lack of battle scenes has turned fans away from the Taiga. Depicting a popular era that everyone can relate to and casting a cast that covers everyone from Generation Z to seniors is truly the last game NHK will ever play.
 There is no shortage of topics to talk about, including the marriage of Sousuke Ikematsu (35), who plays Hideyoshi, and Yumi Kawai (25), who is rumored to be getting married soon. What will be the final outcome of this TV drama, which has shaken the TV world?
<figure id="attachment_457044" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-457044" style="width: 5464px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="5d1b5e60"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/02/bc28ba9d5530300f2c17ff38a90a0ff8.jpeg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-457044" class="wp-caption-text"> The seriousness on set is unprecedentedly intense. NHK Taiga Drama &#8220;The Toyotomi Brothers!</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_460427" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-460427" style="width: 1583px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="f56e4d3e"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/03/cc26af7af359a03d947cd1fae8f4fdbb.png" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-460427" class="wp-caption-text"> Taiga Nakano participated in the &#8220;Naritasan Setsubun Festival&#8221; held at Naritasan Shinshoji Temple in Chiba in early February.</figcaption></figure>

 Kumataro Arai (Shiraishi) Jiji (Nakano)

 Toyotomi Brothers! is about to rewrite the history of historical drama. Behind the glamorous surface of the drama, NHK's pride is at stake in the casting process, and there is a fierce competition for the next generation of stars.

NHK&#8217;s prestige production &#8220;Toyotomi Brothers! is doing well, maintaining double-digit viewer ratings!　Who are the &#8220;three talented people&#8221; behind the production?

NHK’s prestige production “Toyotomi Brothers! is doing well, maintaining double-digit viewer ratings!　Who are the “three talented people” behind the production?

Access Ranking

NHK’s prestige production “Toyotomi Brothers! is doing well, maintaining double-digit viewer ratings! Who are the “three talented people” behind the production?

Access Ranking

NHK’s prestige production “Toyotomi Brothers! is doing well, maintaining double-digit viewer ratings!　Who are the “three talented people” behind the production?