* Image is for illustrative purposes only.Ryomaden (NHK Taiga Drama)
大河ドラマ 龍馬伝
NHK's 49th Taiga drama, broadcast in 2010. Written by Fukuda Yasushi and starring Fukuyama Masaharu, it follows the life of Sakamoto Ryoma as narrated by Iwasaki Yataro (Kagawa Teruyuki). It ran for 48 episodes with an average Kanto rating of 18.7%.
Description
Overview
Ryomaden is the 49th NHK Taiga drama, broadcast in 48 episodes from January 3 to November 28, 2010. It portrays the life of Sakamoto Ryoma, a low-ranking samurai of Tosa domain in the Bakumatsu period, told through the recollections of Iwasaki Yataro, later the founder of the Mitsubishi conglomerate.
Production and Cast
The drama was written by Fukuda Yasushi, with Otomo Keishi as chief director and music by Sato Naoki. Fukuyama Masaharu played Sakamoto Ryoma, while Kagawa Teruyuki played Iwasaki Yataro and also served as narrator.
Structure and Visual Style
The story is divided into four parts with English subtitles: "RYOMA THE DREAMER" (episodes 1-13), "RYOMA THE ADVENTURER" (14-28), "RYOMA THE NAVIGATOR" (29-38) and "RYOMA THE HOPE" (39-48). It was shot throughout on progressive (30P) cameras, making it the first Taiga drama to adopt this technology for every episode.
Ratings
The average rating in the Kanto region was 18.7%, peaking at 23.4% for episode 4 (Video Research).
The Historical Ryoma and His Sword
Ryoma's best-known sword is the Mutsu-no-kami Yoshiyuki, an heirloom of the Sakamoto family. Ryoma received it from his elder brother Gonpei and is said to have had it with him at the Omiya incident in 1867. The blade was donated by his descendants to the Kyoto National Museum, but for many years its authenticity was doubted because it lacked the curvature expected of a sword of that era and did not show Yoshiyuki's characteristic hamon. In 2016 newly found records showed that the blade had lost its curvature in the great Kushiro fire of 1913 and that later repolishing had obscured the hamon. The Kyoto National Museum then announced that it was indeed Ryoma's sword.
For Sword Enthusiasts
Swords are central to any Bakumatsu drama. Ryomaden is a natural starting point for exploring the Mutsu-no-kami Yoshiyuki associated with Ryoma and the work of the Tosa swordsmith Yoshiyuki.
Real Swords Featured
Mutsu-no-kami Yoshiyuki (used by Sakamoto Ryoma)
A Sakamoto family heirloom that Ryoma received from his brother and reportedly carried at the Omiya incident. Donated by his descendants to the Kyoto National Museum; in 2016 records showed it had lost its curvature in the 1913 Kushiro fire and been repolished, and it was announced to be Ryoma's sword
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This page is intended to introduce Japanese sword culture and is not affiliated with any of the works mentioned.