* Image is for illustrative purposes only.Taiga Drama: Taiheiki (NHK, 1991)
大河ドラマ 太平記
The 29th NHK Taiga Drama, based on Eiji Yoshikawa's novel "Shihon Taiheiki," aired in 1991 and starred Hiroyuki Sanada as Ashikaga Takauji, depicting the fall of the Kamakura shogunate through the Nanboku-cho period. It averaged a 26.0% rating.
Description
Overview
"Taiheiki" was the 29th Taiga Drama, broadcast on NHK from January 6 to December 8, 1991. The original work is Eiji Yoshikawa's novel "Shihon Taiheiki." Hiroyuki Sanada played the protagonist Ashikaga Takauji, and across 49 episodes the series depicted the turbulence of the period from the late Kamakura era through the Nanboku-chō period. It recorded an average viewership rating of 26.0% and a peak rating of 34.6% (Kantō region, according to Video Research).
Story Summary and Connection to Swords
The drama depicts the life of Ashikaga Takauji, a vassal of the Kamakura shogunate who rose in arms in response to Emperor Go-Daigo's movement to overthrow the shogunate, founded the Muromachi shogunate after the collapse of the Kenmu Restoration, and lived until his death amid the turmoil of the Nanboku-chō period. Battle scenes in which warriors on both Emperor Go-Daigo's side and the shogunate's side fight with swords in hand appear throughout, led by Kusunoki Masashige, played by Tetsuya Takeda. The story advances around historical battles such as the fall of the Kamakura shogunate (1333) and the Battle of Minatogawa.
Swords Featured
The tachi "Koryū Kagemitsu" (a National Treasure, held by the Tokyo National Museum), said to have been Kusunoki Masashige's favored sword, is a real blade forged in 1322 by the Bizen Osafune swordsmith Kagemitsu. However, its provenance before the late Edo period (Tenpō era) is unknown, and there is no reliable historical record confirming that it was worn by Masashige, so it is considered to have strong characteristics of a later tradition. In the late Edo period, the sword passed through the hands of the Yamada Asaemon family and the Ii family. In 1873 (Meiji 6) it was presented to the Imperial Household Ministry, and after World War II it was transferred to the Tokyo National Museum.
Cultural Impact and Reception
The drama is highly praised for the performances of Hiroyuki Sanada, Tetsuya Takeda, and other accomplished actors, and for its in-depth portrayal of the Nanboku-chō turmoil, an era rarely taken up in the Taiga Drama series. It is positioned as a representative work among later dramas set in the Nanboku-chō period.
Related Media
A complete edition DVD has been released, and the series is still watched today as a representative video work dealing with the Nanboku-chō period.
Real Swords Featured
Koryū Kagemitsu
A National Treasure tachi said to have been Kusunoki Masashige's favored sword. Forged by the Bizen Osafune swordsmith Kagemitsu (Genkō 2 / 1322). Its provenance before the late Edo period is unknown, and there is no documentary evidence supporting Masashige's wearing of it. It passed through the hands of the Yamada Asaemon family and the Ii family, was presented to the Imperial Household Ministry in 1873 (Meiji 6), and is now held by the Tokyo National Museum.
This page is intended to introduce Japanese sword culture and is not affiliated with any of the works mentioned.