is a Japanese

manga Manga ( Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is ...

series written and illustrated by

Osamu Tezuka Osamu Tezuka (, born , ''Tezuka Osamu''; – 9 February 1989) was a Japanese manga artist, cartoonist, and animator. Born in Osaka Prefecture, his prolific output, pioneering techniques, and innovative redefinitions of genres earned him such ...

about a friendship between a

samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They ...

and a doctor in the final days of the

Tokugawa Shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate (, Japanese 徳川幕府 ''Tokugawa bakufu''), also known as the , was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Tokugawa-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia ...

. ''Hidamari no Ki'' received the Shogakukan Manga Award in 1984 for general manga. The story is partly based on Tezuka's great-grandfather who was one of the Japanese physicians pushing for acceptance of Western medical practice at the time. The title is a metaphor for the

Tokugawa shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate (, Japanese 徳川幕府 ''Tokugawa bakufu''), also known as the , was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Tokugawa-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia ...

which is compared to an old camphor tree which has enjoyed the sunshine and shelter from the winds for 300 years, but is slowly dying because it is being eaten away from the inside by

termite Termites are small insects that live in colonies and have distinct castes ( eusocial) and feed on wood or other dead plant matter. Termites comprise the infraorder Isoptera, or alternatively the epifamily Termitoidae, within the order Blat ...

s and gribbles. It has been adapted into an anime series, by Madhouse and premiered in Japan on NTV on April 4, 2000. It also was adapted into a

television drama In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super- ...

, and also a 2021 stage play starring Sugeta Rinne of the boyband

7 MEN Samurai is a Japanese boy band produced by Johnnys' Island Company, a division of Tokyo-based talent agency Johnny & Associates. They were created on February 26, 2018, by Johnny Kitagawa, and named after Akira Kurosawa's 1954 film ''Seven Samurai''. They ...

Plot

The story follows two young men whose lives intersect during the political turbulence and social upheaval in Japan in the late 1800s. Dr. Ryoan Tezuka is a medical student attracted to the radical new of Western medicine, while Manjiro Ibuya is a samurai who is a staunch supporter of honor and tradition. They both encounter and fall in love with the same woman, O-Seki, the daughter of a respected Temple priest. Ryoan's idealism is gradually eroded, and he marries, settles down and takes over his father's medical practice. Meanwhile, Manjiro rises through the ranks of samurai society and the shogun initially gives him the delicate task of managing a United States emissary and later to turn farmers into an armed infantry.

Characters

; :Voiced by Koichi Yamadera :Ryoan is a medical student with a gentle and inquiring nature, but also a well-known womanizer. He is the son of the doctor Ryosen Tezuka in

Azabu is an area in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Built on a marshy area of foothills south of central Tokyo, its coverage roughly corresponds to that of the former Azabu Ward, presently consisting of nine official districts: Azabu-Jūban, Azabudai, Azabu ...

Edo Edo ( ja, , , "bay-entrance" or "estuary"), also romanized as Jedo, Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of Tokyo. Edo, formerly a ''jōkamachi'' (castle town) centered on Edo Castle located in Musashi Province, became the ''de facto'' capital of ...

during the Ansei era who is a proponent of integrating Western medicine into Japan. Ryoan is also attracted to the radical new Western medicine and travels to

Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of ...

to study with Ogata Hiroshi. ; : Mitsuru Miyamoto :Manjiro is a traditionalist and essentially a self-taught samurai who is inclined to be hot-headed. He initially joins the Gembukan dōjō to develop his skills, but is forced to leave after killing two of its members while defending Ryoan Tezuka. He is eventually recognized by the shogunate for evacuating displaced people of the Great Ansei earthquake and was selected as the guard of the US mission in Japan. ; :O-Seki is the beautiful daughter of a priest at the local Zenshouji Temple in Azabu and courted by both Ryoan Tezuka and Manjiro Ibuya.

Media

Manga

The manga was released by

Shogakukan is a Japanese publisher of dictionaries, literature, comics ( manga), non-fiction, DVDs, and other media in Japan. Shogakukan founded Shueisha, which also founded Hakusensha. These are three separate companies, but are together called the ...

in eleven ''

tankōbon is the Japanese term for a book that is not part of an anthology or corpus. In modern Japanese, the term is most often used in reference to individual volumes of a manga series: most series first appear as individual chapters in a weekly or ...

'' released between July 1, 1988 and January 1, 1989. The manga was re-released as eight ''

'', the first five on March 17, 1995 and the final three on July 17, 1995. The series was re-released in 6 '' kanzenbans'' between September 7, 1999 and January 27, 2000. The series was released in 6 '' widebans'', the first on August 29, 2008, the second and third on September 30, 2008 and the final three on October 30, 2008.

Volume listing

Anime

The series was adapted into a 25-episode

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

television series directed by Gisaburô Sugii. It was broadcast on NTV between April 4 and September 19, 2000. VAP released a series of 9 DVDs, each containing 2 or 3 episodes of the anime. They were released between June 21, 2000 and February 21, 2001.

Episode list

Soundtrack CD

On June 21, 2000, Vap released a soundtrack CD for the ''Hidamari no Ki'' anime. The songs are performed by Keiko Matsui and are composed by Kazu Matsui.

TV drama

The manga was adapted into a live-action

. The series' script was written by

Yoichi Maekawa Yoichi may refer to: *Yōichi, Japanese given name *, district in Shiribeshi, Hokkaidō Prefecture, Japan *, town in Yoichi District *, a Japanese whisky distillery in the town *, train station in Yoichi District * also Yoichi is a masculine Japane ...

and was directed by Takashi Fujio. It was produced by Kazukiyo Morishita and Takahisa Goto. Its twelve episodes were broadcast on NHK between April 6, 2012 and June 22, 2012.

Cast

* Hayato Ichihara as Manjiro Ibutani *

Hiroki Narimiya (born September 14, 1982), better known as , is a former Japanese actor. Early life He was born and raised in Tokyo, Japan. His parents are from Okinawa Prefecture. His parents divorced when he was young, and in his third year of junior high sch ...

as Ryoan Tezuka *

Mei Kurokawa is a Japanese actress and singer. Her given name ''Mei'' originates from her birth month (May) in English. She has been frequently featured in many Japanese dramas and Kaidan Shin Mimibukuro: Yūrei Mansion films. Filmography Film * (2005) * ...

as Oseki *

Tokuma Nishioka is a publisher in Japan, headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. The company was established in 1954 by Yasuyoshi Tokuma in Minato, Tokyo. The company’s product portfolio includes music publishing, video game publishing, movies, anime, magazines ...

as Sensaburo Ibutani * Kimiko Ikegami as Otone *

Takashi Sasano is a Japanese actor. Career Sasano has appeared in Kiyoshi Kurosawa's films '' Bright Future'' (2003) and '' Before We Vanish'' (2017). He also appeared in Amir Naderi's 2011 film '' Cut''. Filmography Film * '' Tora-san's Island Encounter'' ( ...

as Ryōsen Tezuka *

Yūko Kotegawa is a Japanese actress from the city of Ōita. Biography Yūko graduated from high school in the city of Ōita. She placed first in the 1976 Miss Salad Girl contest (the runner-up was Yūko Natori). She landed a part in a Kanebo cosmetics com ...

* Shinobu Otsuka as Otsune * Yuko Fueki * Chihiro Otsuka as Aya * Masahiko Tsugawa as Toko Fujita Source:

Reception

The ''Hidamari no Ki'' manga received the Shogakukan Manga Award in 1984 for general manga. The ''Hidamari no Ki'' anime received the Excellence Prize in the animation category at the 2000 Japan Media Arts Festival.

Notes

References

External links

* {{Gisaburō Sugii 1981 manga 2000 anime television series debuts Historical anime and manga Madhouse (company) NHK original programming Nippon TV original programming Osamu Tezuka anime Osamu Tezuka manga Seinen manga Shogakukan manga Winners of the Shogakukan Manga Award for general manga