is a Japanese

manga 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 history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...

series written by Mitsuru Nishimura and illustrated by Takuro Kajikawa. It was noted to be adapted into a

Japanese television drama , also called or J-drama, are television programs that are a staple of Television in Japan, Japanese television and are broadcast daily. Format All major Television networks, TV networks in Japan produce a variety of Drama (genre), drama serie ...

series in January 2013. The manga was serialized in Houbunsha's Weekly Manga Times on a bi-weekly basis from March 18, 2011 to April 12, 2024.

Plot

A young chef named is mysteriously transported to the Sengoku period and he also loses most of his memories. He is thrown in the midst of a battle between soldiers, and, as both sides think he is a spy, they hunt him down. During his escape, Ken meets , a young blacksmith girl. Because of his cooking abilities, Ken is soon recruited as personal chef of

Oda Nobunaga was a Japanese ''daimyō'' and one of the leading figures of the Sengoku period, Sengoku and Azuchi-Momoyama periods. He was the and regarded as the first "Great Unifier" of Japan. He is sometimes referred as the "Demon Daimyō" and "Demo ...

Characters

The present day (
Heisei The was the period of Japanese history corresponding to the reign of Emperor Akihito from 8 January 1989 until his abdication on 30 April 2019. The Heisei era started on 8 January 1989, the day after the death of the Emperor Hirohito, when hi ...
era)

;Ken :The main character. When transported into the

Sengoku period The was the period in History of Japan, Japanese history in which civil wars and social upheavals took place almost continuously in the 15th and 16th centuries. The Kyōtoku incident (1454), Ōnin War (1467), or (1493) are generally chosen as th ...

, Ken lost all memories pertaining to his time period. He only remembers how to cook and the history of ingredients and persons. He falls in love with Natsu as the story progresses. He is one of the three people from the Heisei Era to come to

. His family name is "Katsuragi" and he was a sous-chef at a hotel in

Kyoto Kyoto ( or ; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan's largest and most populous island of Honshu. , the city had a population of 1.46 million, making it t ...

(as we will find out from volume 11 onward). He is a rather large man compared to the Japanese of the time, and is often depicted banging his head against the Kamogai or beams, and in episode 17 of volume 3, when he refuted an order, Nobunaga slashed him, leaving a scar on the bottom of his left eyebrow. He can cook anything from Ming (Chinese) style to Portuguese style. He can cook anything the person asks and create new menus every time. He can make ingredients from scratch. Many ingredients he uses were not known during the time. ;Youko :She is the last and only person, other than Ken, to have escaped in chapter 1. She was once Ken's lover during the Heisei Era. She was a pastry chef at a hotel in

(as we will find out from volume 11 onward). Like Ken, she is a large woman compared to women of this era, and according to Kaede, "she is just right alongside Ken. She serves Kennyo. Unlike Ken, she provides Kennyo with historical knowledge that only people from the future know, and is valued as a prophetess.

Sengoku period The was the period in History of Japan, Japanese history in which civil wars and social upheavals took place almost continuously in the 15th and 16th centuries. The Kyōtoku incident (1454), Ōnin War (1467), or (1493) are generally chosen as th ...
and
Azuchi–Momoyama period The was the final phase of the in Japanese history from 1568 to 1600. After the outbreak of the Ōnin War in 1467, the power of the Ashikaga Shogunate effectively collapsed, marking the start of the chaotic Sengoku period. In 1568, Oda Nob ...

;

:A legendary warlord. Once he trusts someone, he never doubts them, but when he learns that he has been betrayed, he becomes furious. His sister

Oichi was a female historical figure in the late Sengoku period. She is known primarily as the mother of three daughters who became prominent figures in their own right – Yodo-dono, Ohatsu

tells Ken that he is a lonely person. He prefers strong flavors in his cooking and has a sweet tooth. He has been enjoying Western food since he took Ken under his wing, and after Ken sealed off Western cuisine, he has been holding out for other dishes, much to his frustration. ;Natsu :Heroine. A sword smith. She lost her family in the war and is left all alone. When she was collecting sand to make a sword, she rescued Ken from the river. She is in love with Ken. When she hears that Ken was wounded in the Tennoji Battle, she rushes to visit him and asks him to marry her, but she wants him to wait until she can pass on the blacksmithing skills she has inherited to her apprentice, Kanta. To avoid the jealousy of Kaneyakojin, the goddess of swordsmithing, she usually dresses as a man. ;Kaede :A

kunoichi is a Japanese term for . In popular culture, it is often used for female ninja or practitioner of ninjutsu (''ninpo''). The term was largely popularized by novelist Futaro Yamada in his novel in 1964. Although kunoichi have appeared in numerou ...

in Nobunaga's army, she has appeared since volume 3. When Ken infiltrated Kotani Castle under the orders of Nobunaga as a cook for Asakura's side, she was assigned to watch over and protect the hostile

Azai Nagamasa was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the Sengoku period known as the brother-in-law and enemy of Oda Nobunaga. Nagamasa was head of the Azai clan seated at Odani Castle in northern Ōmi Province and married Nobunaga's sister Oichi in 1564, fathering ...

and

Oichi was a female historical figure in the late Sengoku period. She is known primarily as the mother of three daughters who became prominent figures in their own right – Yodo-dono, Ohatsu

. Thereafter, she often works together with Ken. She is absolutely committed to Nobunaga's orders and is willing to sell her body for missions and information gathering, but she actually has secret feelings for Ken. she learns how to make confections from Ken, infiltrates Ishiyama Hongan-ji, meets Yoko, and gains her trust as her assistant cook.

Reception

* Volume 6: Oricon weekly chart 25th * Volume 8: Oricon weekly chart 23th * Volume 9: Oricon weekly chart 28th * Volume 10: Oricon weekly chart 15th *Volume 12: Oricon weekly chart 22th *

Angoulême International Comics Festival The Angoulême International Comics Festival (AICF; ) is the second largest comics festival in Europe after the Lucca Comics & Games in Italy, and the third biggest in the world after Lucca Comics & Games and the Comiket of Japan. It has occur ...

- Best Comic (Nominated)

Book release information

#August 9, 2011, #October 14, 2011, #February 16, 2012, #June 16, 2012, #October 16, 2012, #January 16, 2013, #June 15, 2013, #October 16, 2013, #February 15, 2014, #July 8, 2014, #October 16, 2014, #February 16, 2015, #July 16, 2015, #November 16, 2015, #April 16, 2016, #August 16, 2016, #December 16, 2016, #April 14, 2017, #August 16, 2017, #December 15, 2017, #May 16, 2018, #September 14, 2018, #January 16, 2019, #June 13, 2019, #October 16, 2019, #March 16, 2020, #July 16, 2020, #November 16, 2020, #April 15, 2021, #September 16, 2021, #February 16, 2022, #July 14, 2022, #November 16, 2022, #March 16, 2023, #July 13, 2023, #December 14, 2023, #May 16, 2024,

Television drama

The series was adapted into a television drama, sometimes referred to in English as The Knife and the Sword, although the title A Chef of Nobunaga is used as well. The nine-episode first season of the drama was broadcast on

TV Asahi JOEX-DTV (channel 5), branded as , and better known as , is a Japanese television station serving the Kanto region as the flagship station of the All-Nippon News Network. It is owned-and-operated by the a subsidiary of , itself controlled by ...

between January 11, to March 15, 2013. A second season, consisting of eight episodes, aired also on the same network from July 10, to September 4, 2014. This is Tamamori's first starring role in a drama series and his first period drama in the "Friday Night Drama" slot. The average viewer rating for season one exceeded 10%. This was rare for a late-night broadcast slot. This led to the decision to air Season 2 and its broadcast in prime time. In the second season, which was broadcast in primetime due to the popularity of the first season,

put a lot of effort into it by airing the first episode as a two-hour special, but the drama struggled, partly due to the presence of a popular variety show in the background, and the average viewer ratings remained in the single digits.

Development

The drama was filmed at Toei studios Kyoto in

, which is famous for its

jidaigeki is a genre of film, television, and theatre in Japan. Literally meaning "historical drama, period dramas", it refers to stories that take place before the Meiji Restoration of 1868. ''Jidaigeki'' show the lives of the samurai, farmers, crafts ...

studios. Despite the cold weather, Tamamori was barefoot and dressed only in a

kimono The is a traditional Japanese garment and the national dress of Japan. The kimono is a wrapped-front garment with square sleeves and a rectangular body, and is worn Garment collars in hanfu#Youren (right lapel), left side wrapped over ri ...

. There were scenes where he had to walk around the mountains carrying a large pot on his back to serve food on the battlefield, and at one point had to jump in a cold river. Through these physically demanding shoots, he said, "I think I got used to the cold a little through the filming of this drama. In the scene where he cooks

French cuisine French cuisine is the cooking traditions and practices of France. In the 14th century, Guillaume Tirel, a Court (royal), court chef known as "Taillevent", wrote ''Le Viandier'', one of the earliest recipe collections of medieval France. In ...

, Tamamori himself cooked the food. Tsuji Culinary Institute supervised the actual cooking for the dramatization. The lead actor, Yuta Tamamori, had little cooking experience before, but this drama inspired him to start cooking.

Synopsis

Ken, who was working as a French chef in the present ( Heisei era in Japan at the time), suddenly slipped back in time to the

one day. Moreover, he had lost most of his memory. All that remained was his knowledge of cooking and a little bit of Japanese history. While wandering around, he wanders into a battlefield where soldiers are fighting. While on the run, he meets Natsu, a woman dressed as a man who works alone as a sword smith. Ken cooks with ingredients from the

, relying only on his culinary memory. Eventually, Ken meets the legendary warlord

and begins serving as his personal chef. Ken survives the difficult situation with his culinary skills. Every time Ken picks up a knife and delivers the signature line, "I'm coming! The cuisine of

Main characters

;Ken by Yuta Tamamori (Kis-My-Ft2) :Protagonist of the drama. He was a French chef in modern times ( Heisei era at that time). He went back in time to

and lost much of his memory. He was assigned to serve

as a chef and served French cuisine to Nobunaga. ;

by Mitsuhiro Oikawa :Another protagonist of the drama. Ruthless and cruel, but at the same time innovative and rational. He likes new things and shows interest in Ken's cuisine. ;Natsu by

Mirai Shida is a Japanese actress. She became recognized after her breakthrough role as Kazumi Kanda in "''Joō no Kyōshitsu''" (" The Queen's Classroom") leading her to more prominent roles, such as Miki Ichinose in '' 14-year-old Mother''. Biography Sh ...

:Heroine. A bladesmith. She lost her family in the war and is left alone. She wears men's clothes. She has feelings for Ken. ;

Toyotomi Hideyoshi , otherwise known as and , was a Japanese samurai and ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) of the late Sengoku period, Sengoku and Azuchi-Momoyama periods and regarded as the second "Great Unifier" of Japan.Richard Holmes, The World Atlas of Warfare: ...

by Gori :He is in the service of Nobunaga. When he sees Ken's cooking, he suspects him of being a Portuguese spy. ;Kaede by

Sei Ashina , known professionally as , was a Japanese actress. Career She was born Igarashi Aya, and assumed the stage name Sei Ashina. Prior to her acting career, Ashina was a model. She made her acting debut in the 2002 Tokyo Broadcasting System Televis ...

(female

ninja A , or was a spy and infiltrator in pre-modern Japan. The functions of a ninja included siege and infiltration, ambush, reconnaissance, espionage, deception, and later bodyguarding.Kawakami, pp. 21–22 Antecedents may have existed as ear ...

) under Nobunaga. ; Kennyo by Ichikawa Ennosuke IV :A priest of

Jōdo Shinshū , also known as Shin Buddhism or True Pure Land Buddhism, is a school of Pure Land Buddhism founded by the former Tendai Japanese monk Shinran. Shin Buddhism is the most widely practiced branch of Buddhism in Japan. History Shinran (founder) S ...

. He is an enemy of Nobunaga and fights with him for a long time. ;Yoko by

Yuu Kashii , known by her stage name , is a Japanese actress and model. She studied at Mejiro University, where she majored in English. History Personal life She married actor Joe Odagiri, who is exactly 11 years her senior, on February 16, 2008, the birt ...

:A mysterious woman who serves under Kennyo. She is actually a time-traveling pastry chef from the present day and Ken's former lover. ;

Mori Ranmaru , also known as Mori Naritoshi (森成利), was a samurai retainer to the Oda clan. He was son of Mori Yoshinari, and had 5 brothers in total, from the province of Mino Province, Mino. He was a member of the Mori clan (Genji), Mori Clan, descen ...

by Ren Nagase :A boy in service to Nobunaga.

Episodes

Season 1 (2013)

Season 2 (2014)

Release

Season one aired from January 11 to March 15, 2013. The series aired every Friday from 23:15 to 0:15 on

's "Friday Night Drama". Season two aired every Thursday from July 10 to September 4, 2014 from 19:58 to 20:54 on

References

External links

The Knife and the Sword
-

The Knife and the Sword
- Imdb (Nobunaga no Chef)
Official website for the TV series
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chef of Nobunaga, A 2011 manga 2013 Japanese television series debuts 2014 Japanese television series endings Anime and manga about time travel Cooking in anime and manga Cultural depictions of Oda Nobunaga Historical anime and manga Houbunsha manga Japanese television dramas based on manga Seinen manga Sengoku period in fiction TV Asahi television dramas