is a Japanese historical drama television series starring

Ryusei Yokohama is a Japanese actor, model, and former singer. He is best known for playing the role of the pink-haired Yuri Kyohei in the 2019 romantic comedy drama ''A Story to Read When You First Fall in Love'', as well as List of Ressha Sentai ToQger chara ...

Tsutaya Jūzaburō Tsutaya Jūzaburō (; 13 February 1750 – 31 May 1797) was the founder and head of the Tsutaya publishing house in Edo, Japan, and produced illustrated books and ukiyo-e woodblock prints of many of the period's most famous ar ...

. The series is the 64th

NHK , also known by its Romanization of Japanese, romanized initialism NHK, is a Japanese public broadcasting, public broadcaster. It is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television licence, television license fee. NHK ope ...

''taiga'' drama.

Plot

In the mid-18th century Japan, the ''

Rōjū The , usually translated as ''Elder (administrative title), Elder'', was one of the highest-ranking government posts under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan. The term refers either to individual Elders, or to the Council of Elders as a wh ...

Tanuma Okitsugu (September 11, 1719 – August 25, 1788) was a chamberlain (''sobashū'') and a senior counselor ('' rōjū'') to the ''shōgun'' Tokugawa Ieharu of the Tokugawa Shogunate, in the Edo period of Japan. Tanuma and his son exercised tremendo ...

prioritized commerce over agriculture to rebuild the nation's finances. As the economy improved, a relatively liberal atmosphere emerged among the common people, fostering cultural development. One of the central figures in this cultural movement was Tsutaya Jūzaburō, a publisher. However, when the era transitioned to

Matsudaira Sadanobu was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the mid-Edo period, famous for his financial reforms which saved the Shirakawa Domain, and similar reforms he undertook during his tenure as chief of the Tokugawa shogunate, from 1787 to 1793. Early life Matsu ...

's governance from Tanuma's, stricter controls on entertainment were imposed, causing hardship for Jūzaburō. Even so, he remained undeterred, discovering and making talents such as

Utamaro was a Japanese artist. He is one of the most highly regarded designers of ukiyo-e woodblock prints and paintings, and is best known for his ''Bijin-ga, bijin ōkubi-e'' "large-headed pictures of beautiful women" of the 1790s. He also produ ...

Hokusai , known mononymously as Hokusai, was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist of the Edo period, active as a painter and printmaker. His woodblock printing in Japan, woodblock print series ''Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji'' includes the iconic print ''The Gr ...

and

Sharaku was a Japanese ukiyo-e print designer, known for his portraits of kabuki actors. Neither his true name nor the dates of his birth or death are known. His active career as a woodblock artist spanned ten months; his prolific work met disapprova ...

famous.

Cast

Starring role

as Tsutaya "Tsutajū" Jūzaburō **Haru Takagi as young Tsutajū

His family

Ai Hashimoto is a Japanese actress. Early life and career Hashimoto was born in Kumamoto, Kumamoto Prefecture, the second of three daughters.星原克也「女優魂橋本愛 14歳飛躍の幕開け」,『熊本日日新聞』(Kumamoto Nichinichi Shimbun) J ...

as Tei, Jūzaburō's wife *Katsumi Takahashi as Surugaya, Jūzaburō's foster father * Naoko Iijima as Fuji, Jūzaburō's foster mother *

Aoi Nakamura is a Japanese model and actor. He belongs to the talent agency LesPros Entertainment. History Nakamura Aoi entered the entertainment industry when he won the Grand Prix at the final round of the 18th '' Junon'' Superboy Contest held in November ...

as Jirobei, Surugaya's son *

Saki Takaoka is a Japanese actress. She won the award for best actress at the 19th Hochi Film Award for '' Crest of Betrayal''. Filmography Film * ''cf girl'' (''cfガール'', 1989) * '' Swimming Upstream'' ('' バタアシ金魚'', 1990), Sonoko * '' ...

as Tsuyo, Jūzaburō's mother

Publishing industry

Kōtarō Satomi (born 28 November 1936) is a Japanese actor from the city of Fujinomiya, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. In 1956, he signed with Toei film company. He appears in both contemporary roles and in the historical dramas known as ''jidaigeki''. Sele ...

as Suwaraya Ichibei *

Shunsuke Kazama is a Japanese actor and television personality. Career In 1997, when Kazama was in his second year of junior high school, he entered Johnny & Associates and started activities as a trainee. He made his debut on stage that same year in a Shon ...

as Tsuruya Kiemon *

Masahiko Nishimura is a Japanese theatre and film actor. He is best known for his comedic portrayals. Biography Nishimura was born on December 12, 1960, in Toyama, Toyama, Japan. While he attended Toyo University to study photography, he met Kōki Mitani, a scrip ...

as Nishimura Yohachi, Jūzaburō's rival *

Kataoka Ainosuke VI is a Japanese actor, kabuki actor and TV host. His ''yagō'' is ''matsushimaya''. His ''mon'' is the ''Oikake Go-mai Ichō''. His current stage name is Ainosuke Kataoka. He is a renowned ''tachiyaku'', specializing in both the ''aragoto , or ...

as Urokogataya Magobei *Mami Hachiya as Rin, Magobei's wife *Ryota Miura as Urokogataya Chōbei, Magobei's son *Tateto Serizawa as Koizumi Chūgorō *Rintaro Mizusawa as Tomeshirō * Yu Tokui as Tōhachi *Yasushi Kawabata as Kashiwaraya * Yōji Matsuda as Murataya Jirobei *

Kazuya Nakai is a Japanese voice actor and narrator who was born in Kobe, Japan. He plays Roronoa Zoro in ''One Piece'', Toshiro Hijikata from '' Gintama'', Date Masamune from ''Sengoku Basara'', Xiahou Dun and Dian Wei from ''Dynasty Warriors'' and ''Warr ...

as Iwatoya Genpachi *

Tomokazu Seki is a Japanese voice actor and singer. He has previously worked with Haikyō. He is honorary president of and affiliated with Atomic Monkey and the chairman of theater company HeroHero Q. He is a special lecturer at Japan Newart College. Caree ...

as Okumuraya Genroku *

Wataru Takagi is a Japanese actor and voice actor from Chiba Prefecture. He is affiliated with Arts Vision. He is best known for his roles in ''One Piece'' (as Bellamy), ''Bleach'' (as Ganju Shiba), ''Detective Conan'' (as Genta Kojima and Wataru Takagi) ...

as Matsumuraya Yahei *Tsubasa Nakagawa as Minokichi *Ryuta Mine as Kumanoya *Taka Takao as Maruya Kohei *Ōtani Hiromatsu II as Owariya Hikojiro

Artists

* Ken Yasuda as

Hiraga Gennai was a Japanese polymath and ''rōnin'' of the Edo period. He was a pharmacologist, student of ''Rangaku'', author, painter and inventor well known for his '' Erekiteru'' (electrostatic generator), ''Kandankei'' (thermometer) and ''Kakanpu'' ...

Shota Sometani is a Japanese actor from Koto, Tokyo. He is known for his protagonist roles in ''Himizu'' and ''Parasyte''. Career Sometani was a child actor. He has worked in both film and television, gaining his first leading role in ''Pandora's Box'', ...

Kitagawa Utamaro was a Japanese artist. He is one of the most highly regarded designers of ukiyo-e woodblock prints and paintings, and is best known for his ''Bijin-ga, bijin ōkubi-e'' "large-headed pictures of beautiful women" of the 1790s. He also produ ...

**Towa Watanabe as Karamaru (young Utamaro) *Tekken as Isoda Koryūsai *

Atsushi Hashimoto is a Japanese actor who is affiliated with Amuse, Inc. He played the role of List of Mahou Sentai Magiranger characters#Kai, Kai Ozu (Magi Red), the main character of the 2005 Super Sentai TV series ''Mahou Sentai Magiranger''. Biography Hashimo ...

as Kitao Shigemasa *Tomoya Maeno as

Katsukawa Shunshō Shunshō Katsukawa (; 1726 – 19 January 1793) was a Japanese painter and printmaker in the ''ukiyo-e'' style, and the leading artist of the Katsukawa school. Shunshō studied under Miyagawa Shunsui, son and student of Miyagawa Chōshun, bo ...

* Ryo Kimura as Hezutsu Tōsaku *

Yūta Furukawa is a Japanese actor, singer, and model. He is best known for his roles as Shusuke Fuji in '' Musical: The Prince of Tennis''; Sebastian Michaelis in the '' Black Butler'' musicals, and Kirikaze in '' Fuma no Kojiro''. He is managed by Ken-On. ...

Santō Kyōden was a Japanese people, Japanese Poet, artist, writer, and the owner of a tobacco shop during the Edo period. His real name was , and he was also known popularly as . He began his professional career illustrating the works of others before writ ...

, a.k.a. Kitao Masanobu *

Amane Okayama is a Japanese actor who won the best new actor award in the 32nd Takasaki film festival in 2018 for his role in the comedy drama, ''Poetry Angel'' (2017). He is represented by the talent agency, Humanité. He was born in Tokyo. Biography Okayama ...

as Koikawa Harumachi, a.k.a. Kurahashi Itaru * Kanichiro as Tomimoto Umanosuke II *Shigehiro Yamaguchi as Tōrai Sanna *Bun'ichi Hamanaka as Akera Kankō * Tsurutaro Kataoka as

Toriyama Sekien 200px, A , specifically a Miage-nyūdō, as portrayed by Toriyama , real name Sano Toyofusa, was a scholar, '' kyōka'' poet, and ''ukiyo-e'' artist of Japanese folklore. Early life Born to a family of high-ranking servants to the Tokugawa sh ...

*Hyouroku as Matsumae Hirotoshi *Ryutei Saryu VI as Utei Enba *Toranosuke Kato as Kitagawa Toyoaki *

Toshinori Omi is a Japanese actor. Career Born in Tokyo, Omi joined the children's theater troupe Himawari Theatre Group when he was still in kindergarten. He made his film debut at age 13 in Kon Ichikawa's ''Hi no Tori'' (1978) and got his first starring ro ...

as Hōseidō Kisanji, a.k.a. Hirasawa Tsunemasa *Tsuyoshi Takashima as Kitao Masayoshi

Tokugawa shogunate

Ken Watanabe is a Japanese actor. He is best known for playing tragic hero characters, such as General Tadamichi Kuribayashi in '' Letters from Iwo Jima'' and Lord Katsumoto Moritsugu in ''The Last Samurai'', for which he was nominated for the Academy Awa ...

Hio Miyazawa is an American-born Japanese actor and model. He was born in San Francisco, United States. He is the son of musician Kazufumi Miyazawa and TV personality Dionne Mitsuoka. Biography His father, musician Kazufumi Miyazawa is Japanese and his ...

as Tanuma Okitomo, Okitsugu's son *Shuntaro Miyao as Tanuma Okimune, Okitsugu's nephew *Hidekazu Mashima as

Tokugawa Ieharu Tokugawa Ieharu 徳川家治 (20 June 1737 – 17 September 1786) was the tenth ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan, who held office from 1760 to 1786. His childhood name was Takechiyo (竹千代). Ieharu died in 1786 and given the ...

, the 10th ''

shōgun , officially , was the title of the military rulers of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, except during parts of the Kamak ...

'' *

Rin Takanashi is a Japanese actress. Career Takanashi starred in the 2007 film adaptation of the Japanese novel ''Goth (novel), Goth'' as one of the lead characters, Yoru Morino. She starred in the 2009 Super Sentai series ''Samurai Sentai Shinkenger'' as on ...

as Lady Chiho (Renkō-in), Iemoto's mother *Tomoya Oku as Tokugawa Iemoto, Ieharu and Chiho's son *

Kōji Ishizaka is a Japanese actor. Ishizaka graduated from Keio University with a Bachelor of Laws, B.L. degree. He serves as a special advisor for the Japan Plamodel Industry Association, and on 23 February 2009, he founded Rowguanes, a plastic model enthus ...

as Matsudaira Takechika *

Toma Ikuta is a Japanese actor. Ikuta is known for his roles in ''Hanazakari no Kimitachi e'', '' Honey & Clover'', '' Sensei!'', '' Maō'' and ''Ouroboros''. He also stars in feature films, notably '' Hanamizuki'', '' Ningen Shikkaku'' and ''Brain Man'' ...

as Hitotsubashi Harusada *Tsubasa Nagao as Hitotsubashi Toyochiyo *

Motoki Ochiai is a Japanese actor. He appeared in more than 40 films since 2001. Selected filmography Films Television References External links * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ochiai, Motoki 1990 births Living people Japanese male television actors Japanese m ...

as Shimizu Shigeyoshi * Kokoro Terada as Tayasu Masamaru * Mari Hanafusa as Hōren-in *Yūma Yamoto as Sano Masakoto *Kazutoyo Yoshimi as Sano Masatoyo, Masakoto's father *Hisashi Yoshizawa as Matsumoto Hidemochi * Nakamura Hayato as Hasegawa Heizo * Taizo Harada as Miura Shōji *

Kazuyuki Aijima is a Japanese stage and film actor, and one of the original Tokyo Sunshine Boys, a theatrical troupe that lasted from 1983 to about 1994. He is currently seen in television dramas and onstage in Japan. Biography Aijima Kazuyuki was born Novembe ...

as Matsudaira Yasuyoshi *

Kenta Kiritani is a Japanese actor and singer. Filmography Film Television Dubbing *'' The Legend of Tarzan'', Tarzan (Alexander Skarsgård Alexander Johan Hjalmar Skarsgård (; born 25 August 1976) is a Swedish actor. A son of actor Stellan Skarsgår ...

Ōta Nanpo was the most oft-used pen name of Ōta Tan, a late Edo-period Japanese poet and fiction writer. Ōta Nanpo wrote primarily in the comedic forms of '' kyōshi'', derived from comic Chinese verse, and '' kyōka'', derived from '' waka'' poetry. Ō ...

, a.k.a. Yomo no Akara *Shuntaro Yanagi as Tsuchiyama Sōjirō *

Jingi Irie is a Japanese actor. He is represented with Ken-On. He graduated from Horikoshi High School. He is a member of Men On Style. Biography In December 2007, when he was a second grade junior high school student, inspired by actors in the entertainm ...

as Tayasu Haruaki *Ayu Oda as Tanehime *

Kazuhiko Inoue is a Japanese actor, voice actor, narrator and singer. His notable works include Anthony Brown in '' Candy Candy'', Joe Shimamura in the 1979 iteration of '' Cyborg 009'', Jerid Messa in '' Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam'', Kakashi Hatake in ''Naruto ...

as a ''

Bugyō was a title assigned to ''samurai'' officials in feudal Japan. ''Bugyō'' is often translated as commissioner, magistrate, or governor, and other terms would be added to the title to describe more specifically a given official's tasks or jurisdi ...

'' *

Hideki Takahashi is a Japanese people, Japanese actor. Born in Kisarazu, Chiba near Tokyo, he attended Ichikawa Gakuen and later Nihon University. Career Takahashi made his debut with Nikkatsu Corporation, Nikkatsu and acted in youth-oriented films. Takahashi ma ...

as Tokugawa Harusada ;

Ōoku The was historically the harem, women's quarters of Edo Castle, the section where the women connected to the reigning resided. Similar areas in the castles of powerful , such as the Satsuma Domain, were also referred to by this term. During ...

Ai Tominaga is a Japanese model and actress. She has been described as one of the first Asian models to walk European catwalks, but there were models such as Sayoko Yamaguchi who walked the runways in the 1970s and 1980s. Career She has appeared on the ...

as Takaoka * Kurara Emi as Ōsaki *Noa Kawazoe as Tsuruko

Yoshiwara pleasure quarters

Fuka Koshiba is a Japanese actress represented by the talent agency Top Coat. Biography In November 2011, Koshiba won the Grand Prix award at the 2011 Ion and Oscar Promotion Girl Audition. In 2012, she debuted in the drama ''Iki mo Dekinai Natsu''. In 2 ...

as Hananoi (Segawa V) **Hana Maeda as Azami (young Hananoi) *

Haruka Fukuhara is a Japanese actress, singer and model from Saitama Prefecture. From 2009 to 2012, she starred in ''Cooking Idol! I! My! Main'' as Main Hiiragi, portraying the character in both animated and live-action segments. Following the series' end, she h ...

as Tagasode **Kurumi Inagaki as Kaori (young Tagasode) *

Miki Mizuno is a Japanese actress. She played the role of villain in the horror film '' Carved'' as the Kuchisake-Onna a malevolent vengeful spirit who killed many children. Career Mizuno starred in Takanori Tsujimoto's action films ''Hard Revenge Milly' ...

as Ine *Ryo Tamaki as Toyoshima *Sayu Kubota as Matsunoi *Karin Ono as Utsusemi *Ayaka Higashino as Shizuyama *Runa Nakashima as Chidori * Rino Katase as Kiku *

Yumi Adachi is a Japanese actress and singer. Personal life Adachi married comedian Jun Itoda of the comedy duo "Speed Wagon" in September 2005, they later welcomed their first child, a daughter, in May of the following year. The two announced their di ...

as Ritsu *Reika Manaki as Asagao * Momiji Yamamura as Shige * Bokuzō Masana as Matsubaya *

Kazuhiro Yamaji is a Japanese actor and voice actor affiliated with the Seinenza Theater Company. He has been married to Romi Park since 2020. Filmography Live-action films * 2000: '' Whiteout'' (Takayoshi Yoshikane) * 2001: ''Inugami'' (Takanao) * 2004: '' Ka ...

as Ōgiya * Atsushi Itō as Daimonji-ya and Daimonji-ya II *Moka Otsuka as Kamegiku *Masaki Hiradate as Katsuyama *Hikari Kabashima as Tokiwagi *Haruka Kinoshita as Tamakawa *Yorie Yamashita as Masa *Chisato Someya as Ureshino *Umi Shinonome as Hisa *

Yasukaze Motomiya is a Japanese actor. His real name is . He is represented by Triple A. Biography Motomiya's elder brother is Ryuji Harada, which is also an actor as well as a youtuber. His sister-in-law is Ai Harada, which is a TV personality and blogger. Hi ...

as Wakagiya Yohachi *Miu Arai as Sae *Satomi Nagano as Hatsu

Others

Haruka Ayase better known by the stage name , is a Japanese actress who started her career as a model in the year 2000. She has since become a leading actress in television and film. Career 2000–2004: Early career Ayase was invited by a friend to parti ...

as Kurosuke Inari / narrator *

Hayato Ichihara is a Japanese actor who is best known for his roles in film and television, including the 2001 film ''All About Lily Chou-Chou''. He was voted in Oricon's "fresh star ranking" poll for the first half of 2009 as the 5th most impactful young male c ...

as Toriyama Kengyō *Kai Inowaki as Oda Shinnosuke *Naomasa Musaka as Hanjirō *Nene Yoshitaka as a corpse *Kanna Fuji as a corpse *Rin Yoda as a corpse *So Yamanaka as

Sugita Genpaku was a Japanese physician and scholar known for his translation of '' Kaitai Shinsho'' (New Book of Anatomy) and a founder of ''Rangaku'' (Western learning) and ''Ranpō'' (Dutch style medicine) in Japan. He was one of the first Japanese scholar ...

*James Onoda as Moto no Mokuami *

Nana Mizuki , better known by the stage name , is a Japanese voice actress, singer, and narrator. She is represented by the agency StarCrew. Mizuki was trained as an enka singer, releasing one single under her birth name in 1993 and made her debut as a voic ...

as Cie no Naishi *

Kensuke Sasaki is a Japanese retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his numerous runs in the top three Japanese wrestling promotions; New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), and Pro Wrestling Noah. He was the founder and o ...

as a boatman *Toshiki Ayata as the owner of a charcoal shop *Katsuya Takagi as the man with a scar on his face *Katsuhiro Higo as Shigoroku * Hayashiya Sanpei II as a wealthy merchant *

Jin Katagiri is a comedian, actor, sculptor, and potter from Saitama Prefecture, Japan. He graduated from Kasukabe High School and Tama Art University. Outside Japan, he is most well known for playing the PC (opposite Kentarō Kobayashi who plays the Mac ...

as Yashichi *Yōjin Hino as Mori Chūemon *Donpei as a ''Zatō'' *Imoaraizaka Kakaricho as Gosaku *Kazuki Enari as Matsumae Michihiro *Kentaro Motomura as a theater proprietor *Masato Yano as Jōemon *Tomoaki Saito as Kyūgorō *Hiroshi Kobayashi as Inoue Iori *Yuka Kouri as Karamaru's mother *Shima Iwai as Jakuren *Jyubun Fukuzawa as a doctor * Koutaro Tanaka as Shimazu Shigehide *Hajime Okayama as Kudo Heisuke *Majime Ono as a ''Mochi'' pounder *Sen-chan as a ''Mochi'' kneader *

Endō Shōta is a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Anamizu, Ishikawa. After a successful amateur career, he turned professional in March 2013, making the top ''makuuchi'' division that September. His highest rank has been ''komusubi''. He has been a ...

as a ''Sumo'' wrestler *

Wakamotoharu Minato (born October 5, 1993 as ) is a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Fukushima. He wrestles for the Arashio stable, where he is a stable mate of his brothers Wakatakakage and Wakatakamoto. His highest rank to date has been ''sekiwake''. ...

as a ''Sumo'' wrestler *

Nishikigi Tetsuya is a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Morioka. He made his debut in March 2006 and wrestles for Isenoumi stable. His highest rank has been ''komusubi'' and he has won championships at ''jūryō'' and ''makushita'' level. Early life and ...

as a ''Sumo'' wrestler *Takahiro Kimata as Inaba Masaaki * Masami Horiuchi as Shirokiya Hikotaro

TV schedule

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Unbound 2025 Japanese television series debuts Taiga drama Television series set in the 18th century