52 episodes of samurai sisters navigating the death of an era — NHK's forgotten masterpiece.
Season 1 • Episode 52
LatestThe Story is about three daughters of a "Hatamoto" during the end of the Edo period and the Meiji Restoration.
Acting
Okada, Fujimura, Kurihara embody sisters with devastating specificity.
Production
NHK's first color taiga drama — meticulous Edo-period reconstruction.
Writing
Yamamoto Yūzō's source novel adapted with rare psychological depth.
Mariko Okada
Nagai Mura
Shiho Fujimura
Nagai Rui
Komaki Kurihara
Nagai Yuki
Shinsuke Ashida
Nagai Shinsuke [The Elder brother]
Nobuyuki Katsube
Jimbo Matashiro [Rui's husband]
Takashi Yamaguchi
Misawa Hannosuke [Yuki's husband]
Tsutomu Yamazaki
Aoe Kingoro
Takashi Shimura
Misawa Heizaemon [Kingoro's father]
Hideo Kanze
Yoshinosuke Saigo
Shinsuke Mikimoto
Katsura Kogoro / Kida Junichiro
Tamao Nakamura
Ikumatsu
Gaku Yamamoto
Takasugi Shin
Atsuo Nakamura
Sakamoto Ryoma
Masakane Yonekura
Nakamura Hanjiro
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This 1967 production pioneered the 'taiga drama' format NHK still dominates; its commercial success proved audiences would commit to year-long historical epics.
Mariko Okada was already a major film star (Mizoguchi, Ozu) — her television debut here legitimized the medium for serious actors. She reportedly fought directors to preserve Mura's stubborn silence in key scenes.
JP
