(English title: Historical Drama) is the name NHK gives to the annual year-long historical drama television series it broadcasts in Japan. Beginning in 1963 with the black-and-white Hana no Shōgai, starring kabuki actor Onoe Shoroku II and Awashima Chikage, the network regularly hires different writers, directors, and other creative staff for each taiga drama. The 45-minute show airs on the NHK General TV network every Sunday at 8:00pm, with rebroadcasts on Saturdays at 1:05pm. NHK BS, NHK BS Premium 4K and NHK World Premium broadcasts are also available.
Taiga dramas are very costly to produce. The usual procedure of a taiga drama production would have one-third of the total number of scripts finished before shooting begins. Afterwards, audience reception is taken into account as the rest of the series is written. Many times, the dramas are adapted from a novel (e.g. Fūrin Kazan is based on The Samurai Banner of Furin Kazan). Though taiga dramas have been regarded by Japanese viewers as the most prestigious among dramas in Japan, viewership ratings have considerably declined in recent years.
Current series Brothers in Arms (2026)
Upcoming series The Shogunate Rebel (2027) John Mung (2028)
List of series Showa Era#Romanised NameEnglish titleStartEndStarringSupporting castNotesAverage Rating1Hana no Shōgai花の生涯Life of a Flower7 April 196329 December 1963Onoe Shoroku II (as Ii Naosuke)Chikage AwashimaKaoru YachigusaKyōko KagawaKeiji Sada20.2%2Akō Rōshi赤穂浪士5 January 196427 December 1964Kazuo Hasegawa (as Ōishi Kuranosuke)Isuzu YamadaOsamu TakizawaChikage AwashimaOnoe Baikō VII31.9%3Taikōki太閤記3 January 196526 December 1965Ken Ogata (as Toyotomi Hideyoshi)Shiho FujimuraYoshiko MitaSessue HayakawaKōji Takahashi31.2%4Minamoto no Yoshitsune源義経Minamoto no Yoshitsune2 January 196625 December 1966Onoe Kikunosuke IV (as Minamoto no Yoshitsune)Ken OgataJunko FujiOsamu TakizawaIsuzu Yamada23.5%5San Shimai三姉妹Three Sisters1 January 196724 December 1967Mariko Okada (as Mura) Shiho Fujimura (as Rui) Komaki Kurihara (as Yuki)Tsutomu YamazakiShinsuke AshidaKō NishimuraOsamu Takizawa19.1%6Ryōma ga Yuku竜馬がゆくRyōma Goes7 January 196829 December 1968Kin'ya Kitaōji (as Sakamoto Ryōma)Ruriko AsaokaYoshie MizutaniHideki TakahashiKeiju Kobayashi14.5%7Ten to Chi to天と地とHeaven and Earth5 January 196928 December 1969Kōji Ishizaka (as Nagao Kagetora/Uesugi Kenshin)Fumie KashiyamaIneko ArimaOsamu TakizawaKōji Takahashi25.0%8Momi no Ki wa Nokotta樅の木は残ったThe Fir Tree Remained4 January 197027 December 1970Mikijirō Hira (as Harada Kai)Sayuri YoshinagaKomaki KuriharaKinuyo TanakaKin'ya Kitaōji21.0%9Haru no Sakamichi春の坂道Slope of Spring3 January 197126 December 1971Nakamura Kinnosuke (as Yagyū Munenori)Yoshio HaradaYoko TsukasaIchikawa Ebizō XSo Yamamura21.7%10Shin Heike Monogatari新・平家物語New Tale of the Heike2 January 197224 December 1972Tatsuya Nakadai (as Taira no Kiyomori)Tamao NakamuraTsutomu YamazakiMasakazu TamuraOsamu Takizawa21.4%11Kunitori Monogatari国盗り物語Tale of Taking Countries7 January 197330 December 1973Mikijirō Hira (as Saitō Dōsan) Hideki Takahashi (as Oda Nobunaga)Keiko MatsuzakaShōhei HinoShigeru TsuyuguchiMasaomi Kondō22.4%12Katsu Kaishū勝海舟6 January 197429 December 1974Tetsuya Watari → Hiroki Matsukata(main role actor changed as of 10th story (as Katsu Kaishū)Reiko OharaYoshiko KugaKeiju KobayashiOnoe Shoroku II24.2%13Genroku Taiheiki元禄太平記6 January 197529 December 1975Kōji Ishizaka (as Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu)Tōru EmoriMuga TakewakiShinsuke AshidaHisaya Morishige24.7%14Kaze to Kumo to Niji to風と雲と虹とWind, Clouds, and Rainbow4 January 197626 December 1976Gō Katō (as Taira no Masakado)Sayuri YoshinagaMasao KusakariShigeru TsuyuguchiKen Ogata24.0%15Kashin花神Flower Spirit2 January 197725 December 1977Nakamura Umenosuke IV (as Ōmura Masujirō)Masatoshi NakamuraJukichi UnoRuriko AsaokaHideki Takahashi19.0%16Ōgon no Hibi黄金の日日Golden Days8 January 197824 December 1978Ichikawa Somegorō VI (as Luzon Sukezaemon)Komaki KuriharaJinpachi NezuKōji TsurutaMatsumoto Kōshirō VIII25.9%17Kusa Moeru草燃えるGrass Burns7 January 197923 December 1979Kōji Ishizaka (as Minamoto no Yoritomo) Shima Iwashita (as Hōjō Masako)Ken MatsudairaHiromi GoKeiko MatsuzakaOnoe Shoroku II26.3%18Shishi no Jidai獅子の時代The Age of Lions6 January 198021 December 1980Bunta Sugawara (as Hiranuma Eiji) Gō Katō (as Kariya Yoshiaki)Reiko OharaShinobu OtakeMinoru ChiakiKōji Tsuruta21.0%19Onna Taikōkiおんな太閤記11 January 198120 December 1981Yoshiko Sakuma (as Nene)Masatoshi NakamuraPinko IzumiHarue AkagiToshiyuki Nishida31.8%20Tōge no Gunzō峠の群像10 January 198219 December 1982Ken Ogata (as Ōishi Kuranosuke)Ken MatsudairaJuzo ItamiNakamura Umenosuke IVJukichi Uno23.7%21Tokugawa Ieyasu徳川家康Tokugawa Ieyasu9 January 198318 December 1983Sakae Takita (as Tokugawa Ieyasu)Shinobu OtakeTetsuya TakedaMasako NatsumeKōji Ishizaka31.2%22Sanga Moyu山河燃ゆBurning Mountains and Rivers8 January 198423 December 1984Matsumoto Kōshirō IX (as Kenji Amo) Toshiyuki Nishida (as Tadashi Amo)Reiko OharaYoko ShimadaKenji SawadaToshiro Mifune21.1%23Haru no Hatō春の波涛Big Waves of Spring6 January 198515 December 1985Keiko Matsuzaka (as Sada Yacco)Masatoshi NakamuraMorio KazamaChikage AwashimaKeiju Kobayashi18.2%24InochiいのちInochi: Life5 January 198614 December 1986Yoshiko Mita (as Miki Iwata)Tetsurō TambaMako IshinoKoji YakushoKen Utsui29.3%25Dokuganryū Masamune独眼竜政宗Masamune the One-Eyed Dragon4 January 198713 December 1987Ken Watanabe (as Date Masamune)Tomokazu MiuraTeruhiko SaigōShima IwashitaShintaro Katsu39.7%26Takeda Shingen武田信玄Shingen Takeda10 January 198818 December 1988Kiichi Nakai (as Takeda Shingen)Kyōhei ShibataMisako KonnoToshiyuki NishidaRyōtarō Sugi39.2%27Kasuga no Tsubone春日局Kasuga the Court Lady1 January 198917 December 1989Reiko Ōhara (as Lady Kasuga)Aiko NagayamaShinji YamashitaTetsurō TambaYoshiko Sakuma33.1%Heisei Era28Tobu ga Gotoku翔ぶが如くAs If in Flight7 January 19909 December 1990Toshiyuki Nishida (as Saigō Takamori) Takeshi Kaga (as Ōkubo Toshimichi)Yūko TanakaSumiko FujiHideki TakahashiYūzō Kayama23.2%29Taiheiki太平記6 January 199125 December 1991Hiroyuki Sanada (as Ashikaga Takauji)Yasuko SawaguchiTetsuya TakedaFrankie SakaiKataoka Takao26.0%30Nobunaga信長 KING OF ZIPANGUNobunaga: King of Zipang5 January 199213 December 1992Naoto Ogata (as Oda Nobunaga)Momoko KikuchiKeiko TakahashiKen UtsuiMikijirō Hira24.6%31Ryūkyū no Kaze琉球の風 DRAGON SPIRITWind of the Ryūkyū Islands10 January 199313 June 1993Noriyuki Higashiyama (as Keitai)Atsuro WatabeTomoyo HaradaRumiko KoyanagiKenichi Hagiwara17.7%32Homura Tatsu炎立つBurst Into Flames4 July 199313 March 1994Ken Watanabe (as Fujiwara no Tsunekiyo, Fujiwara no Yasuhira) Hiroaki Murakami (as Fujiwara no Kiyohira)Yūko KotegawaKei SatōTsunehiko WataseKōtarō Satomi17.3%33Hana no Ran花の乱3 April 199425 December 1994Yoshiko Mita (as Hino Tomiko)Ichikawa Danjūrō XIIMansai NomuraYorozuya KinnosukeMachiko Kyō14.1%34Hachidai Shōgun Yoshimune八代将軍吉宗Yoshimune8 January 199510 December 1995Toshiyuki Nishida (as Tokugawa Yoshimune)Hideji ŌtakiNenji KobayashiNakamura Baijaku IIMasahiko Tsugawa26.4%35Hideyoshi秀吉Hideyoshi7 January 199622 December 1996Naoto Takenaka (as Toyotomi Hideyoshi)Yasuko SawaguchiHiroaki MurakamiEtsuko IchiharaTetsuya Watari30.5%36Mōri Motonari毛利元就Mōri Motonari5 January 199714 December 1997Nakamura Hashinosuke III (as Mōri Motonari)Yasuko TomitaTakaya KamikawaKeiko MatsuzakaKen Ogata23.4%37Tokugawa Yoshinobu徳川慶喜Tokugawa Yoshinobu4 January 199813 December 1998Masahiro Motoki (as Tokugawa Yoshinobu)Bunta SugawaraAyako WakaoHikari IshidaReiko Ohara21.1%38Genroku Ryōran元禄繚乱Chūshingura1 January 199912 December 1999Nakamura Kankurō V (as Ōishi Kuranosuke)Shinobu OtakeNoriyuki HigashiyamaHonami SuzukiKenichi Hagiwara20.2%39Aoi Tokugawa Sandai葵 徳川三代Aoi9 January 200017 December 2000Masahiko Tsugawa (as Tokugawa Ieyasu) Toshiyuki Nishida (as Tokugawa Hidetada) Onoe Tatsunosuke II (as Tokugawa Iemitsu)Tōru EmoriNakamura Baijaku IIMayumi OgawaShima Iwashita18.5%40Hōjō Tokimune北条時宗Hōjō Tokimune7 January 20019 December 2001Motoya Izumi (as Hōjō Tokimune)Atsuro WatabeKen WatanabeSumiko FujiKin'ya Kitaōji18.5%41Toshiie to Matsu利家とまつ～加賀百万石物語～Toshiie and Matsu6 January 200215 December 2002Toshiaki Karasawa (as Maeda Toshiie) Nanako Matsushima (as Maeda Matsu)Takashi SorimachiTeruyuki KagawaKen MatsudairaBunta Sugawara22.1%42Musashi武蔵 MUSASHIMusashi5 January 20037 December 2003Ichikawa Shinnosuke VII (as Miyamoto Musashi)Ryoko YonekuraShinichi TsutsumiTsunehiko WataseMakoto Fujita16.7%43Shinsengumi!新撰組!11 January 200412 December 2004Shingo Katori (as Kondō Isami)Tatsuya FujiwaraKoji YamamotoMasato SakaiKōji Ishizaka17.4%44Yoshitsune義経Yoshitsune9 January 200511 December 2005Hideaki Takizawa (as Minamoto no Yoshitsune)Ken MatsudairaMikijirō HiraKiichi NakaiTetsuya Watari19.5%45Kōmyō ga Tsuji功名が辻Love and Glory8 January 200610 December 2006Yukie Nakama (as Yamauchi Chiyo) Takaya Kamikawa (as Yamauchi Kazutoyo)Tetsuya TakedaGin MaedaAkira EmotoHiroshi Tachi20.9%46Fūrin Kazan風林火山The Trusted Confidant7 January 20079 December 2007Masaaki Uchino (as Yamamoto Kansuke)Ichikawa Kamejirō IIGacktSonny ChibaTatsuya Nakadai18.7%47Atsuhime篤姫Princess Atsu6 January 200821 December 2008Aoi Miyazaki (as Atsuhime)EitaMasato SakaiHideki TakahashiKin'ya Kitaōji24.5%48Tenchijin天地人Heart of a Samurai4 January 200922 November 2009Satoshi Tsumabuki (as Naoe Kanetsugu)Kazuki KitamuraTakako TokiwaHiroshi AbeHiroki Matsukata21.2%49Ryōmaden龍馬伝Ryōmaden: The Legend3 January 201028 November 2010Masaharu Fukuyama (as Sakamoto Ryōma)Teruyuki KagawaNao ŌmoriKiyoshi KodamaKōtarō Satomi18.7%50Gō江〜姫たちの戦国〜Princess Go9 January 201127 November 2011Juri Ueno (as Gō)Rie MiyazawaAsami MizukawaGorō KishitaniKin'ya Kitaōji17.7%51Taira no Kiyomori平清盛Kiyomori8 January 201223 December 2012Kenichi Matsuyama (as Taira no Kiyomori)Hiroshi TamakiMasaki OkadaShota MatsudaKiichi Nakai12.0%52Yae no Sakura八重の桜Yae's Sakura6 January 201315 December 2013Haruka Ayase (as Niijima Yae)Hidetoshi NishijimaHiroki HasegawaNakamura Shidō IIToshiyuki Nishida14.6%53Gunshi Kanbei軍師官兵衛Strategist Kanbe5 January 201421 December 2014Junichi Okada (as Kuroda Kanbei)Miki NakataniTori MatsuzakaNaoto TakenakaKyōhei Shibata15.8%54Hana Moyu花燃ゆBurning Flower4 January 201513 December 2015Mao Inoue (as Sugi Fumi)Takao OsawaYūsuke IseyaKengo KoraYoshiko Mita12.0%55Sanada Maru真田丸Sanada Maru10 January 201618 December 2016Masato Sakai (as Sanada Yukimura)Yo OizumiMasami NagasawaSeiyō UchinoMasao Kusakari16.6%56Onna Jōshu Naotoraおんな城主 直虎Naotora: The Lady Warlord8 January 201717 December 2017Ko Shibasaki (as Ii Naotora)Haruma MiuraIssey TakahashiMasaki SudaKaoru Kobayashi12.8%57Segodon西郷どんSegodon7 January 201816 December 2018Ryohei Suzuki (as Saigō Takamori)EitaKeiko KitagawaShota MatsudaKen Watanabe12.7%58Idatenいだてん～東京オリムピック噺～Idaten: The Epic Marathon to Tokyo6 January 201915 December 2019Nakamura Kankurō VI (as Shizo Kanakuri)