is a Japanese historical drama television series and the 58th NHK taiga drama. It stars Nakamura Kankurō VI and Sadao Abe as marathon runner Shiso Kanakuri and swimming coach Masaji Tabata respectively. It began broadcasting in 2019 as part of the lead up to the 2020 Summer Olympics for which NHK was, under the Japan Consortium, principal co-host broadcaster. This drama marks the 55th anniversary of the 1964 Summer Olympics, which the NHK broadcast. It is the second post-war taiga drama in NHK history (the first was Inochi: Life in 1986) and the last series to premiere in the Heisei era and the first series to air during the Reiwa era. The series received an average rating of 8.2%, the lowest in history for a taiga drama.
Plot The drama focuses on the stories of two Japanese Olympians from different times of the 20th century: marathon runner Shiso Kanakuri, who took part in the 1912 Stockholm Summer Olympics and one of the first Japanese athletes to compete in the Games, and swimming coach Masaji Tabata, known as a founding father of Japanese swimming and was part of the successful efforts to bring the Olympics to Japan.
Cast Starring Nakamura Kankurō VI as Shiso Kanakuri, a marathon runner Rintarō Hisano as child Shiso Daichirō Funamoto as teen Shiso Sadao Abe as Masaji Tabata, a reporter and swimming coach Soma Santoki as young Masaji (early teens) Yūya Hara as young Masaji (late teens and early twenties)
Kanakuri family Nakamura Shidō II as Sanetsugu Kanakuri, Shiso's brother Tomorowo Taguchi as Nobuhiko Kanakuri, Shiso's father Yoshiko Miyazaki as Shie Kanakuri, Shiso's mother Hisako Ōkata as Suma Kanakuri, Shiso's grandmother
Ikebe family Haruka Ayase as Suya Haruno, Shiso's wife Riri Harashima as young Suya Shinobu Otake as Ikue Ikebe, Shiso's adoptive mother Yō Takahashi as Shigeyuki Ikebe, Suya's deceased husband
Tabata family Kumiko Asō as Kikue, Masaji's wife Toshie Negishi as Ura Tabata, Masaji's mother Haruka Uchimura as Shōkichi Tabata, Masaji's older brother Ai Yoshikawa as Atsuko Tabata, Masaji's daughter
Mishima family Toma Ikuta as Yahiko Mishima Yukiyoshi Ozawa as Yatarō Mishima Kayoko Shiraishi as Wakako Mishima, Yahiko and Yatarō's mother
Shiso's friends Hana Sugisaki as Shima, Gorin's grandmother, and Riku, Gorin's mother Tasuku Emoto as Masuno, Shima's husband and Riku's father Taiga Nakano as Masaru Komatsu, Riku's husband and Gorin's father Hiroki Miyake as Shinsaku Kurosaka (eps. 16 onwards) Pierre Taki as Shinsaku Kurosaka (eps. 4–10) Mayumi Satō as Chō Kurosaka, Shinsaku's wife Ryo Katsuji as Hidenobu Mikawa 201 Ami as Sanpo Toku
JOC / Japan Amateur Athletic Association Kōji Yakusho as Jigorō Kanō, the 1st President of the Japanese Olympic Committee Ryō Iwamatsu as Seiichi Kishi, the 2nd President Jun Inoue as Juichi Tsushima, the 7th President Yutaka Takenouchi as Hyozo Omori, the team manager at the 1912 Stockholm Olympics Charlotte Kate Fox as Annie Shepley Omori, Hyozo's wife Kanji Furutachi as Isao Kani Tetta Sugimoto as Dōmei Nagai Toshiyuki Nagashima as Chiyosaburō Takeda Kazunaga Tsuji as Hisayoshi Kanō Shinobu Terajima as Tokuyo Nikaidō Tori Matsuzaka as Yukiaki Iwata Yutaka Matsushige as Ryotaro Azuma, the Governor of Tokyo Miou Tanaka as Tadaoki Yamamoto
Japanese members of the IOC Masaya Kato as Yōtarō Sugimura Shinya Tsukamoto as Michimasa Soejima
Japan Swimming Federation Sarutoki Minagawa as Ikkaku Matsuzawa
The people living in Asakusa Takeshi Kitano as Kokontei Shinshō V / the storyteller Mirai Moriyama as Kōzō Minobe (young Shinshō) / the storyteller Shino IkenamiShino Ikenami is a granddaughter of Rin Minobe. as Rin Minobe, Shinshō's wife Kaho as young Rin Ryunosuke Kamiki as Gorin Ai Hashimoto as Koume Kazunobu Mineta as Sei-san Suzuki Matsuo as Tachibanaya Enkyō IV, Shinshō's master Tokio Emoto as Manchō Rina Kawaei as Chie, Gorin's lover Yoshiyoshi Arakawa as Imamatsu Kyōko Koizumi as Mitsuko, Shinshō's eldest daughter Maki Sakai as Kimiko, Shinshō's second daughter Nakamura Shichinosuke II as Sanyūtei Enshō VI
Asahi Shimbun Lily Franky as Taketora Ogata, Masaji's boss Kenta Kiritani as Ichirō Kōno, Masaji's rival Hiroto Ōshita as young Ichirō Kazuhiro Yamaji as Ryōhei Murayama Jirō (Sissonne) as Odaka
Tengu Club Shinnosuke Mitsushima as Shinkei Yoshioka Koen Kondo as Rinsen Nakazawa Sō Takei as Shunrō Oshikawa
Other athletes
Kento Nagayama as Genzaburō Noguchi Koharu Sugawara as Kinue Hitomi Rintarō Ikeda as Chūhei Nambu Naruki Matsukawa as Mikio Oda Yūsuke Gambale as Sohn Kee-chung, a.k.a. Son Kitei Kai Inowaki as Yoshinori Sakai Mikuri Kiyota as Kumie Suzuki Ken Sugawara as Kōkichi Tsuburaya
Takumi Saitoh as Katsuo Takaishi Takahiro Miura as Kazuo Noda Moka Kamishiraishi as Hideko Maehata Shunsuke Daitō as Yoshiyuki Tsuruta Kento Hayashi as Tsutomu Ōyokota Ōshirō Maeda as Reizo Koike Mai Kiryū as Hatsuho Matsuzawa Arisa Sasaki as Kazue Kojima Nagisa Nishino as Yukie Arata Yūta Uchida as Masaji Kiyokawa Jun Nishiyama as Yasuji Miyazaki Kosuke Kitajima as Hironoshin Furuhashi Daisuke Hosokawa as Shiro Hashizume
Sakura Ando as Masae Kasai Miho Izumikawa as Emiko Miyamoto Koharu Sakai as Kinuko Tanida Nagisa Matsunaga as Yuriko Handa Shen Tanaka as Yoshiko Matsumura Miyū Kitamuki as Sata Isobe Yūko Watanabe as Emiko Suzuki
Other politicians Tadanobu Asano as Shōjirō Kawashima, the secretary-general of the LDP Issey Ogata as Hidejirō Nagata Kitarō as Toratarō Ushizuka Kenichi Hagiwara as Korekiyo Takahashi Sansei Shiomi as Tsuyoshi Inukai Sei Hiraizumi as Shigenobu Ōkuma, the founder of Waseda University Kenta Hamano as Hirobumi Itō Katsuya Kobayashi as Gorō Miura Tatekawa Danshun as Hayato Ikeda Hideaki Matsunaga as Kōichi Kido Hiroshi Ōkōchi as Kenji Fukunaga
Foreigners Nicolas Lumbreras as Pierre de Coubertin , the founder of the IOC Jappe Claes as Henri de Baillet-Latour , the third president of the IOC Michael Sorich as Avery Brundage , the fifth president of the IOC Don Johnson as Avery Brundage in the 1930s Dasha Teranishi as Mrs. Brundage Dino Spinella as Benito Mussolini Francesco Biscione as Alberto Bonacossa Daniel Schuster as Adolf Hitler Huang Shi as Wang Zhengting Laz B as William May Garland Didier as Auguste Gérard Eduardo Breda as Francisco Lázaro Edvin Endre as Daniel , an interpreter Max Backholm as Paul Zerling Marc-Olivier Caron as Buster Crabbe Marthe Romund as Martha Genenger Kai Hoshino Sandy as Jacob , an interpreter Derebe as Abebe Bikila Danny Winn as Douglas MacArthur Steve Wiley as Edwin O. Reischauer Lutfi Bakhtiyar as Sukarno Eduwart Manalu as Allen , an interpreter Raja as Guru Dutt Sondhi Alioune as Léon Yombe Max as Henri Elendé
NHK Gen Hoshino as Kazushige Hirasawa, a foreign affairs commentator Tortoise Matsumoto as Sansei Kasai Masato Wada as Teru Yamamoto Daichi Watanabe (Kuroneko Chelsea) as Hisaya Morishige Taishi Masaoka as Seigorō Kitade
Other journalists Mizuki Yamamoto as Honjō Sō Yamanaka as Zenmaro Toki
Other people related to the 1964 Summer Olympics Ryuhei Matsuda as Kenzō Tange, an architect Kōki Mitani as Kon Ichikawa, a film director Kenta Hamano as Haruo Minami, a singer Daisuke Kuroda as Nobuo Murakami, a chef Tetsu Hirahara as Kenkichi Oshima Kenta Maeno as Yūsaku Kamekura, a graphic designer Umika Kawashima as Yasuko Ōgawara, an interpreter Taro Suruga as Haruhide Matsushita, an aircraft pilot Ren Sudō as Tadamasa Fukiura Yoshimi Tokui (Tutorial) as Hirofumi Daimatsu Akihiro Kakuta (Tokyo 03) as Eiichi Morinishi, a taxi driver Cunning Takeyama as the owner of Suimeitei Hideto Iwai as Hideo Kitahara Shinshō Nakamaru as Shigeru Yosano
Others Hiroko Yakushimaru as Marie Yuina Kuroshima as Tomie Murata Itsuji Itao as Daisaku Murata, Tomie's father Hajime Inoue as Sadatsuchi Uchida Kenta Satoi as Dr. Haruno, Suya's father Bengal as Kinji Tajima Raikō Sakamoto as a katsudō-benshi Kang Sang-jung as Mr. Gojō Hiroaki Nerio as a man with a mustache Shiyun Nakamura as Count Maresuke Nogi Makita Sports as a prisoner Moemi Katayama as Chii-chan Lisa Oda as Naomi Shōko Nakajima as Mitsue Maehata, Hideko's mother Suon Kan as Fukutarō Maehata, Hideko's father Naozumi Masuko (Dohatsuten) as Akira Kurosawa, a film director Tetsuya Chiba as Yoshijirō Umezu Ryosuke Otani as Ryōzō Hiranuma Yamagen (Charcoal Zone) as Sadaharu Oh Mariko Tsutsui as Teruko, Ryotaro Azuma's wife Mitsuru Fukikoshi Kankurō Kudō as a taxi driver
Production
Music – Otomo Yoshihide
On November 16, 2016, NHK announced that its 58th taiga drama will be about Japan's participation in the Olympic Games from 1912 up to 1964, with Kankurō Kudō as writer and Tsuyoshi Inoue as chief director. The drama series' title, Idaten: Tokyo Orinpikku-banashi (subtitle: "A Tale of the Tokyo Olympics"), was revealed on April 4, 2017.
Casting The main cast of the series was announced on November 1, 2017, which included Nakamura Kankurō VI, Sadao Abe, Haruka Ayase, Toma Ikuta, Hana Sugisaki, Kento Nagayama, and Ryo Katsuji among others. The second cast announcement on November 29, 2017, included Takeshi Kitano as Kokontei Shinshō V. The third cast announcement on March 30, 2018, included Tomorowo Taguchi, Yoshiko Miyazaki, Kenta Satoi, and Yō Takahashi. The fourth cast announcement on December 14, 2018, included Gen Hoshino, Tori Matsuzaka, and Yutaka Matsushige. The fifth cast announcement on March 5, 2019, included Shinobu Terajima, Yuina Kuroshima, Koharu Sugawara, Kaho, and Itsuji Itao. Two more cast announcements were done on April 24 and May 17, 2019.
On March 12, 2019, actor-musician Masanori "Pierre" Taki, who portrayed the role of tabi craftsman Shinsaku Kurosaka, was arrested in Tokyo due to his admission of drug use. This came after authorities searched his home in Setagaya Ward and tested him positive for cocaine use from a urine sample. He was eventually replaced by Hiroki Miyake in the series.
TV schedule Shiso Kanakuri ArcEpisodeTitleDirected byOriginal airdateRating1Tsuyoshi Inoue15.5%212.0%3Takegorō Nishimura13.2%4Masae Ichiki11.6%5Tsuyoshi Inoue10.2%6Takegorō Nishimura9.9%7Masae Ichiki9.5%8Tsuyoshi Inoue9.3%9Hitoshi Ōne9.7%10Takegorō Nishimura8.7%118.7%12Masae Ichiki9.3%13Tsuyoshi Inoue8.5%14Tsuyoshi Inoue and Hitoshi Ōne9.6%15Masae Ichiki8.7%16Hitoshi Ōne7.1%17Masae Ichiki7.7%18Kensuke Matsuki8.7%19Hitoshi Ōne8.7%208.6%21Takegorō Nishimura8.5%22Satoshi Hayashi6.7%23Tsuyoshi Inoue6.9%24Masae Ichiki7.8%Masaji Tabata Arc25Tsuyoshi Inoue8.6%26Hitoshi Ōne7.9%277.6%28Tomohiro Kuwano7.8%29Takegorō Nishimura7.8%30Yasuko Tsuda5.9%31Takegorō Nishimura7.2%32Hitoshi Ōne5.0%33Tomohiro Kuwano6.6%34Masae Ichiki9.0%35Tsuyoshi Inoue6.9%36Tsuyoshi Inoue and Hitoshi Ōne7.0%37Tsuyoshi Inoue5.7%38Takegorō Nishimura6.2%39Hitoshi Ōne and Naoki Watanabe3.7%40Tsuyoshi Inoue7.0%41Masae Ichiki6.6%42Takashi Kitano6.3%43Yasuko Tsuda6.1%44Hitoshi Ōne6.1%45Masae Ichiki6.1%46Takegorō Nishimura6.9%47Tsuyoshi Inoue8.3%Average rating 8.2% - Rating is based on Japanese Video Research (Kantō region).
Omnibus EpisodeTitleOriginal airdateOriginal airtime1Part 1December 30, 201913:05 - 14:15Part 214:15 - 15:202Part 115:25 - 16:36Part 216:36 - 17:40
International version Title PlatformNarrated byEraEpisode 1NHK World - Video on DemandPatrick Harlan1909–1912Episode 21912–1915Episode 31915–1933Episode 41933–1936Episode 51938–1962Episode 61962–1967
Home media The first 13 episodes and 11 succeeding episodes of Idaten were released in separate Blu-ray box sets in Japan on April 24, 2020. DVD edition box sets were also released on the same day. Episodes 25 to 36 and 37 to 47 were later released in separate Blu-ray box sets as well on May 22, 2020, along with their respective DVD versions.
Soundtracks Idaten Taiga Drama Original Soundtrack (Release date: March 6, 2019) Idaten Taiga Drama Original Soundtrack Part Two (Release date: July 24, 2019) Idaten Taiga Drama Original Soundtrack Final (Release date: November 20, 2019)
Awards