Profile:
Hidamari no Ki
Date: 6 April 2012
Station: BS NHK


Synopsis:
In the chaos of the last days of the Tokugawa shogunate, two young men bound by the bonds of firm friendship stand by their convictions as they try to create lives for themselves, walk the path they believed and die in the course of destiny. Ibuya Manjiro (Ichihara Hayato) is a boorish, low-ranking samurai who serves the Hitachifuchu domain. Although Ibuya is skilled, he is terrible at making his way in life because he is honest to a fault. The single-minded Ibuya lives for justice and is loyal to the shogunate which is on the verge of collapse. In contrast to Ibuya, Tezuka Ryoan (Narimiya Hiroki), a fine doctor of Western medicine, is usually an irresponsible womaniser, but a compassionate person who would go all out for his patients … …


Cast:

Ichihara Hayato as Ibuya Manjiro

A boorish, single-minded samurai who serves the Hitachifuchu domain (present day Ishioka City in Ibaraki prefecture). His great dislike of dishonesty, which he took after his father, is perhaps a handicap and he is far from making his way in the world although he possesses self-taught sword skills that can defeat all swordsmen present. While troubled by the increasingly corrupt Tokugawa shogunate which is about to fall to ruins, he makes up his mind support it. A man of integrity, he lives life his own way in this period of turbulence, showing grit for trying to protect his country. Before long, he gets involved in the establishment of the shogunate’s infantry because of his a role as guard for American emissaries. His destiny gets intertwined with the shogunate until the end.

Narimiya Hiroki as Tezuka Ryoan

A doctor of Western medicine and Tezuka Osamu’s great-grandfather. He studied Western medicine at a private school for Western studies in Osaka set up by Ogata Koan in the late Edo period. Ryoan and his father, Ryosen, played an active in the establishment of a vaccination clinic which later became the Faculty of Medicine of Tokyo University. Ryoan is the polar opposite of the honest Ibuya Manjiro. But while he maybe a womaniser with a devil-may-care attitude, he is also a compassionate person who will devote himself to saving the lives of patients during emergencies. This compassion moves Manjiro who starts out antagonistic, and the two of them become lifelong friends. He detests samurais and war, but he is pushed by the tide of the times to go off to the battlefront as a military doctor.

Kurokawa Mei as Oseki

The daughter of the head of Zenpukuji. Both Ibuya Manjiro and Tezuka Ryoan secretly love her. She is considering her father’s earnest request that the person who becomes her husband takes over the temple. She dislikes fights and does not have a good impression of samurais who kill people. Because her younger brother died of smallpox, she offers to help Ryoan who is trying to promote a vaccination against smallpox to Edo. She wavers between Majiro and Ryoan, but some incident leads her to enter a nunnery.

Tsugawa Masahiko as Fujita Toko

A samurai of the Mito domain (modern day Ibaraki prefecture) whom Ibuya Manjiro worships. As an authority on studies and academic traditions that originated from Mito, he wielded influence on imperial loyalists nationwide, and was Manjiro’s pillar of emotional support. After urging Manjiro to be “supportive of the big tree that has been felled”, he dies in the Great Ansei Earthquake.

Fueki Yuko as Oshina

A merchant’s daughter who was saved by Ibuya Manjiro in the Great Ansei Earthquake. She wishes to be Manjiro’s wife, but is raped by the swordsman Ushikubo Tobe and becomes pregnant. She endures the status of Tobe’s wife to keep him from attacking Manjiro.

Otsuka Shinobu as Otsune

Tezuka Ryoan’s wife. After Ryoan made a move on her on a sudden impulse along the road from Osaka to Edo, she became his wife. Because she is strong-willed and level-headed, she disciplines and supports her irresponsible, weak husband.

Otsuka Chihiro as Aya

The younger sister of Kusunoki Otojiro. Ibuya Manjiro is her brother’s enemy, but her heart wavers at his devotion. She tries to save Manjiro who is fighting against Ushikubo Tobe by volunteering her life and ends up in a coma. However, she makes a miraculous recovery as a result of his tender care.


Sasano Takashi


Nishioka Tokuma


Kotegawa Yuko



Ikegami Kimiko


Official Website
www.nhk.or.jp/jidaigeki/hidamari

yay, cant wait for another drama with Ichihara Hayato!!!!

I really dont like japanese hystorical doramas, but i would watch it cause i LOVE Nariyama-kun
Haven´t seen him for quite a long time

Narimiya Hiroki ....why he never the first lead

i totally agree with you, no matter which drama his is in the lead is not for him. it really annoys me..

IKR...he is a real good actor too -___-

REALLY nice avi

*gg* Thx

Yeah, its realy a shame for such a great actor (I especially like him in Bloody Monday, he was just brilliant there!).
He deserve it to be a leadactor but I guess he doesn´t have this hawaii boyish face that all averege actors have :P

I know, he was absolutely amazing in Bloody Monday. I fall in love with him since then, oh J
Well, all we can do is wish for him is best of luck to get lead role very very soooon......

unfortunately, the in thing is the girly girl faces...

There is a Movie in which he has a Leadingrole, but I don´t know if I will watch it. Unfortunaltely I forgot the Titel




Exactly, this fanatism for girly girl faces is sooo strange. I mean, sure there are many good actors who are this type. Even so its really a shame

i know which one you're talking about, it is called 'Attorney Ace'.. Well, i'm looking forward to watching it, it looks WooooW

exactly....

yeah, thats the movie. I don´t know what to think about it. Coult be not so bad, after all its Narimiya we´re talking about