Taiga Drama Awaiting Kirin

In Mino during the late Muromachi Period, the young Akechi Mitsuhide asks his lord, Saito Dosan, for permission to travel to Kyoto. Mitsuhide wants to know why the country remains trapped in ceaseless warfare and turmoil. Though reluctant at first, Dosan grants his request on one condition: that he return with firearms, still a rarity, and a renowned doctor to treat his wife, Lady Omi. (C)NHK

Mitsuhide and Koma head back to Mino but awaiting them was an invasion from the neighboring land, Owari. Mitsuhide's lord, Saito Dosan, waits patiently for Owari's Oda Nobuhide in this city of Inokuchi. Oda's forces storm Inokuchi, thus falling into Dosan's trap... (C)NHK

Six months after the Battle of Kanoguchi, Kicho (Haruna Kawaguchi) rides on horseback to the Akechi estate to visit Mitsuhide (Hiroki Hasegawa). Deep in her heart, Kicho carries profound grief for her husband, Yorizumi (Masato Yano), who was poisoned to death after her father, Dosan, discovered he had been secretly communicating with the Oda clan. (C)NHK

The day Toan Mochizuki (Masaaki Sakai) returns to Kyoto, Dosan (Masahiro Motoki), knowing that Toan has been secretly communicating with Nobuhide Oda (Katsunori Takahashi), orders him to send information about the Oda clan back to Mino. When Toan hesitates, Dosan takes Koma hostage, forcing Toan to comply, and appoints Mitsuhide (Hiroki Hasegawa) as Toan's contact. (C)NHK

To arrange gun disassembly, Mitsuhide (Hiroki Hasegawa) travels to Omi. There, he learns that a young man named Iheiji, who is skilled in gun disassembly, is in Kyoto. With Dosan's (Masahiro Motoki) help, Mitsuhide returns to Kyoto, where he meets another young man, Fujitaka Hosokawa (Hidekazu Mashima). (C)NHK

While in Kyoto, Mitsuhide hears a rumor that Matsunaga Hisahide and Miyoshi Nagayoshi are about to be attacked by their lord, Hosokawa Harumoto. Through Mitsubuchi, an acquaintance, he secures an audience with Shogun Ashikaga Yoshiteru and urges him to put a stop to the brewing turmoil. He boldly questions the purpose of the shogun if they cannot quell such a disturbance. (C)NHK

Returning from Kyoto, Mitsuhide (Hiroki Hasegawa) is met with news of a proposal for Kicho (Haruna Kawaguchi) to marry into the Owari clan. Kicho, whose previous husband was killed by her father Dosan (Masahiro Motoki), turns to Mitsuhide for advice. Meanwhile, Takamasa (Hideaki Ito) and others oppose the union, fearing it would turn the Imagawa clan of Suruga into an enemy. (C)NHK

Mitsuhide (Hiroki Hasegawa) meets Nobunaga (Shota Sometani) in Owari on Kicho's orders. After returning to Mino, he tells her what he thinks of the man. Thanks to his persuasion, Kicho makes up her mind to marry Nobunaga. However, her decision angers Takamasa, who condemns Mitsuhide, saying that an alliance with Owari would mean making an enemy of Imagawa Yoshimoto. (C)NHK

Kicho (Haruna Kawaguchi) meets her soon-to-be husband, Oda Nobunaga (Shota Sometani), for the first time in Owari. She finds herself drawn to his eccentric yet charming and mysterious nature. Meanwhile, following the departure of both Kicho and Koma (Mugi Kadowaki), Mitsuhide (Hiroki Hasegawa) is reunited with his childhood friend Hiroko (Fumino Kimura). (C)NHK

After parting ways with Mitsuhide, broken-hearted Koma reunites with Iroha Dayu in Kyoto. She knows all about Koma's past and tells her about a secret of a samurai that saved Koma's life. Meanwhile, Mitsuhide of Mino enters Owari to form an alliance on Dosan's orders. He asks for Kicho, but there, he has his fated encounter with Oda Nobunaga. (C)NHK

Holding Takechiyo captive, Yoshimoto Imagawa (Ainosuke Kataoka) launches an invasion of Owari. As the province faces a desperate situation, it requests reinforcements from Dosan Saito (Masahiro Motoki) in Mino. However, because the provincial lords refuse to obey Dosan, no troops can be dispatched. Mitsuhide (Hiroki Hasegawa) rushes back to Owari as Dosan's messenger. (C)NHK

Mitsuhide (Hiroki Hasegawa) encounters a familiar face in the village of Tsumaki. Meanwhile, as Nobuhide Oda's (Katsunori Takahashi) condition worsens, Nobunaga (Shota Sometani) grows increasingly anxious about the succession. Seeing Nobunaga's dejection, Kicho visits the bedridden Nobuhide to ask about his true intentions. (C)NHK

Dosan (Masahiro Motoki) declares his intention to go to war with Yorinori (Toshinori Omi). Mitsuhide (Hiroki Hasegawa) goes to dissuade him, only for Dosan to reveal that he has no actual intention of fighting. Meanwhile, on her way to Suruga, Koma (Mugi Kadowaki) encounters a peculiar man (Kuranosuke Sasaki). (C)NHK

Nobunaga (Shota Sometani) brings a squadron of gunners to Shotokuji Temple. His strange behavior intrigues Dosan (Masahiro Motoki), who meets his son-in-law for the first time. Meanwhile, Dosan's concubine, Miyoshino (Kaho Minami), gets drunk and drowns on the banks of the Nagara River. (C)NHK

Dosan (Masahiro Motoki) becomes a monk and names Takamasa (Hideaki Ito) his successor. However, his second son, Magoshiro, opposes the decision and consults Mitsuhide and the others about the matter. Behind the scenes, Kicho (Haruna Kawaguchi) in Owari is backing Magoshiro. Meanwhile, in Sunpu, Koma (Mugi Kadowaki) continues to be followed by Tokichiro (Kuranosuke Sasaki). (C)NHK

Dosan (Masahiro Motoki) leaves Inabayama Castle and heads for Oga Castle. Mitsuhide (Hiroki Hasegawa) seeks Kicho's intervention to prevent a war. However, he is brusquely turned away for failing to prevent Magoshiro's death. Mitsuhide then goes to Oga Castle to dissuade Dosan from going to war, but Dosan's resolve is already firm. (C)NHK

At last, the battle between Dosan and Takamasa on the Nagara River has begun! Although Dosan is at a disadvantage, he challenges Takamasa to a one-on-one duel. Mitsuhide rushes to the scene, but he is too late to save Dosan. Meanwhile, at Akechi Castle, Mitsuyasu is preparing to hold the castle. (C)NHK

Akechi Castle falls before the assault led by Takamasa (Hideaki Ito). As Mitsuhide (Hiroki Hasegawa) and his family prepare to flee toward Owari, Koma arrives from Suruga and warns them that enemy pursuers have already reached Owari, urging them to head north instead. Along the way, they are met by Iroha Dayu (Machiko Ono), sent by Kicho, who offers to guide them safely to Echizen. (C)NHK

Two years after Dosan Saito's death, Mitsuhide (Hiroki Hasegawa) is living in Echizen. One day, Yoshikage Asakura orders him to deliver a hawk to Kyoto as a gift for Shogun Yoshiteru Ashikaga. Visiting Kyoto for the first time in years, Mitsuhide encounters Fujitaka Hosokawa and learns an unexpected truth. (C)NHK

It is 1560. Imagawa Yoshimoto (Ainosuke Kataoka) of Suruga invades Owari with a great army. Faced with overwhelming forces, Oda Nobunaga (Sometani Shota) has no way to win. Mitsuhide (Hiroki Hasegawa), who is in Echizen, informs Kicho that the key to this battle lies in the hands of Matsudaira Motonobu (Shunsuke Kazama). (C)NHK

Imagawa Yoshimoto (Ainosuke Kataoka) invades Owari. Sensing the threat, Nobunaga (Shota Sometani) pretends to prepare for a siege at the castle, but in fact has another strategy in mind. Prepared for the possibility of death, Nobunaga introduces Kicho (Haruna Kawaguchi) to a certain person. Meanwhile, Mitsuhide (Hiroki Hasegawa) races toward Owari. (C)NHK

Four years have passed since the Battle of Okehazama. One day, Mitsuhide (Hiroki Hasegawa) in Echizen is visited by Hosokawa Fujitaka from Kyoto. Fujitaka informs him that Shogun Ashikaga Yoshiteru (Osamu Mukai) wishes to meet him. In Kyoto, Yoshiteru has been reduced to a mere puppet of Miyoshi Nagayoshi. (C)NHK

For Yoshiteru, Mitsuhide (Hiroki Hasegawa) travels to Mino to persuade Nobunaga Oda to come to Kyoto. However, with Nobunaga (Shota Sometani) preoccupied with the war, he has no time to read Mitsuhide's confidential letter. Instead, Fujikichiro (Kuranosuke Sasaki) tells Mitsuhide about a rumored plot to assassinate the shogun, leaving him outraged. (C)NHK

During the Eiroku Incident, Shogun Yoshiteru Ashikaga (Osamu Mukai) is killed by the Miyoshi clan. His younger brother, Kakukei (Kenichi Takito), is then imprisoned at Kofukuji, and Fujitaka and the others set out to rescue him. Driven by anger, Mitsuhide (Hiroki Hasegawa), rides to Yamato to see Matsunaga (Kotaro Yoshida). (C)NHK