Mouri Motonari (1997–1997)

TV ShowEndedNHKDrama, War & Politics1 season, 50 episodes
Mouri Motonari poster

Plot

The 36th NHK Taiga Drama is Mori Motonari. This series chronicles the life of Mori Motonari, a warlord of the early 1500s who stood at the vanguard of the Warring States era. All Japanese school textbooks contain the Mitsuya no kyokun, Mori's famous lesson to his three sons that teaches that while one arrow is easily broken, three arrows together cannot be broken. In 1997, 500 years after his birth, NHK dramatizes Motonari's rise from a chief of the region of Aki (now Hiroshima) to a daimyo who rules over ten provinces of the Chugoku region. Motonari was 64 years old and already the patriarch of a powerful dynasty about the time Oda Nobunaga and Takeda Shingen appeared on the scene. And even after his death, the Mori family figured prominently in Japanese history. His grandson Terumoto became a loyal Toyotomi vassal. Defeated at the Battle of Sekigahara, Ieyasu confiscated most of his lands, leaving him only with Suwo and Nagato, later known as Choshu. But 260 years later, the Mori got their ultimate revenge, leading the imperial forces against the Tokugawa in the Meiji Restoration.

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Episodes by season

Season0150Episodes1997Aired—Season avg
  1. S01E01The Wives SayJanuary 5, 1997—
  2. S01E02Young Lord Raving MadJanuary 12, 1997—
  3. S01E03The Disqualified CastellanJanuary 19, 1997—
  4. S01E04A Woman's CaliberJanuary 26, 1997—
  5. S01E05A Castle of ConspiracyFebruary 2, 1997—
  6. S01E06A RomanceFebruary 9, 1997—
  7. S01E07I Fled From the EnemyFebruary 16, 1997—
  8. S01E08A Bride Who is Too GoodFebruary 23, 1997—
  9. S01E09Farewell, My BrotherMarch 2, 1997—
  10. S01E10His Miraculous First BattleMarch 9, 1997—
  11. S01E11An Angry BrideMarch 16, 1997—
  12. S01E12An Order To Assassinate MotonariMarch 23, 1997—
  13. S01E13A Child of the War-torn Era Was BornMarch 30, 1997—
  14. S01E14A Giant and A BabyApril 6, 1997—
  15. S01E15Turning the Tables in TearsApril 13, 1997—
  16. S01E16His Younger Brother's RebellionApril 20, 1997—
  17. S01E17A Fierce DawnApril 27, 1997—
  18. S01E18A Naval GoddessMay 4, 1997—
  19. S01E19A Husband in LoveMay 11, 1997—
  20. S01E20An Illegitimate WomanMay 18, 1997—
  21. S01E21A Million for One HeartMay 25, 1997—
  22. S01E22Three ArrowsJune 1, 1997—
  23. S01E23Invasion of the AmagoJune 8, 1997—
  24. S01E24Showdown at Koriyama CastleJune 15, 1997—
  25. S01E25Amago Tsunehisa DiesJune 22, 1997—
  26. S01E26The Ghost is Our EnemyJune 29, 1997—
  27. S01E27No Way OutJuly 6, 1997—
  28. S01E28I Want To See the OceanJuly 13, 1997—
  29. S01E29Farewell to My ChildJuly 20, 1997—
  30. S01E30Good-bye, MiiJuly 27, 1997—
  31. S01E31Sugi Goes To ParadiseAugust 3, 1997—
  32. S01E32Motonari Turns Into a DemonAugust 10, 1997—
  33. S01E33His Sharp Knife-Like StrategyAugust 17, 1997—
  34. S01E34Hannya (Jealous Female Demon) Hovering in DarknessAugust 24, 1997—
  35. S01E35The Last TraitorAugust 31, 1997—
  36. S01E36Demon's PoliticsSeptember 7, 1997—
  37. S01E37A Left-out FireflySeptember 14, 1997—
  38. S01E38A Decision at Age 59September 21, 1997—
  39. S01E39Outwitting a PlotSeptember 28, 1997—
  40. S01E40Storms Bring ChancesOctober 5, 1997—
  41. S01E41A Surprise Attack at ItsukushimaOctober 12, 1997—
  42. S01E42His Last WomanOctober 19, 1997—
  43. S01E43A Letter to Three SonsOctober 26, 1997—
  44. S01E44Dancing for SilverNovember 2, 1997—
  45. S01E45Man's CaliberNovember 9, 1997—
  46. S01E46Assassinating TakamotoNovember 16, 1997—
  47. S01E47An Avenging BattleNovember 23, 1997—
  48. S01E48Terumoto Making a DebutNovember 30, 1997—
  49. S01E49A Lonely ChampionDecember 7, 1997—
  50. S01E50Live Well, Die WellDecember 14, 1997—

Season 1 ranked & reviewed

Cast

Nobuko MiyamotoNobuko MiyamotoKen OgataKen OgataTakaya KamikawaTakaya KamikawaKeiko TakeshitaKeiko TakeshitaTakanori JinnaiTakanori JinnaiKeiko MatsuzakaKeiko MatsuzakaNaomasa MusakaNaomasa MusakaTsurutaro KataokaTsurutaro Kataoka

Photos

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