The 51st NHK Taiga drama recounts the life of Taira no Kiyomori (1118-1181), a general of the Heian period, who established the first samurai-based government in Japan.
During the late Heian era, a youth who did not know his birth parents was raised by the Heike (also known as the Taira), a samurai clan of emerging influence. Taira no Kiyomori (Matsuyama Kenichi) was in truth the illegitimate son of Emperor Shirakawa. With his adoptive father, Tadamori (Nakai Kiichi), he got rid of the pirates in the Seto Insland Sea, and was trained to be a samurai. In a period where the samurai were being discriminated by the aristocrats of the upper echelons of society, Kiyomori, who was adept at winning hearts and minds, controlled the pirates. He worked to reform the aristocracy, persisted with the way of life of the samurai and built up the mighty Taira clan (Nakamura Baijaku, Kamikawa Takaya, Fujimoto Takahiro, Daito Shunsuke). Before long, he rose from a senior courtier of the third rank to become the chief minister and the ruler of Japan.
Trailer
Title: Taira No Kiyomori Also Known As: 平清盛 / Taira no Kiyomori Genre: Jidaigeki Network: NHK Episodes: TBA Release Date: 8 January 2012 start Air time (JST): Sundays 20:00 Language: Japanese Subtitles: English Country: Japan
Cast
Matsuyama Kenichi as Taira no Kiyomori
Samurai
Nakai Kiichi as Taira no Tadamori
Kohinata Fumiyo as Minamoto no Tameyoshi
Kiyomori's rivals
Tamaki Hiroshi as Minamoto no Yoshitomo
Matsuda Shota as Emperor Goshirakawa
Fujiki Naohito as Saigyo Hoshi / Sato Norikiyo
Taira clan
Nakamura Baijaku as Taira no Iesada
Kamikawa Takaya as Taira no Morikuni
Fujimoto Takahiro as Itou Tadakiyo
Daito Shunsuke as Taira no Iemori
Fukada Kyoko as Taira no Tokiko
Narumi Riko as Taira no Shigeko / Kenshunmon'in
Kato Ai as Takashina no Akiko
Wakui Emi as Fujiwara no Muneko
Morita Go as Taira no Tokitada
Toyohara Kosuke as Taira no Tadamasa
Nakamura Atsuo as Taira no Masamori
Fukiishi Kazue as Taira no Kiyomori's mother
Imperial clan
Mikami Hiroshi as Emperor Tobajo
ARATA as Emperor Sutokuten
Dan Rei as Fujiwara no Tamako / Taikenmon'in
Ryo as Horikawa no Tsubone
Matsuyuki Yasuko as Fujiwara no Nariko / Bifukumon'in
Aristocrats
Kunimura Jun as Fujiwara no Tadazane
Yamamoto Koji as Fujiwara no Yorinaga
Abe Sadao as Fujiwara no Michinori / Shinzei
Genji clan women
Takei Emi as Lady Tokiwa
Tanaka Rena as Lady Yura
Others
Okada Masaki as Minamoto no Yoritomo
Anne as Hojo Masako
Kato Koji as Usagimaru
Ito Shiro as Emperor Shirakawa
Matsuda Seiko as Gion no Nyougo
Production Credits
Original Screenplay: Fujimoto Yuki
Director: Shibata Takeshi (柴田岳志)
Producer: Iso Tomoaki (磯智明)
Music: Yoshimatsu Takashi (吉松隆)
Download Taira No Kiyomori 平清盛 (2012) (w/English Subtitles):
