Gunshi Kanbee

The 50-episode annual Japanese NHK drama in 2014 was Gunshi Kanbee (Strategist Kanbee). This series follows the story of Kuroda Kanbee (played by pop star Okada Junichi) through one of the most turbulent periods of Japanese history from the rise & demise of Oda Nobunaga through the reign of the Toyotomi to the Tokugawa ascendancy. Oda Nobunaga is brilliantly played by Eguchi Yosuke (Goemon) while Takenaka Naoto is consistently annoying as Hideyoshi. Ibu Masato (who played Sessai in Fuurin Kazan) is again excellent as the tea master Rikyu. As a key vassal of the ineffectually-led Kodera clan Kanbee's talent for strategising is noticed & nurtured by Nobunaga & Hideyoshi. The series follows the conflicts & intrigues in which Kanbee gets embroiled from Nobunaga's brutal suppression of the warrior monks of Enryaku-ji to Hideyoshi's invasion of Korea.This show is well cast and well scripted and doesn't have to rely (like some of the annual taiga dramas) on unnecessary flannel. While the protagonist is an interesting & engaging character, the series is dominated by the incredible presence of Eguchi Yosuke. Well worth a watch.