Kōji Matsuoka
Director
Mouri Motonari (1997)
Season 1
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.
Released Jan. 5, 1997
Episode 60 min
None+
S1E1 - The Wives Say
None
Jan. 5, 1997, midnight
S1E2 - Young Lord Raving Mad
None
Jan. 12, 1997, midnight
S1E3 - The Disqualified Castellan
None
Jan. 19, 1997, midnight
S1E4 - A Woman's Caliber
None
Jan. 26, 1997, midnight
S1E5 - A Castle of Conspiracy
None
Feb. 2, 1997, midnight
S1E6 - A Romance
None
Feb. 9, 1997, midnight
S1E7 - I Fled From the Enemy
None
Feb. 16, 1997, midnight
S1E8 - A Bride Who is Too Good
None
Feb. 23, 1997, midnight
S1E9 - Farewell, My Brother
None
March 2, 1997, midnight
S1E10 - His Miraculous First Battle
None
March 9, 1997, midnight
S1E11 - An Angry Bride
None
March 16, 1997, midnight
S1E12 - An Order To Assassinate Motonari
None
March 23, 1997, midnight
S1E13 - A Child of the War-torn Era Was Born
None
March 30, 1997, midnight
S1E14 - A Giant and A Baby
None
April 6, 1997, midnight
S1E15 - Turning the Tables in Tears
None
April 13, 1997, midnight
S1E16 - His Younger Brother's Rebellion
None
April 20, 1997, midnight
S1E17 - A Fierce Dawn
None
April 27, 1997, midnight
S1E18 - A Naval Goddess
None
May 4, 1997, midnight
S1E19 - A Husband in Love
None
May 11, 1997, midnight
S1E20 - An Illegitimate Woman
None
May 18, 1997, midnight
S1E21 - A Million for One Heart
None
May 25, 1997, midnight
S1E22 - Three Arrows
None
June 1, 1997, midnight
S1E23 - Invasion of the Amago
None
June 8, 1997, midnight
S1E24 - Showdown at Koriyama Castle
None
June 15, 1997, midnight
S1E25 - Amago Tsunehisa Dies
None
June 22, 1997, midnight
S1E26 - The Ghost is Our Enemy
None
June 29, 1997, midnight
S1E27 - No Way Out
None
July 6, 1997, midnight
S1E28 - I Want To See the Ocean
None
July 13, 1997, midnight
S1E29 - Farewell to My Child
None
July 20, 1997, midnight
S1E30 - Good-bye, Mii
None
July 27, 1997, midnight
S1E31 - Sugi Goes To Paradise
None
Aug. 3, 1997, midnight
S1E32 - Motonari Turns Into a Demon
None
Aug. 10, 1997, midnight
S1E33 - His Sharp Knife-Like Strategy
None
Aug. 17, 1997, midnight
S1E34 - Hannya (Jealous Female Demon) Hovering in Darkness
None
Aug. 24, 1997, midnight
S1E35 - The Last Traitor
None
Aug. 31, 1997, midnight
S1E36 - Demon's Politics
None
Sept. 7, 1997, midnight
S1E37 - A Left-out Firefly
None
Sept. 14, 1997, midnight
S1E38 - A Decision at Age 59
None
Sept. 21, 1997, midnight
S1E39 - Outwitting a Plot
None
Sept. 28, 1997, midnight
S1E40 - Storms Bring Chances
None
Oct. 5, 1997, midnight
S1E41 - A Surprise Attack at Itsukushima
None
Oct. 12, 1997, midnight
S1E42 - His Last Woman
None
Oct. 19, 1997, midnight
S1E43 - A Letter to Three Sons
None
Oct. 26, 1997, midnight
S1E44 - Dancing for Silver
None
Nov. 2, 1997, midnight
S1E45 - Man's Caliber
None
Nov. 9, 1997, midnight
S1E46 - Assassinating Takamoto
None
Nov. 16, 1997, midnight
S1E47 - An Avenging Battle
None
Nov. 23, 1997, midnight
S1E48 - Terumoto Making a Debut
None
Nov. 30, 1997, midnight
S1E49 - A Lonely Champion
None
Dec. 7, 1997, midnight
S1E50 - Live Well, Die Well
None
Dec. 14, 1997, midnight
NHK
60 min/ep
3000 min
Jan. 5, 1997
Dec. 14, 1997, midnight
Ended
NR
Action
Action
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