Seiten wo Tsuke

Details

Title: 青天を衝け / Seiten wo Tsuke
Title (English): Reach Beyond the Blue Sky
Format: Renzoku
Genre: Jidaigeki
Episodes: 41
Broadcast network: NHK
Broadcast period: 2021-Feb-14 to 2021-Dec-26
Viewership ratings: 14.1%
Air time: Sunday 20:00
Original soundtrack: Seiten wo Tsuke OST

Synopsis

This is a telling of the real-life story of Shibusawa Eiichi (Yoshizawa Ryo), a man known in Japan as the "father of Japanese capitalism". He initiated the establishment of Western capitalism after the Meiji Restoration and is known for presenting various economic reforms to Japan.

Cast

Main Cast

Yoshizawa Ryo as Shibusawa Eiichi
- Kobayashi Masahito as young Eiichi

Eiichi's Family

Kobayashi Kaoru as Shibusawa Ichirouemon (Eiichi's father)
Wakui Emi as Shibusawa Ei (Eiichi's mother)
Murakawa Eri as Shibusawa Naka (Eiichi's older sister)
Fujino Ryoko as Shibusawa Tei (Eiichi's younger sister)
- Yoshida Honoka (吉田帆乃華) as young Tei
Ono Rina as Shibusawa Utako (Eiichi & Chiyo's older daughter)
- Yamazaki Kaho (山崎香歩) as young Utako
- Yamasaki Chisato (山崎千聖 ) as child Utako
Tamura Kentaro as Hotsumi Nobushige (Utako's husband)
Izumisawa Yuuki as Shibusawa Tokuji (Eiichi & Chiyo's son)
- Saito Kento as young Tokuji
Fujimatsu Shoko (藤松祥子) as Shibusawa Atsuko (Tokuji's wife)
Kasamatsu Sho as Shibusawa Keizo (Tokuji's older son)
- Tsugao Oga (塚尾桜雅) as young Keizo (Tokuji's younger son)
Moriguchi Taito (森口太翔) as Shibusawa Nobuo
Ikeda Akana as Shibusawa Kotoko (Eiichi & Chiyo's younger daughter)
- Mori Miria (森美理愛) as young Kotoko
Uchino Kenta as Sakatani Yoshiro (Kotoko's husband)
Nimura Sawa as Ohuchi Kuni
Yagi Yuki as Shibusawa Fumiko (Eiichi & Kuni's daughter)
- Yamamoto Risa (山本理楽) as young Fumiko
Oshima Yuko as Shibusawa Kaneko (Eiichi's second wife)
Yamaguchi Daichi as Shibusawa Takenosuke (Eiichi & Kaneko's oldest son)
- Kato Ouka (加藤櫻華) as young Takenosuke
Takeuchi Toshi as Shibusawa Masao (Eiichi & Kaneko's older son)
- Banka Tenta as young Masao
Endo Kenshin as Shibusawa Hideo (Eiichi & Kaneko's youngest son)
- Kikuchi Takuma (菊池拓眞) as young Hideo

Eiichi's Extended Family

Kora Kengo as Shibusawa Kisaku (Eiichi's cousin)
Narumi Riko as Shibusawa Yoshi (Kisaku's wife)
Hiraizumi Sei as Shibusawa Sousuke (Eiichi's uncle)
Asaka Mayumi as Shibusawa Masa (Eiichi's aunt)

Odaka Family

Tanabe Seiichi as Odaka Junchu (Shingoro) (Eiichi's cousin)
Mitsushima Shinnosuke as Odaka Choshichiro (Eiichi's cousin)
Hashimoto Ai as Odaka Chiyo (Eiichi's cousin)
- Iwasaki Aiko (岩﨑愛子) as young Chiyo
Okada Kenshi as Odaka Heikuro (Eiichi's cousin)
- Takagi Haru as young Heikuro
Tezuka Satomi as Odaka Yahe (Odaka family's mother)
Tezuka Mai as Odaka Kise (Junchu's wife)

Mito Domain

Takenaka Naoto as Tokugawa Nariaki (Yoshinobu's father, the 9th Lord of Mito)
Hara Hideko as Yoshiko (Princess Tomi) (Yoshinobu's mother)
Nakajima Ayumu as Tokugawa Yoshiatsu (Nariaki's eldest son, the 10th Lord of Mito)
Itagaki Rihito as Tokugawa Akitake (Yoshiatsu and Yoshinobu's half-brother)
Watanabe Ikkei as Fujita Toko (Nariaki's confidant)
Tsuda Kanji as Takeda Kounsai (Nariaki's confidant)
Fujiwara Kisetsu as Fujita Koshiro (Toko's son)

Hitotsubashi House

Kusanagi Tsuyoshi as Tokugawa Yoshinobu (Nariaki's 7th son, 15th Shogun of the Tokugawa Shogunate)
- Kasamatsu Motoi as young Yoshinobu
Tsutsumi Shinichi as Hiraoka Enshiro (Yoshinobu's confidant)
Kimura Yoshino as Hiraoka Yasu (Enshiro's wife)
Mimura Rie as Tokushinin (Yoshinobu's grandmother)
Kawaei Rina as Mikagimi (Yoshinobu's legal wife)
Toyama Toshiya as Ikai Katsusaburo (Hitotsubashi House's side servant)
Namioka Kazuki as Kawamura Ejuro (Enshiro's subordinate)
Hasegawa Kimihiko as Nakane Chojuro
Minosuke (みのすけ) as Kurokawa Kahei
Onoue Hiroyuki as Hara Ichinoshin

Tokugawa Shogunate
Tokugawa Family

Yoshi Ikuzo (吉幾三) as Tokugawa Ieyoshi (12th Shogun of the Tokugawa Shogunate)
Watanabe Daichi as Tokugawa Iesada (Ieyoshi's son, the 13th Shogun of the Tokugawa Shogunate)
Kamishiraishi Mone as Atsugimi (Tenshoin) (Iesada's legal wife)
Minemura Rie as Utahashi (Iesada's nanny)
Isomura Hayato as Tokugawa Iemochi (14th Shogun of the Tokugawa Shogunate)
Fukagawa Mai as Princess Kazu (Iemochi's legal wife, Emperor Komei's younger half-sister)
Kitaoji Kinya as Tokugawa Ieyasu (1st Shogun of the Tokugawa Shogunate)

Roju

Kishitani Goro as Ii Naosuke (Chief Minister)
Otani Ryohei as Abe Masahiro (Member of Shogun's Council of Elders)
Satoi Kenta as Hotta Masayoshi (Member of Shogun's Council of Elders)

Hatamoto

Hirata Mitsuru as Kawaji Toshiakira (Chief Financial Official)
Nakamura Yasuhi as Nagai Naoyuki (Coastal Defense)
Kawaguchi Satoru as Iwase Tadanari

Shinsengumi

Machida Keita as Hijikata Toshizo

Fukui Domain

Kaname Jun as Matsudaira Yoshinaga (Shungaku) (Fukui feudal lord)
Koike Teppei as Hashimoto Sanai (Fukui feudal warrior)

Satsuma Domain

Niiro Shinya as Shimazu Nariakira
Ikeda Narushi as Shimazu Hisamitsu (Lord of Satsuma Domain, guardian of Shigehisa)
Hakata Hanamura (博多華丸) as Saigo Takamori
Ishimaru Kanji as Okubo Toshimichi (Hisamitsu's confidant)
Tokui Yuu as Orita Yozo
Dean Fujioka as Godai Saisuke
Matsumura Ryunosuke (松村龍之介) as Mishima Michitsune
Hyuga Jyo as Kawamura Sumiyoshi

Uwajima Domain

Sugawara Daikichi as Date Munenari (8th Head of the Uwajima Domain)

Tosa Domain

Mizukami Ryushi (水上竜士) as Yamauchi Toyoshige (15th Head of the Tosa Domain)

Heian-kyo

Onoe Ukon as Emperor Komei (121st Emperor of Japan)
Yamauchi Takaya as Iwakura Tomomi (Statesman)
Okuda Yohei as Prince Kuni Asahiko (Member of a collateral line of the Imperial family)
Kanai Yuta as Sanjo Sanetomi (Imperial court noble, statesman)
Horiuchi Masami as Nakayama Tadayasu

Mitsubishi Group

Oshinari Shugo as Iwasaki Yanosuke

Edo Merchant

Watanabe Toru as Umeda Shinnosuke (Armor dealer in Edo)

People around Eiichi

Tamaki Hiroshi as Takashima Shuhan (Western-style gunner)
Sakou Yoshi as Tone Yoshiharu (Okabe Domain magistrate)
Itabashi Shunya as Sanada Hannosuke (Swordsman)
Yamazaki Ginnojou as Oohashi Totsuan (Edo Confucian scholar)

Foreigners

Morley Robertson as Matthew C. Perry (Commodore of the U.S. Navy)

New government

Yamazaki Ikusaburo as Ito Hirobumi
Ohkura Koji as Okuma Shigenobu
Asakura Aki as Okuma Ayako
Fukushi Seiji as Inoue Kaoru
Masuda Shuichiro as Eto Shinpei
Ishimaru Kenjiro as Hara Takashi
Kondo Yoshimasa as Shidehara Kijuro
Hankai Kazuaki as Komura Jutaro
Manaki Reika as Inoue Takeko
Komai Ren as Inoue Sueko
Miura Masaki as Maejima Hisoka
Takagi Wataru as Tamano Yofumi
Kamimura Kaisei as Akamatsu Noriyoshi
Amada Reki as Kato Takaaki

Others

Watanabe Tetsu as Kakubei
Fukuyama Shodai as Kono Kezo
Yasui Junpei as Masuda Takashi
Ogura Hisahiro as Ono Zen'emon
Tanaka Yoji as Hagiwara Shirobei
Kiba Katsumi as Okubo Ichio
Kanno Rio as Okura Tokuko
Yamazaki Hajime as Sakatani Roro
Okabe Takashi as Okura Kihachiro
Issey Ogata as Minomura Rizaemon
Inukai Atsuhiro as Fukuchi Gen'ichiro
Shison Jun as Sugiura Aizo

Production Credits

Screenwriter: Omori Mika
Executive Producer: Kashi Hiroshi (菓子浩), Fukuoka Toshitake
Producer: Itagaki Maiko
Director: Kurosaki Hiroshi, Watanabe Tetsuya (渡辺哲也)
Music: Sato Naoki, NHK Symphony Orchestra (NHK交響楽団), Tadaaki Otaka, Miura Kazuma, Ooya Motoko (大矢素子)

Episode Ratings

See Seiten wo Tsuke/Episode Ratings

Recognitions

110th Television Drama Academy Awards (Fall 2021): Best Actor - Yoshizawa Ryo
110th Television Drama Academy Awards (Fall 2021): Best Supporting Actor - Kusanagi Tsuyoshi
25th Nikkan Sports Drama Grand Prix (Summer 2021): Best Actor - Yoshizawa Ryo

Notes

On September 17, 2021, the singer-songwriter Vaundy released the single 'Iseijin', which he wrote and composed with inspiration from the drama. A few days later, NHK used the song to promote the drama across all their social media platforms.

External Links

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