NHK Taiga drama ‘Toyotomi Kyodai!’ faces historical accuracy criticism

The NHK Taiga drama ‘Toyotomi Kyodai!’ is facing criticism and intense viewer interest due to its historical depictions. The series has drawn formal complaints from Ibaraki City in Osaka Prefecture and Takeda City in Oita Prefecture. These municipalities issued a joint letter to NHK expressing regret over the portrayal of Nakagawa Kiyohide, specifically regarding a scene where Maeda Toshiie is depicted as assassinating him and throwing his head. The cities urged the broadcaster to respect historical facts in works based on history.

Other historical inaccuracies noted by viewers and researchers include the depiction of Shibata Katsuie’s death and a story involving Tokugawa Ieyasu and a bird, which critics claim deviates from established records.

In terms of viewership, recent episodes focusing on the Battle of Komaki and Nagakute have seen high engagement. Data analysis shows a peak in viewer attention during scenes depicting the decisive defeat of the Hashiba forces by the Tokugawa army, particularly during the deaths of Ikeda Tsuneoki and his son Motosuke. The portrayal of the ferocity of the Tokugawa Four Heavenly Kings has become a major point of discussion among the audience.