Unbound (TV series)
2025 Japanese TV series
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Unbound (べらぼう〜蔦重栄華乃夢噺〜, Berabou Tsutajū Eiga no Yume-banashi)[1] is a Japanese historical drama television series starring Ryusei Yokohama as Tsutaya Jūzaburō. The series is the 64th NHK taiga drama.[2][3][4]
- Ryusei Yokohama
- Shota Sometani
- Ken Yasuda
- Ai Hashimoto
- Fuka Koshiba
- Haruka Fukuhara
- Kenta Kiritani
- Hio Miyazawa
- Nakamura Hayato
- Aoi Nakamura
- Atsushi Itō
- Hideomi Shima
- Yasukaze Motomiya
- Bokuzō Masana
- Yumi Adachi
- Kazuhiro Yamaji
- Yūta Furukawa
- Shunsuke Kazama
- Yuki Inoue
- Toma Ikuta
- Kataoka Ainosuke VI
- Katsumi Takahashi
- Kōji Ishizaka
- Kōtarō Satomi
- Ken Watanabe
| Unbound | |
|---|---|
| Written by | Yoshiko Morishita |
| Directed by | Taku Ōhara and others |
| Starring |
|
| Narrated by | Haruka Ayase |
| Composer | John R. Graham |
| Country of origin | Japan |
| Original language | Japanese |
| No. of episodes | 48 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 45 minutes |
| Production company | NHK |
| Original release | |
| Network | NHK General TV |
| Release | January 5 – December 14, 2025 |
Plot
In the mid-18th century Japan, the Rōjū Tanuma Okitsugu prioritized commerce over agriculture to rebuild the nation's finances. As the economy improved, a relatively liberal atmosphere emerged among the common people, fostering cultural development. One of the central figures in this cultural movement was Tsutaya Jūzaburō, a publisher. However, when the era transitioned to Matsudaira Sadanobu's governance from Tanuma's, stricter controls on entertainment were imposed, causing hardship for Jūzaburō. Even so, he remained undeterred, discovering and making talents such as Utamaro, Hokusai and Sharaku[a] famous.
Cast
Starring role
- Ryusei Yokohama as Tsutaya "Tsutajū" Jūzaburō[5]
- Haru Takagi as young Tsutajū[6]
His family
- Ai Hashimoto as Tei, Jūzaburō's wife[5]
- Katsumi Takahashi as Surugaya, Jūzaburō's foster father[5]
- Naoko Iijima as Fuji, Jūzaburō's foster mother[5]
- Aoi Nakamura as Jirobei, Surugaya's son[5]
- Rei Maruyama as Toku, Jirobei's wife[7]
- Saki Takaoka as Tsuyo, Jūzaburō's mother[8]
- Sumi Shimamoto as Taka[9]
- Tsubasa Nakagawa as Minokichi[5]
Publishing industry
- Kōtarō Satomi as Suwaraya Ichibei[5]
- Shunsuke Kazama as Tsuruya Kiemon[5]
- Masahiko Nishimura as Nishimura Yohachi, Jūzaburō's rival[5]
- Kataoka Ainosuke VI as Urokogataya Magobei[5]
- Mami Hachiya as Rin, Magobei's wife[6]
- Ryota Miura as Urokogataya Chōbei, Magobei's son[5]
- Tateto Serizawa as Koizumi Chūgorō[5]
- Rintaro Mizusawa as Tomeshirō[6]
- Yu Tokui as Tōhachi[5]
- Yasushi Kawabata as Kashiwaraya[6]
- Yōji Matsuda as Murataya Jirobei[10]
- Kazuya Nakai as Iwatoya Genpachi[10]
- Tomokazu Seki as Okumuraya Genroku[10]
- Wataru Takagi as Matsumuraya Yahei[10]
- Ryuta Mine as Kumanoya[5]
- Taka Takao as Maruya Kohei[11]
- Ōtani Hiromatsu II as Owariya Hikojiro[12][13]
- Kenshiro Kawanishi as Owada Yasubei[14]
- Nakamura Kangyoku as Manjiro[15]
Artists
- Ken Yasuda as Hiraga Gennai[5]
- Shota Sometani as Kitagawa Utamaro[5]
- Towa Watanabe as Karamaru (young Utamaro)[5]
- Sawako Fujima as Kiyo, Uatamaro's wife[16]
- Tekken as Isoda Koryūsai[17]
- Atsushi Hashimoto as Kitao Shigemasa[6]
- Tomoya Maeno as Katsukawa Shunshō[5]
- Ryo Kimura as Hezutsu Tōsaku[5]
- Yūta Furukawa as Santō Kyōden, a.k.a. Kitao Masanobu[6]
- Amane Okayama as Koikawa Harumachi, a.k.a. Kurahashi Itaru[5]
- Mitsuki Tanimura as Shizu, Harumachi's wife[18]
- Kanichiro as Tomimoto Umanosuke II[5]
- Shigehiro Yamaguchi as Tōrai Sanna[6]
- Bun'ichi Hamanaka as Akera Kankō[6]
- Tsurutaro Kataoka as Toriyama Sekien[5]
- Ryutei Saryu VI as Utei Enba[19]
- Toranosuke Kato as Kitagawa Toyoaki[20]
- Toshinori Omi as Hōseidō Kisanji, a.k.a. Hirasawa Tsunemasa[5]
- Tsuyoshi Takashima as Kitao Masayoshi[21]
- Naoki Matayoshi as Yadoya no Meshimori, a.k.a. Ishikawa Masamochi[16]
- Leon Niihama as Tomimoto Itsukidayu[16]
- Yoshiaki Kameda as Shiba Zenkō[9]
- Cookie! as Hokusai, a.k.a. Katsukawa Shunro[22]
- Yoshio Inoue as Jippensha Ikku, a.k.a. Shigeta Sadakazu[22]
- Kenjiro Tsuda as Kyokutei Bakin, a.k.a. Takizawa Sakichi[22]
Tokugawa shogunate
- Ken Watanabe as Tanuma Okitsugu[5]
- Hio Miyazawa as Tanuma Okitomo, Okitsugu's son[5]
- Shuntaro Miyao as Tanuma Okimune, Okitsugu's nephew[6]
- Hidekazu Mashima as Tokugawa Ieharu, the 10th shōgun[5]
- Rin Takanashi as Lady Chiho (Renkō-in), Iemoto's mother[5]
- Tomoya Oku as Tokugawa Iemoto, Ieharu and Chiho's son[5]
- Kōji Ishizaka as Matsudaira Takechika[5]
- Toma Ikuta as Hitotsubashi Harusada, Ienari's father[5]
- Kairi Jo as Tokugawa Ienari, the 11th shōgun[16]
- Tsubasa Nagao as Hitotsubashi Toyochiyo (young Ienari)[13]
- Motoki Ochiai as Shimizu Shigeyoshi[17]
- Yuki Inoue as Matsudaira Sadanobu[16]
- Kokoro Terada as Tayasu Masamaru (young Sadanobu)[5]
- Mari Hanafusa as Hōren-in[5]
- Yūma Yamoto as Sano Masakoto[5]
- Kazutoyo Yoshimi as Sano Masatoyo, Masakoto's father[23][13]
- Hisashi Yoshizawa as Matsumoto Hidemochi[5]
- Nakamura Hayato as Hasegawa Heizo[5]
- Taizo Harada as Miura Shōji[5]
- Kazuyuki Aijima as Matsudaira Yasuyoshi[5]
- Kenta Kiritani as Ōta Nanpo, a.k.a. Yomo no Akara[5]
- Shuntaro Yanagi as Tsuchiyama Sōjirō[5]
- Jingi Irie as Tayasu Haruaki[5]
- Ayu Oda as Tanehime[6]
- Kazuhiko Inoue as a Bugyō[24]
- Hideki Takahashi as Tokugawa Harusada[8]
- Hiroaki Hirata as Magaribuchi Kagetsugu[16]
- Eita Okuno as Tokugawa Harumori[16]
- Takaaki Enoki as Tokugawa Munechika[16]
- Kazushige Komatsu as Mizuno Tadatomo[9]
- Nadal as an Omote Bouzu[25]
- Shodai Fukuyama as Matsudaira Nobuakira[26]
- Kunihiro Suda as Abe Masatomo[27]
- Akira Otaka as Makino Sadanaga[28]
- Kenichi Yajima as Honda Tadakazu[29]
- Miou Tanaka as Hajikano Nobuaki[30]
- Ai Tominaga as Takaoka[5]
- Kurara Emi as Ōsaki[5]
- Noa Kawazoe as Tsuruko[11]
Yoshiwara pleasure quarters
- Fuka Koshiba as Hananoi (Segawa V)[5]
- Hana Maeda as Azami (young Hananoi)[6]
- Haruka Fukuhara as Tagasode[5]
- Kurumi Inagaki as Kaori (young Tagasode)[31]
- Miki Mizuno as Ine[5]
- Ryo Tamaki as Toyoshima[5]
- Sayu Kubota as Matsunoi[5]
- Karin Ono as Utsusemi[5]
- Ayaka Higashino as Shizuyama[6]
- Runa Nakashima as Chidori[5]
- Rino Katase as Kiku[5]
- Yumi Adachi as Ritsu[5]
- Reika Manaki as Asagao[6]
- Momiji Yamamura as Shige[5]
- Bokuzō Masana as Matsubaya[5]
- Kazuhiro Yamaji as Ōgiya[5]
- Atsushi Itō as Daimonjiya and Daimonjiya II[5]
- Hideomi Shima as Chōjiya[5]
- Moka Otsuka as Kamegiku[31]
- Masaki Hiradate as Katsuyama[31]
- Hikari Kabashima as Tokiwagi[31]
- Haruka Kinoshita as Tamakawa[31]
- Yorie Yamashita as Masa[5]
- Chisato Someya as Ureshino[31]
- Umi Shinonome as Hisa[32]
- Yasukaze Motomiya as Wakagiya Yohachi[5]
- Miu Arai as Sae[33]
- Satomi Nagano as Hatsu[24]
- Shiori Tamada as Wakanami[34]
- Futo Nozomi as Kikuzono[35]
Others
- Haruka Ayase as Kurosuke Inari / narrator[5]
- Hayato Ichihara as Toriyama Kengyō[5]
- Kai Inowaki as Oda Shinnosuke[5]
- Naomasa Musaka as Hanjirō[5]
- Nene Yoshitaka as a corpse[36][13]
- Kanna Fuji as a corpse[36][13]
- Rin Yoda as a corpse[36][13]
- So Yamanaka as Sugita Genpaku[5]
- James Onoda as Moto no Mokuami[8]
- Nana Mizuki as Cie no Naishi[8]
- Kensuke Sasaki as a boatman[31]
- Toshiki Ayata as the owner of a charcoal shop[31]
- Katsuya Takagi as the man with a scar on his face[31]
- Katsuhiro Higo as Shigoroku[31]
- Hayashiya Sanpei II as a wealthy merchant[37]
- Jin Katagiri as Yashichi[33]
- Yōjin Hino as Mori Chūemon[33]
- Donpei as a Zatō[33]
- Imoaraizaka Kakaricho as Gosaku[38]
- Kazuki Enari as Matsumae Michihiro[5]
- Hyouroku as Matsumae Hirotoshi[5]
- Kentaro Motomura as a theater proprietor[39]
- Masato Yano as Jōemon[40]
- Tomoaki Saito as Kyūgorō[41]
- Hiroshi Kobayashi as Inoue Iori[11]
- Yuka Kouri as Karamaru's mother[42]
- Shima Iwai as Jakuren[13]
- Jyubun Fukuzawa as a doctor[43]
- Koutaro Tanaka as Shimazu Shigehide[44]
- Hajime Okayama as Kudo Heisuke[45]
- Majime Ono as a Mochi pounder[46]
- Sen-chan as a Mochi kneader[46]
- Endō Shōta as a Sumo wrestler[47]
- Wakamotoharu Minato as a Sumo wrestler[47]
- Nishikigi Tetsuya as a Sumo wrestler[47]
- Takahiro Kimata as Inaba Masaaki[6]
- Masami Horiuchi as Shirokiya Hikotaro[48]
- Kazue Itō as Matsu[49]
- Becky as Take[49]
- Maki Fukuda as Ume[49]
- Makita Sports as Kakuen[49]
- Shouma Kai as Choshichi[16]
- Kyusaku Shimada as Shibano Ritsuzan[16]
- Hayashiya Taihei as Obiki Akazo[50]
- Garibens Yano as Zenkichi[9]
- Eriko Nakamura as Nabe[51]
- Sachiko Kokubu as Tsuya[37]
- Keisuke Oda as Yoneji[52]
- Hiroiki Ariyoshi as Hattori Hanzō[53]
- Takuro Mashiko as Kamaya Ihei[54]
- Kaoru Fukuda as Kihei[54]
- Hayashiya Shōzō IX as Matsudaira Nobuyoshi[29]
- Manabu Takeuchi as a poor samurai[55]
- Hikari Ōta as Kaiun[15]
- Yuji Tanaka as a Kanso-ka[56]
- Hideyuki Nakayama as Katō Chikage[15]
- Dayu Koume as Naniwaya[57]
- Naoto Eguchi as a degenerate monk[57]
- Ikue Sakakibara as a midwife[58]
- Ryotaro Sakaguchi as Nakayama Tomisaburo[59]
- Mansaku Fuwa as Miyako-za proprietor[60]
- Moro Morooka as Kawarasaki-za proprietor[60]
- Takeshi Kongochi as Kiri-za proprietor[60]
- Toma Ikuta[b] as Saito Jurobei[61]
- Kazuki Kitamura as Motoori Norinaga[62]
- Taiiku Okazaki as Eishōsai Chōki[63]
TV schedule
| Episode | Title | Directed by | Original airdate | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Arigata-yama no Kangarasu" (ありがた山の寒がらす) | Taku Ōhara | January 5, 2025 | 12.6% |
| 2 | "Yoshiwara Saiken <Aa, Oedo>" (吉原細見 『嗚呼御江戸』) | January 12, 2025 | 12.0% | |
| 3 | "Senkyaku Banrai <Hitome Senbon>" (千客万来 『一目千本』) | January 19, 2025 | 11.7% | |
| 4 | "<Hinagata Wakana> no Amai Wana" (『雛形若菜』の甘い罠) | Takashi Fukagawa | January 26, 2025 | 10.5% |
| 5 | "Tsuta ni Karamaru Inga no Tsuru" (蔦に唐丸因果の蔓) | Taku Ōhara | February 2, 2025 | 10.6% |
| 6 | "Uroko Hagareta <Setsuyō-shū>" (鱗剥がれた『節用集』) | Takashi Fukagawa | February 9, 2025 | 10.2% |
| 7 | "Kōki Tōrai <Magaki no Hana>" (好機到来『籬の花』) | February 16, 2025 | 10.0% | |
| 8 | "Gyakushū no <Kinkin Sensei>" (逆襲の『金々先生』) | Shinzo Nitta | February 23, 2025 | 9.8% |
| 9 | "Tamagiku-dōrō Koi no Jigoku" (玉菊灯籠恋の地獄) | March 2, 2025 | 10.4% | |
| 10 | "<Seirō Bijin> no Miru Yume wa" (『青楼美人』の見る夢は) | Taku Ōhara | March 9, 2025 | 10.6% |
| 11 | "Tomimoto, Jingi no Uma-zura" (富本、仁義の馬面) | Takayoshi Kotani | March 16, 2025 | 9.6% |
| 12 | "Niwaka naru <Meigetsu Yojō>" (俄なる『明月余情』) | March 23, 2025 | 9.9% | |
| 13 | "Oedo Yurugasu Zatōgane" (お江戸揺るがす座頭金) | Takashi Fukagawa | March 30, 2025 | 9.6% |
| 14 | "Tsutajū Segawa Fūfu Dōchū" (蔦重瀬川夫婦道中) | Shinzo Nitta | April 6, 2025 | 10.8% |
| 15 | "Shi o Yobu Tebukuro" (死を呼ぶ手袋) | Taku Ōhara | April 13, 2025 | 9.9% |
| 16 | "Saraba Gennai, Mitate wa Hōrai" (さらば源内、見立は蓬莱) | April 20, 2025 | 9.6% | |
| 17 | "Midarezaki Ōrai no Sakura" (乱れ咲き往来の桜) | Takashi Fukagawa | May 4, 2025 | 9.5% |
| 18 | "Utamaro yo, Mirugatoku wa Issui no Yume" (歌麿よ、見徳は一炊夢) | Takayoshi Kotani | May 11, 2025 | 9.6% |
| 19 | "Uroko no Okimiyage" (鱗の置き土産) | Keisuke Ōshima | May 18, 2025 | 10.2% |
| 20 | "Nebokete Sōrō" (寝惚けて候) | May 25, 2025 | 9.7% | |
| 21 | "Ezo no Sakura Ueno no He no Oto" (蝦夷桜上野屁音) | Taku Ōhara | June 1, 2025 | 10.0% |
| 22 | "Shōsei, Sake no Ue no Furachi nite" (小生、酒上不埒にて) | Takashi Fukagawa | June 8, 2025 | 9.4% |
| 23 | "Ware koso wa Edo-ichi no Kikimono nari" (我こそは江戸一の利者なり) | June 15, 2025 | 8.8% | |
| 24 | "Geni Tsurenaki wa Nihon-bashi" (げにつれなきは日本橋) | Takayoshi Kotani | June 22, 2025 | 8.1% |
| 25 | "Hai no Ame furu Nihon-bashi" (灰の雨降る日本橋) | Taku Ōhara | June 29, 2025 | 9.3% |
| 26 | "San-nin no Onna" (三人の女) | July 6, 2025 | 9.8% | |
| 27 | "Negawakuba Hana no Moto nite Haru Shinan" (願わくば花の下にて春死なん) | Keisuke Ōshima | July 13, 2025 | 9.3% |
| 28 | "Sano Yonaoshi Daimyojin" (佐野世直大明神) | Takashi Fukagawa | July 27, 2025 | 9.7% |
| 29 | "Edo Umare Tsutaya no Adauchi" (江戸生蔦屋仇討) | Hidetaka Terasaki | August 3, 2025 | 8.8% |
| 30 | "Hitomane Utamaro" (人まね歌麿) | Takayoshi Kotani | August 10, 2025 | 9.4% |
| 31 | "Waga Na wa Ten" (我が名は天) | Keisuke Ōshima | August 17, 2025 | 9.0% |
| 32 | "Shinnosuke no Gi" (新之助の義) | Hidetaka Terasaki | August 24, 2025 | 9.2% |
| 33 | "Uchikowashi Entame no Kudoku" (打壊演太女功徳) | Taku Ōhara | August 31, 2025 | 8.2% |
| 34 | "Arigata-yama to Katajike-nasubi" (ありがた山とかたじけ茄子) | September 7, 2025 | 9.2% | |
| 35 | "Machigai-dako Bunbu no Futamichi" (間違凧文武二道) | Takayoshi Kotani | September 14, 2025 | 7.8% |
| 36 | "Omu no Keri wa Kamo" (鸚鵡のけりは鴨) | Takashi Fukagawa | September 21, 2025 | 7.4% |
| 37 | "Jigoku ni Kyōden" (地獄に京伝) | Keisuke Ōshima | September 28, 2025 | 8.9% |
| 38 | "Jihon-don'ya Nakamakoto no Hajimari" (地本問屋仲間事之始) | Sumire Terai | October 5, 2025 | 8.9% |
| 39 | "Shirakawa no Kiyoki ni Sumikane Shinshō Hangen" (白河の清きに住みかね身上半減) | Taku Ōhara | October 12, 2025 | 9.0% |
| 40 | "Tsukisenu wa Yoku no Izumi" (尽きせぬは欲の泉) | Takayoshi Kotani | October 19, 2025 | 8.8% |
| 41 | "Utamaro Fudebijin Ōkubi-e" (歌麿筆美人大首絵) | Takashi Fukagawa | October 26, 2025 | 8.2% |
| 42 | "Manekarezaru Kyaku" (招かれざる客) | Yuki Nishio | November 2, 2025 | 8.4% |
| 43 | "Uragiri no Koiuta" (裏切りの恋歌) | Taku Ōhara | November 9, 2025 | 8.7% |
| 44 | "Sora Tobu Gennai" (空飛ぶ源内) | Takashi Fukagawa | November 16, 2025 | 9.0% |
| 45 | "Sono Na wa Sharaku" (その名は写楽) | Takayoshi Kotani | November 23, 2025 | 8.6% |
| 46 | "Soga-matsuri no Hen" (曽我祭の変) | Takashi Fukagawa | November 30, 2025 | 8.8% |
| 47 | "Manjū Kowai" (饅頭こわい) | Taku Ōhara | December 7, 2025 | 8.4% |
| 48 | "Tsutajū Eiga no Yume-banashi" (蔦重栄華乃夢噺) | December 14, 2025 | 9.5% | |
| Average rating 9.5% - Rating is based on Japanese Video Research (Kantō region).[64] | ||||
Omnibus
| Episode | Title | Original airdate | Original airtime |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Soshuhen Maki no Ichi" (総集編 巻之一, Vol. 1) | December 29, 2025 | 12:05 - 13:00 |
| 2 | "Soshuhen Maki no Ni" (総集編 巻之二, Vol. 2) | 13:05 - 13:48 | |
| 3 | "Soshuhen Maki no San" (総集編 巻之三, Vol. 3) | 13:48 - 14:31 | |
| 4 | "Soshuhen Maki no Yon" (総集編 巻之四, Vol. 4) | 14:31 - 15:15 | |
| 5 | "Soshuhen Maki no Go" (総集編 巻之五, Vol. 5) | 15:20 - 16:03 |
Awards and nominations
| Award | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18th Tokyo Drama Awards | Best Domestic Series | Unbound | Nominated | [65] |