About this season
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.
Episodes (50)
1. The Wives Say
Aired 5 January 1997 • 60 min
2. Young Lord Raving Mad
Aired 12 January 1997 • 60 min
3. The Disqualified Castellan
Aired 19 January 1997 • 60 min
4. A Woman's Caliber
Aired 26 January 1997 • 60 min
5. A Castle of Conspiracy
Aired 2 February 1997 • 60 min
6. A Romance
Aired 9 February 1997 • 60 min
7. I Fled From the Enemy
Aired 16 February 1997 • 60 min
8. A Bride Who is Too Good
Aired 23 February 1997 • 60 min
9. Farewell, My Brother
Aired 2 March 1997 • 60 min
10. His Miraculous First Battle
Aired 9 March 1997 • 60 min
11. An Angry Bride
Aired 16 March 1997 • 60 min
12. An Order To Assassinate Motonari
Aired 23 March 1997 • 60 min
13. A Child of the War-torn Era Was Born
Aired 30 March 1997 • 60 min
14. A Giant and A Baby
Aired 6 April 1997 • 60 min
15. Turning the Tables in Tears
Aired 13 April 1997 • 60 min
16. His Younger Brother's Rebellion
Aired 20 April 1997 • 60 min
17. A Fierce Dawn
Aired 27 April 1997 • 60 min
18. A Naval Goddess
Aired 4 May 1997 • 60 min
19. A Husband in Love
Aired 11 May 1997 • 60 min
20. An Illegitimate Woman
Aired 18 May 1997 • 60 min
21. A Million for One Heart
Aired 25 May 1997 • 60 min
22. Three Arrows
Aired 1 June 1997 • 60 min
23. Invasion of the Amago
Aired 8 June 1997 • 60 min
24. Showdown at Koriyama Castle
Aired 15 June 1997 • 60 min
25. Amago Tsunehisa Dies
Aired 22 June 1997 • 60 min
26. The Ghost is Our Enemy
Aired 29 June 1997 • 60 min
27. No Way Out
Aired 6 July 1997 • 60 min
28. I Want To See the Ocean
Aired 13 July 1997 • 60 min
29. Farewell to My Child
Aired 20 July 1997 • 60 min
30. Good-bye, Mii
Aired 27 July 1997 • 60 min
31. Sugi Goes To Paradise
Aired 3 August 1997 • 60 min
32. Motonari Turns Into a Demon
Aired 10 August 1997 • 60 min
33. His Sharp Knife-Like Strategy
Aired 17 August 1997 • 60 min
34. Hannya (Jealous Female Demon) Hovering in Darkness
Aired 24 August 1997 • 60 min
35. The Last Traitor
Aired 31 August 1997 • 60 min
36. Demon's Politics
Aired 7 September 1997 • 60 min
37. A Left-out Firefly
Aired 14 September 1997 • 60 min
38. A Decision at Age 59
Aired 21 September 1997 • 60 min
39. Outwitting a Plot
Aired 28 September 1997 • 60 min
40. Storms Bring Chances
Aired 5 October 1997 • 60 min
41. A Surprise Attack at Itsukushima
Aired 12 October 1997 • 60 min
42. His Last Woman
Aired 19 October 1997 • 60 min
43. A Letter to Three Sons
Aired 26 October 1997 • 60 min
44. Dancing for Silver
Aired 2 November 1997 • 60 min
45. Man's Caliber
Aired 9 November 1997 • 60 min
46. Assassinating Takamoto
Aired 16 November 1997 • 60 min
47. An Avenging Battle
Aired 23 November 1997 • 60 min
48. Terumoto Making a Debut
Aired 30 November 1997 • 60 min
49. A Lonely Champion
Aired 7 December 1997 • 60 min
50. Live Well, Die Well
Aired 14 December 1997 • 60 min