was a pair of television jidaigeki

Jidaigeki

is a genre of film, television, and theatre in Japan. The name means "period drama" and is usually the Edo period of Japanese history, from 1603 to 1868. Some, however, are set much earlier—Portrait of Hell, for example, is set during the late Heian period—and the early Meiji era is also a popular...

series on TV Asahi

TV Asahi

, also known as EX and , is a Japanese television network headquartered in Roppongi, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. The company writes its name in lower-case letters, tv asahi, in its logo and public-image materials. The company also owns All-Nippon News Network....

 in Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

. The first aired in 1990–1991 and the sequel in 1992–1993. Kunihiko Mitamura portrayed Tokugawa Iemitsu

Tokugawa Iemitsu

Tokugawa Iemitsu was the third shogun of the Tokugawa dynasty. He was the eldest son of Tokugawa Hidetada, and the grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu. Iemitsu ruled from 1623 to 1651.-Early life :...

 in both series.

In 1634, the third Tokugawa shogun

Tokugawa shogunate

The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the and the , was a feudal regime of Japan established by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family. This period is known as the Edo period and gets its name from the capital city, Edo, which is now called Tokyo, after the name was...

 Iemitsu visited Kyoto

Kyoto

is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...

 in a lavish procession, accompanied by more than 300,000 followers. The premise of the television series is that he refused to ride in the palanquin

Litter (vehicle)

The litter is a class of wheelless vehicles, a type of human-powered transport, for the transport of persons. Examples of litter vehicles include lectica , jiao [较] , sedan chairs , palanquin , Woh , gama...

. Instead, he walked in disguise as Tokuyama Takenoshin, a ronin

Ronin

A or rounin was a Bushi with no lord or master during the feudal period of Japan. A samurai became masterless from the death or fall of his master, or after the loss of his master's favor or privilege....

. Accompanying him were Yagyū Jūbei

Yagyū Jūbei Mitsuyoshi

Yagyū Jūbei Mitsuyoshi is one of the most famous and romanticized of the samurai in Japan's feudal era.Very little is known about the actual life of Yagyū Mitsuyoshi as the official records of his life are very sparse. Yagyū Jūbei Mitsuyoshi grew up in his family's ancestral lands, Yagyū no Sato,...

, Isshin Tasuke

Isshin Tasuke

is a fictional Japanese person. He has appeared in novels and plays, kōdan, television and film jidaigeki and other media. The earliest known appearance was in the work Ōkubo Musashi Abumi....

, a pickpocket named Otsuta, and male and female ninja

Ninja

A or was a covert agent or mercenary of feudal Japan specializing in unorthodox arts of war. The functions of the ninja included espionage, sabotage, infiltration, and assassination, as well as open combat in certain situations...

.

Riding in the palanquin was a kagemusha, an actor named Shinkichi. His entourage included Ōkubo Hikozaemon

Okubo Tadataka

or Ōkubo Hikozaemon was a Japanese warrior in the Sengoku and Edo periods. He was the eighth son of Ōkubo Tadakazu, a vassal of the Tokugawa clan...

, Lady Kasuga

Lady Kasuga

was from a prominent Japanese samurai family of the Azuchi-Momoyama and Edo periods. Born Saitō Fuku , she was a daughter of Saitō Toshimitsu . Her mother's father was Inaba Yoshimichi. Married to Inaba Masanari, she had three sons, including Inaba Masakatsu, and an adopted son, Hotta Masatoshi...

, Matsudaira Nobutsuna

Matsudaira Nobutsuna

was a Japanese daimyo of the early Edo period, who ruled the Kawagoe Domain. First serving Tokugawa Iemitsu as a page, Nobutsuna was renowned for his sagacity. He was named a rōjū in 1633. Nobutsuna led the shogunal forces to their final victory over the rebellion at Shimabara...

, and various ladies-in-waiting.

Going to Kyoto, the entourage followed the Tōkaidō

Tokaido (road)

The ' was the most important of the Five Routes of the Edo period, connecting Edo to Kyoto in Japan. Unlike the inland and less heavily travelled Nakasendō, the Tōkaidō travelled along the sea coast of eastern Honshū, hence the route's name....

. At various places along the way, a (fictional) half-brother of Iemitsu, Tsuzuki, attempted to assassinate him, with the assistance of Fūma ninja.

The sequel, Shogun Iemitsu Shinobi Tabi Part II, depicts the return to Edo

Edo

, also romanized as Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of the Japanese capital Tokyo, and was the seat of power for the Tokugawa shogunate which ruled Japan from 1603 to 1868...

. This time the group travels along the Nakasendō

Nakasendo

The , also called the , was one of the five routes of the Edo period, and one of the two that connected Edo to Kyoto in Japan. There were 69 stations between Edo and Kyoto, crossing through Musashi, Kōzuke, Shinano, Mino and Ōmi provinces...

, passing through territory that had recently been held by the Sanada clan

Sanada clan

The was a Japanese clan which rose to prominence in the Sengoku period. During the Edo era, the Sanada ruled the Matsushiro Domain, where they remained until the Meiji Restoration.-Sengoku period:...

. Takenoshin rescues a princess (Shizu, in disguise under the name Isuzu), who, viewers later learn, is a daughter of Ishida Mitsunari

Ishida Mitsunari

Ishida Mitsunari was a samurai who led the Western army in the Battle of Sekigahara following the Azuchi-Momoyama period of the 17th century. Also known by his court title, Jibunoshō...

 in league with Mugensai, formerly the chief ninja of the late Ishida Mitsunari

Ishida Mitsunari

Ishida Mitsunari was a samurai who led the Western army in the Battle of Sekigahara following the Azuchi-Momoyama period of the 17th century. Also known by his court title, Jibunoshō...

. Mugensai has lied to the princess in order to get her to assassinate Iemitsu.

The show premiered on October 13, 1990, as an off-season replacement for the popular Abarenbo Shogun

Abarenbo Shogun

is a Japanese television program on the TV Asahi network. Set in the eighteenth century, it showed fictitious events in the life of Yoshimune, the eighth Tokugawa shogun. The program started in 1978 under the title Yoshimune Hyōbanki: Abarenbō Shōgun...

. It shared several cast members with Abarenbo Shogun, including Reiko Takashima

Reiko Takashima

Reiko Takashima is a Japanese actress.Active in television series, movies, and commercials, her roles have included ninja in jidaigeki such as Abarembō Shōgun and Abare Hasshū Goyō Tabi, the wife Oeyo of the shogun Tokugawa Hidetada, Lady Fujitsubo in a special with characters based on The Tale of...

 and Ayako Tanaka and some minor guest actors. The final episode aired on March 30, 1991. The sequel ran during the same months of 1992–1993.

Cast

• Kunihiko Mitamura as Tokugawa Iemitsu disguised as Tokuyama Takenoshin
• Korokke as Shinkichi
• Hisako Manda
  Hisako Manda
  ' is a Japanese actress.She was the Japanese representative at Miss Universe 1978 in Acapulco, Mexico, but did not advance to the semifinals.-External links:* Profile* Profile...
  
   as Otsuta
• Toyokazu Minami as Isshin Tasuke
• Hiroshi Katsuno as Yagyū Jūbei
• Shigeru Kōyama as Ōkubo Hikozaemon
• Ryō Tamura
  Ryo Tamura
  is a Japanese actor from Kyoto. His father was silent-film star Tsumasaburo Bando. With his elder brothers, the late Takahiro and Masakazu, he is one of the Three Tamura Brothers. Another elder brother, Toshimaro, is active in show business as a manager....
  
   as Matsudaira Izu no Kami Nobutsuna (original series)
• Reiko Takashima
  Reiko Takashima
  Reiko Takashima is a Japanese actress.Active in television series, movies, and commercials, her roles have included ninja in jidaigeki such as Abarembō Shōgun and Abare Hasshū Goyō Tabi, the wife Oeyo of the shogun Tokugawa Hidetada, Lady Fujitsubo in a special with characters based on The Tale of...
  
   as Kaede, a lady-in-waiting (original series); Makiko Yamada (Part II)
• Ayako Tanaka as Aya, a lady-in-waiting
• Ken Nishida
  Ken Nishida
  is a Japanese actor and voice actor. He is noted for his roles in Return of Ultraman, Eyeful Daisakusen, Uchuu Keiji Gavan, Ninpuu Sentai Hurricaneger, G-Men '75, and Shin Kyoto Meikyū Annai. His guest roles have included multiple episodes of Key Hunter, Mito Kōmon, Taiyō ni Hoero!, Zenigata Heiji,...
  
   as Mugensai (Part II)
• Yoshimi Ashikawa as Princess Shizu, disguised as Lady Isuzu (Part II)
• Yuki Yukie as Kikue, her attendant
• Kyōko Tsujisawa as Okaru, lead actress of the traveling company