• Welcome! The TrekBBS is the number one place to chat about Star Trek with like-minded fans.
    If you are not already a member then please register an account and join in the discussion!

Musashi 2003 TV series NHK (49 episodes)

D

DarkProphet

Lieutenant
Red Shirt
Has anyone seen the NHK Taiga series Musashi with 49 episodes?
It's based on Yoshikawa's Musashi novel from beginning to end. It's sort of like Babylon 5 with a beginning, middle, and end (since its adapted from the 1000+ page novel) but with no stand-alone episodes whatsoever. It's a fully-serialized samurai epic kind of like 24.

Musashi1.jpg


Character correlation chart -
800px-Musashi_correlation_groink.jpg


Here's the cast list -

Hiroshi Abe ... Gion Touji
Numata Baku ... Gaiki Ishimoda
Toru Emori ... Akaneya Genzo
Takaaki Enoki ... Seijuro
Makoto Fujita ... Yagyu Sekishusai
Ebizo Ichikawa ... Miyamoto Musashi / Shimen Takezo
Rino Katase ... Okou
Kazuo Kitamura ... Tokugawa Ieyasu
Takeshi Kitano ... Shinmen Munisai
Masahiro Matsuoka ... Sasaki Kojiro
Rie Miyazawa ... Oshino
Kiichi Nakai ... Yagyu Munenori
Yukie Nakama ... Yae / Koto
Kankuro Nakamura ... Terumasa Ikeda
Isao Natsuyagi ... Hosokawa Tadaoki
Masanobu Takashima ... Yagyu Hyougonosuke
Shinobu Terajima ... Aya
Shin'ichi Tsutsumi ... Honiden Matahachi
Rina Uchiyama ... Akemi
Dai Watanabe
Tsunehiko Watase ... Takuan
Ryoko Yonekura ... Otsu

If you're into samurai novels, you should definitely check this series out.
 
Last edited:
Sounds interesting! I've never heard of this series, but I am fascinated by the real-life Musashi. I should think that there'll be a lot of Japanese fiction based on his life, so is this series considered to be amongst the best?
 
ManontheWave, there is the Japanese version from yesasia.com but it is really expensive and there are no english subs. I believe there is a english sub version floating around if you look around the net - either on dvd or available for download.

ITL, yes this series is highly regarded. Every year, Japan NHK releases one ancient drama and these are called the Taiga dramas. Musashi 2003 is considered amongst the best of these Taiga dramas. Another good version is the 1984 version which is considered classic.

BTW here is a clip from the 1984 version of Musashi with english subs:
[URL]http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=NzATiWq9sjk[/URL]

Here is a clip of Kojiro from the 2003 version with english subs:
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=djKmtaDtfBc&feature=related
 
Last edited:
Thanks for the info!

I've always wanted to see Musashi at the Sekigahara and Osaka campaigns onscreen, so I hope they're there!
 
I know what you mean. Yoshikawa's Musashi is my favorite novel of all time. To see all those events on screen in a complete 49-episode long epic drama is HEAVEN :drool: Only a TV serial can adapt such a long long novel.
 
I like heavily serialized TV anyway, so 49 episodes sounds good to me :D

I wonder if the writing of the Go Rin No Sho is shown - very near the end of the story, I should think...
 
Well I'm not at the end yet so I'm not sure. But the novel ends after Musashi's duel with Ganryu Sasaki Kojiro. I believe there is another TV series that picks up after the famous duel telling the events of Musashi's later life and how he came to write the Go Rin No Sho.

Scroll of Earth, Scroll of Fire, Scroll of Water, Scroll of Wind, Scroll of Voidness. :)

Have you read Yagyu Munenori's Book of Family Traditions? I actually like it better than Musashi's Go Rin No Sho. It's broken up into The Killing Sword, The Life-Giving Sword, and No-Sword.
 
I haven't read it, but did give it a quick skim-through when a friend bought it a few years ago.
 
ITL said:
I haven't read it, but did give it a quick skim-through when a friend bought it a few years ago.
Click to expand...

If you buy the Thomas Cleary translation of Book of the 5 Rings, it comes with Yagyu Munenori's Book of Family Traditions in the back. It's good stuff.

There is also another samurai series called Yoshitsune from NHK Japan that has 49 episodes as well. It's also adapated from a novel.
 
That would be Minamoto Yoshitsune the 12th century samurai, yes? Another very interesting story, I should imagine. :D

And I have the Victor Harris translation of the Go Rin No Sho, BTW.
 
ITL said:
That would be Minamoto Yoshitsune the 12th century samurai, yes? Another very interesting story, I should imagine. :D

And I have the Victor Harris translation of the Go Rin No Sho, BTW.
Click to expand...

Yep, that would be him. I'm pretty much in heaven watching all these serials based on the famous samurai's of history. :drool:

Yoshitsune TV series poster:
250px-Yosh4444.jpg


Oh I haven't read that translation by Victor Harris. Does he use the terms emptiness or voidness? Some of those Zen terms are interesting...
 
He tends towards the void, I suppose. "Spirit" is used very strongly on just about every page - and the phrase "You must study this well" crops up many, many times. :D

In the book I have, there's an introduction that describes Musashi's life, illustrations of some of his artwork and quite a few footnotes where needed.
 
Nice, nice. I also bought a book recently called "Miyamoto Musashi, his life and writings". It goes into his biography, talks about his duels, his swordsmanship techniques, the sword schools that originated from him and also has a translation of the Go Rin No Sho.

BTW have you taken up Kendo before? Some of the principles and philosophies in the Go Rin No Sho are applies by some Kendo masters in actual combat. They call it kendo-zen. It is pretty interesting stuff.
 
I have the manga version of Musashis' life, Vagabond. The only thing I don't like is that they make him look like an Asian pop star.
 
DarkProphet said:
ManontheWave, there is the Japanese version from yesasia.com but it is really expensive and there are no english subs. I believe there is a english sub version floating around if you look around the net - either on dvd or available for download.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info.
 
Nardpuncher said:
I have the manga version of Musashis' life, Vagabond. The only thing I don't like is that they make him look like an Asian pop star.
Click to expand...

I heard that the Vagabond series is loosely adapted from Yoshikawa's novel. The Musashi series is also adapated from his novel but you get to see it in real-life scenery. Think of it like watching a samurai movie set in ancient Japan that lasts for 37 hours. :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
If you are not already a member then please register an account and join in the discussion!

Sign up / Register


Back
Top