Details
Title: 暴れん坊将軍 （あばれんぼうしょうぐん）
Title (romaji): Abarenbo Shogun
Also known as: Unruly Shogun
Genre: Jidaigeki renzoku drama
Episodes: 832
Broadcast network: TOEI (now TV Asahi)
Broadcast period: 1978 thru 2004
Air time: Varies
Opening theme song: Abarenbo Shogun Theme
Ending theme songs:
- Season 1-2: Hono'o no Otoko, by Kitajima Saburo
- Season 3-4: Gamanzaka, by Kitajima Saburo
- Season 5-7: Otoko Do, by Kitajima Saburo
- Season 8: Hidamari Ninjo, by Kitajima Saburo
- Season 9: No ending theme used
- Season 10 & 800th episode: Mirai, by Kitajima Saburo
- Season 11-12: No ending theme used
- Final and Spring SPs: Teru, by Kitajima Saburo
Tokugawa Yoshimune is the 8th Shogun of the Tokugawa Shogunate. He continues to have bad people creating havoc within his city of Megumi. With the help of his close associates, Lord Tokugawa is allowed to roam throughout his city, disguised as Tokuda Shinnosuke, an average Joe living within Megumi. By mixing in with the population, Shin-san (as everyone in the city calls him) is able to research issues first-hand. His help include oniwaban (ninjas) and the captain of the Megumi fire company. Yoshimune uses the fire company as his base while he's away from Himeji Castle. The captain of the company, and the oniwaban know his identity, but everyone else in the city are unaware that he is the Shogun. Once Yoshimune solves the crimes, he confronts them. Just about every time, the bad people whip our their samurai swords in an attempt to kill Yoshimune, although most of the time they still don't know who he REALLY is. Most of the time, Yoshimume flips his samurai sword so that the dull side is out. This way, he can still take his opponents down without making sashimi out of them. Very rarely will he actually hit people with the sharp part of the blade... They have to be some really mean guys for Yoshimune to go that far!
The show was frequently topical, and touched on many themes of present-day life. The most common subject was political corruption. Drugs, unequal power relationships, poverty, urbanization, the generation gap, inflation, and the tension between Japanese and foreign knowledge were recurring themes.
Cast
NOTE: The episodes weren't numbered. Fans attempted to number the episodes, including KIKU-TV, but the numbers differ between collections. Therefore, it is impossible to indicate which episode a particular cast member made an appearance. Also, there were literally over 1,000 guests appearing throughout the years. As a result, the cast listing consists of artistes who appeared in the show either on a regular or semi-regular basis.
Matsudaira Ken as Tokugawa Yoshimune
Yokochi Masashi as Tadasuke (original)
Tamura Ryo as Tadasuke (replaced Masashi's character)
Arishima Ichiro as Kano Gorozaemon
Funakoshi Eiji as Tanokura Magobei (replaced Ichiro's character)
Kitajima Saburo as Tatsugoro
Yamamoto Joji as Chojiro (new captain when Tatsugoro retired)
Hamahata Kenkichi as Yamashita Konai
Yokochi Tadashi as O'oka Tadasuke
Miyauchi Hiroshi as Sukehachi (original male oniwaban)
Natsuki Yoko (夏樹陽子) as Osono (original female oniwaban)
Asaka Mayumi as Sagiri (replaced Yoko, but as a new character)
Takashima Reiko as Kozoe
Harukawa Masumi as Osai
Asaji Yoko as Osai
Watanabe Atsushi as Monjiro
Ito Tsukasa as Oyo
Godai Takayuki as Saizo
Misora Hibari (a limited number of eps early on)
Ryuko as Ryuko, the retired sumo wrestler turned fireman
Ishino Yoko (later seasons)
Matsumura Yuki (S11)
Nakamura Azusa as Turuhime Chizuru
Ikuina Akiko as Obun
Takashima Tadao as Shishido Kanbe
Nagauchi Minako as Tsukishima
Omori Takahito as Jyumonji Hayato
Otake Kazue as Ayame
Sato B-saku
Kashiwabara Yoshie (柏原芳恵)
Katsuno Hiroshi
Nakao Akira
Nagato Hiroyuki
Fuke Norimasa
Harukawa Masumi (春川ますみ)
Kochihira Chika (S9)
Wakayama Genzo as the narrator, who along with Ken, appeared in every episode
Production Credits
Producer: Ozawa Eisuke
Director: Ozawa Eisuke, Tomari Tsutomu, Ichikura Haruo, Morimoto Hirofumi
Screenwriter: Ozawa Eisuke, Imamura Bunjin
