Details
Title: 天花
Title (romaji): Tenka
Episodes: 156 (15 mins. each)
Genre: Family drama
Viewership: 1st=18.6 high=20.0 avg=16.2
Broadcast network: NHK
Broadcast period: 2004-Mar-29 to 2004-Sep-25
Air time: Monday thru Saturday at 8:15
Series Synopsis
The 70th Drama Serial is titled Tenka written by a scriptwriter, Takeyama Yo. The story is on 17-year-old girl, Tenka, who was born and raised in Sendai, Miyagi prefecture. Her family moves to Tokyo when her father changes his job. Tenka stays for a short period of time with her grandfather who is an eager rice farmer, living at Igune, forest in the middle of vast rice paddies of the Sendai plains. After graduating from high school, she moves to Kichijyoji in Tokyo to live with her family in a house which is on the site of a temple owned by her grandfather's old friend, Suzuki Shozo. On the site, there is also a small nursery school ran by Shozo's wife, Yoshiko. Tenka gradually starts to think of becoming a nurse who looks after children. It is eventually revealed that Tenka's family and Suzuki Shozo's family has had a strong connection for generations. Tenka finds that she herself is engaged to Shozo's grandson, Ryunosuke according to a promise between her grandfather and Shozo. The heroine is played by Ema Fujisawa who is 21 years old. She was selected from 2,367 applicants. Locations include Sendai, Miyagi and Musashino, Tokyo.
Cast
Fujisawa Ema as Sato Tenka (heroine, age 17)
Hirayama Hiroyuki as Suzuki Ryunosuke
Katahira Nagisa as Sato Hideko
Kagawa Teruyuki as Sato Nobuo
Takenaka Naoto as Suzuki Daiki
Ichikawa Mikako as Kawashima Kaoru
Fuji Junko (credited as Fuji Sumiko) as Suzuki Yoshiko
Nakamura Umenosuke as Suzuki Shozo
Zaitsu Ichiro as Sato Shinichiro
Saeko as Sato Yuka
Kaga Mariko as Hirai Katsuko
Ishino Mako as Suzuki Akiko
Nakajima Tomoko as Sanada Tamae
Shoei as Moriyama Eiji
Kimura Yoshino
Iwamoto Masuyo
Inoue Harumi
Kobayashi Katsuya
Yamashita Yorie
Okunuki Kaoru
Hoshino Mari
Katayama Reo
Production Credits
Screenwriter: Takeyama Yo
Producer:
Music: Muramatsu Takatsugu
Opening theme music: Namae no Nai Sora o Miagete, written by Tamaki Koji, and sung by Misia
Notes
Unfortunately, Tenka started a downward trend in the viewership ratings game, dropping two points below its predecessor, Teruteru Kazoku, ending up with the lowest rating since research began in 1964. The series only scored an average rating of 16.2 in the Kanto area, and fared even worse in Kansai with 15.1. At the time (2004-Sep), an NHK spokesman said that more people are tuning into NHK's satellite channels (BS1 and BS2) and that viewer numbers for dramas are in a downward trend on all channels (which we know now to be true.)
