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The story
On October 7, BS-TBS announced that it will air “Mito Kōmon Special: Okazaki & Owari” in December. The main cast — Tetsuya Takeda as Lord Mito Mitsukuni, along with Takuma Zaiki, Atsushi Arai, Mariko Shinoda, Kanji Tsuda, and Yoshihiko Hakamada — returns unchanged from last year’s installment for a two-hour special. On 5ch’s Geinou/Sports News+ thread, many posters reminisced about past actors who played the title role, with opinions split between those calling Hideo Tōno or Kōtarō Satomi “the last true Lord Mito” and others saying they’d give the Takeda version a chance. Plenty of lighthearted comments also looked forward to the iconic “inro reveal” scene and the series’ other trademark beats, reflecting just how much affection fans still have for the long-running franchise.
2026-10-07 07:00
On the 7th, BS-TBS announced that it will air “Mito Kōmon Special: Okazaki & Owari” in December.
Following last year, a new “Mito Kōmon” installment will air as a two-hour special. Tetsuya Takeda plays Mito Mitsukuni. The loyal attendants supporting the retired lord return as well, with Takuma Zaiki as Sasaki Sukesaburō and Atsushi Arai as Shitsumi Kakunoshin. Mariko Shinoda (as Shino) and Kanji Tsuda (as Kazaguruma no Yashichi) round out the cast as the undercover duo. Yoshihiko Hakamada also returns as Yoshiyasu Yanagisawa, close aide to Shogun Tsunayoshi. As with the previous installment, numerous guest stars are also planned.
Source: oricon.co.jp / Original article here
What people said
When he pulls out the inro: "Alright, listen up! Liiisten up!" (mimicking Takeda's drawn-out 'attention!' catchphrase from his teacher roles)
Nah, sorry, that's gonna come off shady lol
Sounds like he raised plenty of hell when he was young, but he got his act together once he became lord.
Since he left behind major achievements after retiring, maybe his active years just get overshadowed.
Though he definitely wasn't literally traveling the country righting wrongs.
The face has to be Hideo Tōno, obviously.
I won't accept anything else
A lecturing tour instead of a righting-wrongs tour (riffing on Takeda's famous schoolteacher role, Kinpachi-sensei)
The handoff went smoothly from the 1st Tōno → 2nd Nishimura → 3rd Sano, so why'd they let Kōji Ishizaka become the 4th?
Even regular 70- and 80-year-olds these days look way too young and spry.
Back in the Shōwa era there were plenty of short, stubborn old men around
Lord Mito: "It has to be a wooden hanger, nothing else will do!"
Get an actual glamour model to play Ogin
A Lord Mito who talks that high-and-mighty just isn't gonna land, I think
They say he did street killings (tsujigiri) in his youth and settled down later, but even after retiring he personally stabbed one of his own chief retainers to death lol
Apparently he compiled a history book called "Dai Nihon-shi" — sounds like the kind of grandiose title some movie director would slap on a film — but he was barely involved in the actual compiling. Kind of like how the famous "Kindaichi" dictionary carries that name despite its namesake barely working on it.
Maybe there just wasn't a decent villain-faced actor available.
If only the villain-face lineage from film actor Ryūnosuke Tsukigata were still around
Fun fact, the very first Lord Mito in the TBS "Mito Kōmon" franchise was actually Ryūnosuke Tsukigata…
Though it's basically been erased from history…
Before the "National Theater" Mito Kōmon, there was a "Brother Theater" Mito Kōmon
Background and Key Points on This Topic
“Mito Kōmon” began airing on the TBS network in 1969, and after its regular broadcast run ended in 2011, BS-TBS has kept it alive through one-off specials. The role of Lord Mito has passed from Hideo Tōno to Akira Nishimura, Asao Sano, Kōji Ishizaka, and Kōtarō Satomi, with Tetsuya Takeda now taking the role for a second time following last year’s special. The thread’s central disagreement boiled down to whether to accept Takeda’s version as a legitimate Lord Mito, pitting those who hold the Tōno era as the gold standard against those willing to embrace it as a fresh take. It’s worth noting that there’s no historical record of the real Mitsukuni actually traveling the country righting wrongs after retirement — that’s purely a dramatic invention. While he was known for rough behavior in his youth, his rule as domain lord and his involvement in compiling the “Dai Nihon-shi” history are documented facts, so the thread’s claim that he “wasn’t a great lord” should be taken as only a partial view.
*This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “[BS-TBS] New “Mito Kōmon” Special Set for Year-End — “Mito Mitsukuni” Actor Tetsuya Takeda: “Looks Like I’m Hitting the Road Again”.”
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