Byakkotai (白虎隊-2007)

幾人の　涙は石にそそぐとも　その名は世々に　朽じとぞ思う

Ikutari no namida wa ishi ni sosogu tomo sono na wa yoyo ni kuji to zo omou

"No matter how many people wash the stones with their tears, these names will never vanish from the world."

Byakkotai Samurai
Yamashita Tomohisa as Sakai Mineji and Sakai Shintaro
Tanaka Koki as Shinoda Gisaburo and Shinoda Yusuke
Fujigaya Taisuke as Itou Matahachi
Saito Shota as Tsuda Sutezou
Tomita Sho as Nishikawa Katsutaro
Sakimoto Hiromi as Iinuma Sadakichi
Tsujimoto Yuki (辻本祐樹) as Nagase Yuji
Hashidume Ryo as Ishida Wasuke
Tochihara Rakuto
Kujirai Kousuke (鯨井康介) as Adachi Tozaburo
Kotani Yukihiro (小谷幸弘)
Tagana Masaya (多賀名将也) as Ibuka Motaro
Hanaya Mitsunori (花谷充規)
Kouno Hiroki (河野弘樹)
Kato Takashi (加藤崇)
Otani Sho (大谷翔)
Gonda Yuichiro (権田裕一郎)
Fukuda Yusuke (福田雄介)
Ueyama Manabu (植山学)
Aoyama Masafumi (青山雅史)
Tomihira Kazuma (富平和馬)
Ezaki Oe (江嵜大兄)
Yoshitake Shuhei (吉武周平)
Ishiguro Hideo
Yamada Akira (山田晃)
Saito Rikimaru (齋藤力丸)
Kawanishi Hiroshi (川西裕士)

Other Characters
Yakushimaru Hiroko as Sakai Shige (Mineji's mother)
Nogiwa Yoko as Sakai Mon (Mineji's grandmother)
Takashima Masanobu as Sakai Yasuemon (Mineji's father)
Ito Shiro as Sakai Mineo (Shintaro's grandfather)
Kuroki Meisa as Asai Sayoko
Ito Kazue as Asai Sumie (Sayoko's mother)
Matsushige Yutaka as Yamamoto Kakuma
Masu Takeshi as Sugiyama Eitaro
Kikawada Masaya as Sakai Takie (Mineji's brother)
Matsuo Toshinobu as Yamakawa Hiroshi
Tsutsui Mariko as Tsuda Suguko (Tsuda Sutezo's mother)
Ida Kisuke (飯田基祐)
Yamada Meikyo (山田明郷)
Takuma Takayuki
Hirooka Yuriko
Nishihara Aki
Kanno Rio
Hitomi Sanae (人見早苗)
Kobayashi Ken
Matoba Koji
Nakagoshi Noriko as Yamamoto Yaeko
Sugata Shun (菅田俊)
Ida Kunihiko
Namiki Shiro
Sonoi Koji (園井光司)
Okayama Hajime
Watari Hiroshi (渡洋史)
Sakaki Hideo (榊英雄)
Sakai Toshiya
Enjouji Aya
Ishimaru Kenjiro
Ishikura Saburo
Bengal
Kinoshita Hoka
Musaka Naomasa
Watanabe Ikkei
Kataoka Tsurutaro
Wakamura Mayumi as Shinoda Shinko (Gisaburo's mother)
Wakui Emi
Asano Yuko
Kobayashi Nenji as Saigou Tanomo
Higashiyama Noriyuki as Matsudaira Katamori

The "Byakkotai" were a group of 19 samurai youths ( all aged 16-17 ) who committed "harakiri" or ritual suicide as they looked down at their castle from the top of Iimoriyama Hill. On seeing smoke rising from the castle they presumed it was on fire and all was lost. (In fact, the castle itself was not on fire). This Memorial Hall is dedicated to their tragic story and also has details about the last Aizu clan leader.



OMG! This story was BEAUTIFUL! A MUST SEE! The best drama ever for Yamashita Tomohisa. I've a new found respect for his acting skills. Hell, even for Tanaka Koki. I really saw these guys as just teen idols until I saw the most amazing acting skills that came out of this show. The story was so terribly sad. And yeah, I cried through most of it. I knew something horrible was coming...and then BAM! I'm still sniffling........

As an American this reminded me of our own young during the Civil War. The time period is the same. The young men who went out to war for their "side" and for their families welfare. I think now of the new found respect our soldiers go through for our countries.

If you are wanting to learn more about the history of Japan....this drama is great one to start. God, I really loved this!!

I'm not adding any hottie pics only because I think that would take away respect for this show and for those boys who really died for their cause. Most of the characters were real. I can't do it.