Hana no Ran

Hana no Ran
Written by	Shinichi Ichikawa
Starring	Yoshiko Mita Ichikawa Danjūrō XII Eiji Okuda Masao Kusakari Nomura Mansai Takako Matsu Ichikawa Shinnosuke VII Shirō Sano Masahiro Matsuoka Sachiko Kobayashi Yoshie Taira Toshiya Nagasawa Isao Bitō Hiroshi Katsuno Hiroshi Fujioka Isao Natsuyagi Rino Katase Fumi Dan Kōji Yakusho Matsumoto Kōshirō IX Yorozuya Kinnosuke Machiko Kyō
Theme music composer	Naoto Ōtomo
Opening theme	NHK Symphony Orchestra
Composer(s)	Shigeaki Saegusa
Country of origin	Japan
Original language(s)	Japanese
No. of episodes	37
Production
Running time	37 x 45 minutes
Release
Original network	NHK
Original release	3 April – 11 December 1994

Hana no Ran (花の乱) was the 33rd Taiga drama to be broadcast on the NHK network in Japan. It premiered on 3 April 1994 and its finale aired on 25 December of the same year.^[1]

Synopsis

The story takes place during the Muromachi period of Ancient Japan, in the midst of the Ōnin War. The main character in the series is Hino Tomiko, a historical figure with a bad reputation because of her actions to rebuild Kyoto after the Ōnin War.

Cast

• Hino Tomiko: Yoshiko Mita
  • Young Tomiko: Takako Matsu
• Ashikaga Yoshimasa: Ichikawa Danjūrō XII
  • Young Yoshimasa: Ichikawa Shinnosuke VII
• Hino Shigeko: Machiko Kyō
• Hino Katsumitsu: Masao Kusakari
• Hino Mitsuko: Yoshie Taira
• Ashikaga Yoshimi: Shirō Sano
• Hosokawa Katsumoto: Nomura Mansai
• Yamana Sōzen: Yorozuya Kinnosuke
• Ikkyū: Eiji Okuda
• Ichijō Kaneyoshi: Taketoshi Naito

Ratings

The series, which only managed a 14.1% audience share during its run, had the notorious reputation of being the lowest-rated Taiga drama series in the franchise's history until it was surpassed by Taira no Kiyomori in 2012. Many blame the dark premises, the mysteries surrounding Hino Tomiko's family history, confusing disputes between her and Ashikaga Yoshimasa, and befuddling love scenes as the reasons why the drama failed.

References

1. 花の乱: NHK 大河ドラマ・ストリー (Hana no ran: NHK taiga dorama stōrī), 1994