Rei Dan and Yasuko Matsuyuki to play rivals in NHK’s new historical drama

NHK has announced the cast of its next historical TV drama, "Taira no Kiyomori," which deals with the stormy personal and public court life of the aristocracy in the last years of the Heian period.

Among the largely predominant male cast (Kenichi Matsuyama, Kiichi Nakai, Hiroshi Mikami and others), Rei Dan ("Pandemic") and Yasuko Matsuyuki ("The Unbroken") promise action as Tamako and Nariko, the wives of then-emperor Tobajoko, who are in constant pursuit of his love and attention.

During a press conference, Tomoaki Iso, the producer, said that he will focus on the important roles of the female cast as well. “Tamako and Nariko’s catfight in the first half of the drama is a must see,” he said.

The drama revolves around Taira no Kiyomori (played by Kenichi Matsuyama), a boy raised without knowing his real parents, who strives to climb the ladder in the samurai rank and become a true soldier of faith and determination.

The drama will air in the beginning of 2012.

© Compiled from news reports