is a Japanese manga

Manga

Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...

 written and illustrated by Yoshihiro Yamada. It won an Excellence prize for manga at the 13th Japan Media Arts Festival

Japan Media Arts Festival

The Japan Media Arts Festival is an annual festival held by Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs since 1997. The festival for a nominal year was usually held during February or March next year, rather than at the end of the nominal year. For instance, the 2010 Japan Media Arts Festival, where...

 and the Grand Prize at the 2010 Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize. It was adapted into an anime series in 2011. The official website was updated to reflect the change. For unstated reasons Yoshirhiro Yamada and the editors of Morning

Weekly Morning

is a weekly Japanese seinen manga magazine published by Kodansha, aimed at adult men. It debuted in 1982 as and is also known as simply .- Series running every week :- Series running every other week :...

 quit consulting for the anime series and Yamada had the credit changed from "original story" to "original concept"

Plot

In the age of civil war

Sengoku period

The or Warring States period in Japanese history was a time of social upheaval, political intrigue, and nearly constant military conflict that lasted roughly from the middle of the 15th century to the beginning of the 17th century. The name "Sengoku" was adopted by Japanese historians in reference...

, when the shadow of Oda Nobunaga

Oda Nobunaga

was the initiator of the unification of Japan under the shogunate in the late 16th century, which ruled Japan until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was also a major daimyo during the Sengoku period of Japanese history. His opus was continued, completed and finalized by his successors Toyotomi...

 was still cast over the land, the warlord Furuta Sasuke

Furuta Shigenari

, more familiarly known in Japanese cultural history as , was a warrior and celebrated master of the Japanese tea ceremony. He was originally a retainer of Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi. His teacher in the tea ceremony was Sen no Rikyū. He became the foremost tea master in the land after...

 lost his soul to the tea ceremony

Japanese tea ceremony

The Japanese tea ceremony, also called the Way of Tea, is a Japanese cultural activity involving the ceremonial preparation and presentation of matcha, powdered green tea. In Japanese, it is called . The manner in which it is performed, or the art of its performance, is called...

. While war shook the world around him, he faced his own conflict between his desire for promotion and his love for his art.

Characters

A vassal of Oda Nobunaga. He is an aesthete who holds a dear appreciation of art and beauty in the form of glazed pottery, tea, and architecture. He is married to Osen .

An ambitious man that seeks control over not only Japan, but also the Ming

Ming Dynasty

The Ming Dynasty, also Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history", was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...

 and the Joseon

Joseon Dynasty

Joseon , was a Korean state founded by Taejo Yi Seong-gye that lasted for approximately five centuries. It was founded in the aftermath of the overthrow of the Goryeo at what is today the city of Kaesong. Early on, Korea was retitled and the capital was relocated to modern-day Seoul...

 Dynasties. Sasuke is one of his vassals.

The most influential tea master. He pursue wabi

Wabi-sabi

represents a comprehensive Japanese world view or aesthetic centered on the acceptance of transience. The aesthetic is sometimes described as one of beauty that is "imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete"...

world greedily. Sasuke is one of his pupils.

A sharp vassal of Oda Nobunaga and powerful person after Nobunaga's death. He likes women and has no sense of art.

An idealistic vassal of Oda Nobunaga and he feels antipathy to Nobunaga's policy.

A steady vassal from Mikawa

Mikawa Province

is an old province in the area that today forms the eastern half of Aichi Prefecture. It was sometimes called . Mikawa bordered on Owari, Mino, Shinano, and Tōtōmi Provinces....

. He has a strong sense of justice.

A younger brother of Nobunaga. He is a smart playboy and smooth fellow.

A loyal vassal of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. He is a meticulous person and has little interest in art.

Anime

The first opening theme of the anime was "Bowl Man" by Cro-Magnon featuring IKZO

Ikuzo Yoshi

is the stage name of ', a Japanese famous Enka singer-songwriter.Enka is a popular genre akin to Japanese folk music or blues music in the Western world. He has released several popular albums. Amongst his most famous hits are "Sake-yo", "Suika", and "Yuki Guni".He also claimed that he became the...

, and the ending theme is "KIZUNA" by Yuki Saito. In April 2011 Cro-Magnon band member Tsuyoshi Kosuga was arrested on on suspicion of violating Japan's Cannabis Control Law. As a result NHK changed the opening theme to "Naghol Jumping" by qusimode for five episodes and the band broke up shortly after.
As of episode 11 the opening is "Ebi Sukui" by Taku Takahashi of m-flo

M-flo

is a Japanese hip hop group consisting of producer and DJ Taku Takahashi and emcee Verbal.Former member Lisa left the group in 2002 to pursue a solo career, and the remaining members then started the M-Flo Loves... project working different vocalists for each song over three albums, including the...

.

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No.	Title	Original airdate

External links

• Official site at MORNING
• Official site at NHK
• Official blog