NHK adds six cast members to morning drama Blossom
Four of the new additions, including sara and Iwano Kaishi, are appearing in an NHK morning drama for the first time.
NHK announced six additional cast members for its drama series Blossom on October 21, 2026, according to cinematoday.jp. The new additions are Mari Ito, Ko Maehara, sara, Kaishi Iwano, Mizuki Tanimura and Sakura Fujiwara.
Four of them — Mari Ito, sara, Kaishi Iwano and Sakura Fujiwara — are appearing in an NHK morning drama for the first time.
Mari Ito plays Kinuko Hagimiya, the wife of a writer. Ko Maehara plays the writer Yasunari Kawagishi, and sara plays his wife, Shizuyo Kawagishi.
Kaishi Iwano appears as Futaro Tajima, a resident of Magome village who asks to become the apprentice of Ichiro Nishio. Mizuki Tanimura plays Sanae, wife of the painter Ginji Natsui, while Sakura Fujiwara plays Sumiko, a former lover of the same painter.
The announcement includes a comment from chief producer Shumpei Murayama. Blossom is the 115th installment of the long-running morning drama slot, an original story modeled on the writer Chiyo Uno. Set in Iwakuni in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Tokyo and Hokkaido, it follows the protagonist Tamano Hano, played by Shizuka Ishibashi.
The cast also includes Shotaro Morimoto as the writer Ichiro Nishio and Ryo Nishikido as the painter Ginji Natsui. Ko Maehara previously appeared in the morning drama Manpuku about eight years ago.
Quick answers
Who joins the cast of NHK's Blossom?
Mari Ito, Ko Maehara, sara, Kaishi Iwano, Mizuki Tanimura and Sakura Fujiwara were announced as additional cast members on October 21, 2026.
Who plays the lead in Blossom?
Shizuka Ishibashi plays the protagonist Tamano Hano.