Overview
- NHK confirmed the new morning drama at a press event Thursday, naming the series 'Hon no Mokichi', Yumi Kawai as the heroine and Kankuro Kudo as the screenwriter for a spring 2028 premiere.
- Producers describe the drama as a bold fictional reworking of poet Saito Mokichi and his wife Teruko that frames their marriage as unusually unhappy and uses strong comedic elements.
- Kankuro returns to scripting NHK's morning dramas for the first time since 2013's Amachan, a pedigree that the broadcaster highlighted when announcing the show's comic tone.
- Yumi Kawai said at the Shibuya press conference that she is struck by Teruko's frank, free-spirited life and plans to portray the family without embellishment.
- Local officials and the Saito Mokichi Memorial Museum in Yamagata welcomed the announcement and said they expect the series to raise public interest and help attract visitors, while full casting and filming schedules remain unannounced.