A Chef of Nobunaga
A Chef of Nobunaga is a Japanese manga series written by Mitsuru Nishimura and illustrated by Takuro Kajikawa. It was noted to be adapted into a Japanese television drama series in January 2013. The manga was serialized in Houbunsha's Weekly Manga Times on a bi-weekly basis from March 18, 2011, to April 12, 2024.
Plot
A young chef named Ken is mysteriously transported to the Sengoku period and he also loses most of his memories. He is thrown in the midst of a battle between soldiers, and, as both sides think he is a spy, they hunt him down. During his escape, Ken meets Natsu, a young blacksmith girl. Because of his cooking abilities, Ken is soon recruited as personal chef of Oda Nobunaga.Characters
The present day (Heisei">Heisei period">Heisei era)
;Ken;Youko
[Sengoku period] and [Azuchi–Momoyama period]
;Oda Nobunaga;Natsu
;Kaede
Reception
- Volume 6: Oricon weekly chart 25th
- Volume 8: Oricon weekly chart 23th
- Volume 9: Oricon weekly chart 28th
- Volume 10: Oricon weekly chart 15th
- Volume 12: Oricon weekly chart 22th
- Angoulême International Comics Festival - Best Comic
Book release information
- August 9, 2011,
- October 14, 2011,
- February 16, 2012,
- June 16, 2012,
- October 16, 2012,
- January 16, 2013,
- June 15, 2013,
- October 16, 2013,
- February 15, 2014,
- July 8, 2014,
- October 16, 2014,
- February 16, 2015,
- July 16, 2015,
- November 16, 2015,
- April 16, 2016,
- August 16, 2016,
- December 16, 2016,
- April 14, 2017,
- August 16, 2017,
- December 15, 2017,
- May 16, 2018,
- September 14, 2018,
- January 16, 2019,
- June 13, 2019,
- October 16, 2019,
- March 16, 2020,
- July 16, 2020,
- November 16, 2020,
- April 15, 2021,
- September 16, 2021,
- February 16, 2022,
- July 14, 2022,
- November 16, 2022,
- March 16, 2023,
- July 13, 2023,
- December 14, 2023,
- May 16, 2024,
Television drama
The series was adapted into a television drama, sometimes referred to in English as The Knife and the Sword, although the title A Chef of Nobunaga is used as well. The nine-episode first season of the drama was broadcast on TV Asahi between January 11, to March 15, 2013. A second season, consisting of eight episodes, aired also on the same network from July 10, to September 4, 2014. This is Tamamori's first starring role in a drama series and his first period drama in the "Friday Night Drama" slot.The average viewer rating for season one exceeded 10%. This was rare for a late-night broadcast slot. This led to the decision to air Season 2 and its broadcast in prime time.
In the second season, which was broadcast in primetime due to the popularity of the first season, TV Asahi put a lot of effort into it by airing the first episode as a two-hour special, but the drama struggled, partly due to the presence of a popular variety show in the background, and the average viewer ratings remained in the single digits.
Development
The drama was filmed at Toei studios Kyoto in Kyoto, which is famous for its jidaigeki studios. Despite the cold weather, Tamamori was barefoot and dressed only in a kimono. There were scenes where he had to walk around the mountains carrying a large pot on his back to serve food on the battlefield, and at one point had to jump in a cold river. Through these physically demanding shoots, he said, "I think I got used to the cold a little through the filming of this drama.In the scene where he cooks French cuisine, Tamamori himself cooked the food. Tsuji Culinary Institute supervised the actual cooking for the dramatization. The lead actor, Yuta Tamamori, had little cooking experience before, but this drama inspired him to start cooking.
Synopsis
Ken, who was working as a French chef in the present, suddenly slipped back in time to the Sengoku period one day. Moreover, he had lost most of his memory. All that remained was his knowledge of cooking and a little bit of Japanese history. While wandering around, he wanders into a battlefield where soldiers are fighting. While on the run, he meets Natsu, a woman dressed as a man who works alone as a sword smith. Ken cooks with ingredients from the Sengoku period, relying only on his culinary memory. Eventually, Ken meets the legendary warlord Oda Nobunaga and begins serving as his personal chef. Ken survives the difficult situation with his culinary skills. Every time Ken picks up a knife and delivers the signature line, '''"I'm coming! The cuisine of Sengoku period !"'''Main characters
;Ken by Yuta Tamamori;Oda Nobunaga by Mitsuhiro Oikawa
;Natsu by Mirai Shida
;Toyotomi Hideyoshi by Gori
;Kaede by Sei Ashina
;Kennyo by Ichikawa Ennosuke IV
;Yoko by Yuu Kashii
;Mori Ranmaru by Ren Nagase