# Sanadamaru (2016)

> A fifty-episode Japanese historical drama following the Sanada clan as they scheme and fight to survive the shifting alliances of the Sengoku period.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/63128

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 50
- Episode runtime: 50 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: drama, history
- Network: NHK
- Cast: Masato Sakai, Yo Oizumi, Masao Kusakari, Yoshino Kimura, Masami Nagasawa, Atsuko Takahata, Haru Kuroki
- TMDB rating: 7.7/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3811304/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: layered
- Violence: moderate
- Tone: measured, contemplative, tense, dignified

## Synopsis

Sanadamaru (2016) is a Japanese national-television jidaigeki series created for NHK, a taiga drama broadcast as a single fifty-episode season. Centering on the Sanada clansmen, the series follows Sanada Yukimura (Masato Sakai) alongside his kin Sanada Nobuyuki (Yo Oizumi) and Sanada Masayuki (Masao Kusakari) as they navigate the crumbling balance of power during Japan's Warring States period. Their engine is simple and relentless: keep the family alive and its lands intact while rival warlords reshuffle their loyalties from one season of conflict to the next. Each stretch of the story turns on negotiations, shrewd maneuvering, and the grinding strain of a siege, with the women of the household, including Matsu (Yoshino Kimura), Kiri (Masami Nagasawa), Kaoru (Atsuko Takahata) and Ume (Haru Kuroki), shaping decisions from behind the scenes. The tone is measured and contemplative, with dignity, dread and wry human warmth running through the political chess. Set in sixteenth-century Japan, the drama is grounded and richly textured, with period detail that feels lived in. Fans of Taiga dramas, Shogun, and Game of Thrones will find resonance in its blend of clan politics, war, and endurance.

## Shows like Sanadamaru

- [Last Samurai Standing (2025)](https://ember.film/tv/167281)
- [Jin (2009)](https://ember.film/tv/41887)
- [THE DAYS (2023)](https://ember.film/tv/136638)
- [Shōgun (2024)](https://ember.film/tv/104701)
- [Three Kingdoms (2010)](https://ember.film/tv/17220)
- [Basilisk (2005)](https://ember.film/tv/8725)
- [The Emperor's Cook (2015)](https://ember.film/tv/61407)
- [Hakuoki (2010)](https://ember.film/tv/40295)
- [Oshin (1983)](https://ember.film/tv/5852)
- [The Family (2007)](https://ember.film/tv/6332)

---

Site overview: https://ember.film/llms.txt