NHK Drama "Oshin" Broadcasting on UTB18.2

Broadcast Starting Date: Sunday, April 7, 2013

Broadcast Schedule: Sunday Mornings: 8 AM - 9 AM
                                  Sunday Evenings: 8 PM - 9 PM

Run Time: 99 Weeks


The morning drama serial Oshin was broadcasted from April 5, 1983. The average audience share for this yearlong presentation was a record 52.6%, with a peak of 62.9%, still the highest figures for a drama program. The nation was riveted.

Oshin brought tears to viewers' eyes with its depiction of a woman's battle to survive and succeed. Actress Kobayashi Ayako won a massive following for her portrayal of the young Oshin, staving off hunger with radish gruel as she endures a cruel Oshin (Kobayashi apprenticeship).

In a survey of one million people carried out by NHK to commemorate the 40th anniversary of TV broadcasting in 1993, viewers were asked which program they most wanted to see again. Oshin was the most popular choice.

At a time when postwar economic growth was reaching its zenith, Oshin reminded people what life had been like just a few decades earlier, and offered a chance to reconsider Japanese history and culture.