[2026] A roundup of popular theme and opening songs from TV period dramas
An important genre in the history of Japanese film and television drama is the jidaigeki period drama.
Originally developed in cinema, jidaigeki later declined as a boom, but it went on to find a new home on television and has continued to produce many classics.
Many actors became popular stars through jidaigeki, and unforgettable theme tunes and songs are also indispensable when talking about the genre.
This article presents a roundup of representative jidaigeki theme music and theme songs.
It also includes dramas produced from the 2000s onward, so it’s something viewers of all generations can enjoy!
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[2026] A Roundup of Popular Theme and Title Songs from TV Period Dramas (41–50)
Wandering SongOzawa Miyuki
It’s the ending theme song of the period drama “Hissatsu Hichū Shigotoya Kagyo.” The story features Hanbē, a soba shop owner who loves gambling, as the protagonist.
It’s a melancholic song filled with longing, singing of missing a loved one, but it’s said that Miyuki Ozawa, who performs it, was only 15 years old at the time.
Ozawa’s song “Yozora no Bojō” is also a popular track used in Hissatsu Hichū Shigotoya Kagyo.
A woman is like the sea.Izumi Ayukawa
This is the opening theme song of “Hissatsu Shigotonin V: Gekitō-hen,” which aired from November 15, 1985 to July 25, 1986.
Although it is a continuation of Hissatsu Shigotonin V, it was not titled VI; instead, it is one of three spin-off series created as derivatives.
It is a profound song that likens a woman’s heart—waiting anxiously for her man—and the tears she sheds to the sea.
Traveling crowItsuki Hiroshi
This is the theme song for the Hasegawa Shin Series, which aired from October 4, 1972 to April 25, 1973.
This period drama adapts masterpieces—centered on “tabi” outlaw stories—from the works of Shin Hasegawa, known as the father of popular literature, including Kutsukake Tokijiro, Nakayama Shichiri, Seki no Yatappe, and Mother of the Blinded.
the sunKatsu Shintarō
To commemorate the 15th anniversary of Fuji TV’s launch, Zatōichi was adapted into a television drama for the first time.
That was The Tale of Zatōichi.
Shintaro Katsu, who starred in it, also sang the theme song, Otento-san.
The title, written in hiragana, gives a cute impression at first glance, but Katsu’s singing voice is wonderfully deep and rugged.
Hurry like the windHirata Takao to Serusutāzu
This is the theme song for the period drama series Ukiyo-e: Onna Nezumi Kozō, starring Mayumi Ogawa, which spans three installments.
It’s a historical drama where Okyo (played by Mayumi Ogawa), the female Nezumi Kozō, teams up with Tokichi (played by Kunie Tanaka), the male Nezumi Kozō, and, together with their band of little “mice” underlings, they stand up to evil.