This is the luxury watch that Oguri Shun, a regular in historical dramas, chose, with a tool-like feel!

Oguri Shun has been creating a buzz since the start of the 2026 Taiga drama "Toyotomi Brothers!", in which he plays Oda Nobunaga. He is a strategist who can sometimes show a cruel side, but somewhere in his heart he hates himself for that. Attention is focused on how Oguri Shun will play this multifaceted Nobunaga. Oguri Shun is renowned for his wide range of acting skills, from serious to comedic. This time, we take a look at the watch he loves to wear.

The taiga drama "Toyotomi Brothers!", where Shun Oguri's acting skills shine, is a hot topic

　"Toyotomi Brothers!" is the 65th NHK Taiga drama, depicting Toyotomi Hidenaga, the younger brother of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, from his days as a peasant to his rise to power and unification of Japan. Scriptwriter Yatsushi Hiroyuki said that if Hideyoshi had been the main character, the story would have developed quite darkly in his later years, so he chose Hidenaga as the main character, thinking of it as a buddy story with someone who supported Hideyoshi.

　The story, told from a new perspective, is described as "like Hidenaga being Doraemon and Hideyoshi being Nobita," and will begin airing on January 4, 2026, with the fifth episode already aired. Comments include "the pace is good," "it's refreshing to be able to see the Sengoku period in which Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the great ruler of Japan, lived from the perspective of his brothers," and "the relationships between the characters are easy to understand." Oda Nobunaga will be played by Oguri Shun.

　Oguri Shun and Oda Nobunaga have a deep connection. In 2014, he starred in the highly entertaining drama "Nobunaga Concerto," which aired on Fuji TV, in which high school student Saburo travels back in time to the Warring States period and lives as Nobunaga, who looks identical to him. It was later made into a film, which became a huge hit, grossing over 46 billion yen at the box office. Now, more than 10 years later, he will be playing the role of the "real Nobunaga." It has also been written on social media that he is keeping an eye on "Oguri Nobunaga."

This is the 10th taiga drama, and he is a regular actor who also starred in the lead role two years ago.

　This will be Shun Oguri's 10th appearance in a taiga drama. In 2022, he starred as Hojo Yoshitoki in "The 13 Lords of Kamakura," written by Koki Mitani, brilliantly portraying the power struggle surrounding the early Kamakura shogunate. His taiga drama debut was in 1995 with "The Eighth Shogun Yoshimune," in which Oguri, then 13 years old, played the role of Tokugawa Munemoto. He has since steadily built his career, playing Ishida Mitsunari's childhood in "Hideyoshi," Hosokawa Tadatoshi in "Aoi: The Three Generations of the Tokugawa," and Kajiwara Kagesue in "Yoshitsune."

　It is worth noting that Oguri has played the role of Ishida Mitsunari twice. Having played the young Mitsunari in the 1996 "Hideyoshi," Oguri reprised the role 13 years later in 2009 as the adult Ishida Mitsunari in "Tenchi-nin." He also gave passionate performances as Yoshida Shoin in "Yae no Sakura" and Sakamoto Ryoma in "Saigo Don." He has demonstrated the breadth of his acting ability, playing a variety of historical figures. In 2023, he also appeared in the final episode of "What Will Ieyasu Do?", firmly establishing himself as a regular actor in taiga dramas.

A thoroughbred of performing arts

　Oguri Shun was born on December 26, 1982, in Kodaira, Tokyo. His father was stage director Oguri Tetsuya, his mother was a classical ballet teacher, and his older brother was a director; he grew up in a family that could truly be called a thoroughbred of performing arts. When he was in sixth grade, he admired Uchida Yuki, and applied for an audition he saw in a newspaper and passed. He then began working as an extra. In 1998, he made his first regular appearance as Yoshikawa Noboru in the TV drama "GTO."

　In 2003, he made his debut in a play directed by Yukio Ninagawa, and has since become a regular in Ninagawa's productions. He has also expanded his activities overseas, performing at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in the UK in 2006, where he received high praise from local critics, who praised him for "giving an incredibly beautiful performance." This international acclaim is a testament to Oguri's acting ability.

　In June 2023, he became the CEO of his agency, Tristone Entertainment. With the motto of "management focused on authenticity," he is also involved in nurturing actors and musicians, juggling two careers: acting and business. Despite his busy schedule, Oguri Shun was spotted wearing a Breitling Navitimer on social media.

Breitling's Navitimer, a classic chronograph beloved for over 70 years

　The watch he is wearing appears to be a derivative model of the Breitling Navitimer B01 Chronograph 43. While the regular model has silver subdials, the model worn by Oguri Shun is distinctive in that it is black, just like the dial.

　In 1952, Breitling developed a chronograph at the request of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA). This led to the birth of the Navitimer. It became an essential tool for aviators and remains popular even now, more than 70 years later. Based on the Chronomat, released in 1942, the watch's slide rule functions were expanded for aviation use. It was updated with features such as the addition of a 12-hour chronograph counter.

He also wore a Casio "Databank."

　"Nobunaga Concerto" is another example of Oguri Shun's role as Nobunaga. Let's take a look at the watch he wore at the drama's press conference, held on October 6, 2014. The watch he wore, paired with a casual outfit reminiscent of the unconventional protagonist, was the classic Casio Databank. This is an overseas model, and can still be easily purchased if you look for it.

　Considering that Casio was originally a manufacturer of calculators, the Data Bank was a natural progression for the company. It began with an electronic organizer in 1983, followed in 1984 by the Data Bank CD-40-1/CD-401-1, a wristwatch-style phone book (with a memory capacity of 10 entries at the time of its release).

　There are models with calculator functions, train timetable management functions, radio clock versions, photo data banks, voice recording data banks, digital-analog models, data banks for kids, and optical communication models, and approximately 340 types were released in Japan alone between 1984 and 1997.

　If we look at the functions of data banks released in the past, we notice that they are similar to those of smartphones. The smartphone penetration rate in Japan was around 4% in 2010, but will reach 94% in 2022.
　
　Now that smartphones have become mainstream in society, it's likely that very few people use the Databank function, but the retro-futuristic, secret gadget-like atmosphere still holds a special place in the hearts of many fans.

　The day this photo of Oguri Shun was taken was the press conference for "Nobunaga Concerto," and I think it was a stylish choice that he chose a databank for this event. For a story about "traveling back in time from modern society to live as Nobunaga" (a must-see for anyone who hasn't seen it), I think he chose an appealing item that will accompany people loved in any era. Active since his teens, and at the forefront of acting, Oguri Shun is looking forward to seeing what role he'll play next and what kind of watch he'll choose.