Manga Mito Komon

まんが みとこうもん

Aired: 1981 - 1982

A television anime produced by KNACK and broadcast on TV Tokyo affiliates. A children-oriented manga-style adaptation of one of Japan's most iconic period drama franchises, 'Mito Komon,' the story of the retired lord Tokugawa Mitsukuni who travels incognito across Edo-period Japan exposing corruption among regional officials. The anime adds child-friendly companions including a young ninja apprentice and a cute dog mascot to the classic trio of Mito, Suke-san and Kaku-san, leaning into slapstick samurai action while preserving the franchise's beloved 'inrou reveal' climax in which the villains finally recognize the disguised lord and prostrate themselves. The series stands as a rare animated take on a long-running tokusatsu/jidaigeki franchise, occupying a curious historical niche in early-1980s children's anime.