Actress Riko Narumi (17) will star in a period drama series on NHK next year. This will be her first role in a jidaigeki work.

The ten-episode series, titled "Sakuya Konohana," deals with the well-known Hyakunin Isshu card game, in which players must be the first to grab cards based on recited poems. Narumi plays a slightly peculiar young girl trying to lead an ordinary life, who wins a Hyakunin Isshu competition. She heads to Edo Castle for a major tournament, where her winning streak quickly draws attention. Throughout this, she grows as an individual and experiences her first love with a revenge-seeking ronin.

Narumi is said to have little experience with Hyakunin Isshu, so she is undergoing fundamental training for the game. The drama already begins filming early next month, though it is not scheduled to start until January 9, 2010. It will air in NHK's Saturday 7:30pm time slot.