The NHK morning drama series " Anpan " (General Asadora , Monday to Saturday, 8:00 AM and other times), based on the married couple Takashi Yanase (1919-2013) and Nobu (1918-1993), aired its final episode on September 26th. We spoke with Masako Koshio, the representative of Yanase Studio, who supported Yanase as his secretary for over 20 years. Here, we find out what the real Yanase couple are like, as only Koshio knows them...
◇Nobu is a "pleasant woman"
Koshio met Yanase's wife, Nobu, at the tea ceremony training center he attended, and began working at Yanase Studio Ltd. in 1992.
"I was taking tea ceremony classes as a hobby, and that's where I met Nobu. At the time, I was in my mid-20s and Nobu was in his mid-50s. So the Nobu I knew ranged in age from his 50s to his 70s, and I actually worked with Yanase Sensei for about 20 years. There were episodes in ' Anpan' that made me imagine what it must have been like as a child, and I looked forward to watching it every day."
Regarding his impression of the Yanase couple, Koshio revealed, "Both Nobu and Yanase Sensei were serious people. In reality, Nobu was someone who always put others first."
"Whenever I made a mistake, she would tell me, 'In that case, it's better to do this.' I was never told off by Nobu, and being a 'Hachikin' (a Tosa dialect word for a tomboyish woman) means not being forceful with everyone, but being able to say 'that's not okay' when someone in authority or a company boss does something unreasonable. She was a really pleasant woman."
When Koshio decided to work at Yanase Studio, Yanase told him, "Our work is easy, so please take care of us."
"What surprised me was that Nobu handed me my bankbook, bank seal, and other documents containing records of my valuable assets. He told me, even though I had just joined the company, that 'The key to the safe is here, and this is the combination number.' He had entrusted me with so much responsibility that I even began to worry, 'Will this be okay?'"
At that time, Nobu was also a tea ceremony teacher, and when Koshio asked him, "Teacher, what would you do if I were a bad person?", he replied, "If you were a bad person, I would think that I had no eye for it and give up."
"When I heard that, I thought, 'She's an amazing person.' If it were me, I would say, 'Don't do anything bad,' but she's the kind of woman who can say, 'I'll just accept that I didn't have good judgment and give up.' I've never met a woman like that before."
◇What is an impressive episode about the Yanase couple?
When asked about an episode that left a lasting impression on the Yanase couple, Koshio told us a story about konatsu, a specialty of Kochi.
"When I first joined Yanase Studio, Yanase-sensei said, 'I'll teach you the correct way to eat a konatsu,' and peeled one with a knife. Apparently it tastes better if you peel the outer skin like an apple and leave the thin white inner skin on. Yanase-sensei said, 'My wife never eats it the correct way, she eats it like a regular mandarin orange.' Nobu-san laughed, looking a little embarrassed, and explained that his wife has her own way of peeling it, and the teacher has his own way of peeling it. It's a small thing, but the mutual respect they have for each other makes me feel like they have a wonderful marriage."
The anime series "Soreike! Anpanman" began airing in 1988. Around the time the anime began to gain popularity, Nobu was battling breast cancer.
Nobu said he didn't think Anpanman's popularity would last, and repeatedly asked Koshio, "My husband doesn't get along well with editors, so he'll soon be left out of work, his income will decrease, and he won't be able to hire assistants. When that happens, please say you'll do the coloring. Please offer to do it yourself."
"Nobu passed away after that, but that was how much he worried about Yanase Sensei. Not only Nobu, but everyone involved with Anpanman at the time, never expected it to become such a big business, so I think it's only natural that his wife couldn't have predicted that Anpanman's popularity would continue. If I had colored it, I think the results would have been disastrous, so I'm relieved that it has continued to be popular."
