The 41st episode of the NHK Taiga drama " UNBOUND (Berabou) " (General TV, Sundays at 8pm and others), starring actor Ryusei Yokohama , entitled "Utamaro's Large-Headed Beauty Painting," was broadcast on October 26th, and the words spoken by Suharaya, played by Kotaro Satomi, to Tsutaju (Yokohama) attracted the attention of viewers.
"UNBOUND (Berabou)" is the 64th taiga drama and depicts the life of Tsutaya Juzaburo(or "Tsutajyu" for short), who is said to have laid the foundations for Japan's media industry and pop culture. The script was written by Yoshiko Morishita, who is known for her work on the highly talked-about "Drama 10: Ooku," which aired on NHK two years ago.
In episode 41, Tsutaya visits the punished Suharaya, who tells him that he will retire and hand over the business to the next generation. Like Tsutaya, Suharaya was also given a "half-life" from the magistrate's office. He explains that the reason for this is that he continued to distribute "Sangoku Tsuran Zusetsu," a book by Hayashi Shihei that describes the possibility of Orosha invading Edo, even though it is out of print.
According to Suharaya, he acted because he believed that this was something people should know, and he told Tsutae, "Not knowing is a scary thing. If you don't know about things, you'll be taken advantage of by those who do. A bookseller's duty is to make people aware of good things for the sake of a just world. To put it in Hiraga Gennai's words, 'cultivate the world with books.' That's what it means."
Furthermore, after expressing his intention to retire, he entrusted his future to Tsutaju, saying, "Tsutaju, I'm counting on you. Before I die, I want to see the vibrant and lively city of Edo one more time."
Viewers also responded to this "last message" from Suharaya. Many comments were posted on social media, such as "Suharaya's words, 'What you don't know is scary,' are true," "Suharaya's teachings to Tsutaju are teachings for modern people," "Suharaya's words really made me think... It's also profound how they connect to 'cultivating the world with books,'" "I think Suharaya's line, 'What you don't know is scary,' was clearly an intentional warning to modern people," and "The scene where Tsutaju, with his nose red and holding back tears, listens to Suharaya's story. A warning from our ancestors to modern people. A wonderful, memorable scene."
