In the sixth episode (broadcast on February 9th) of the NHK Taiga drama " UNBOUND (Berabou) " (General TV, Sunday 8pm and others), starring actor Ryusei Yokohama , Hasegawa Heizo Nobuyoshi (hereafter referred to as Heizo), played by Nakamura Hayato, appears in front of Tsutaya Juzaburo(Yokohama) looking much more handsome than before. Having been duped by Tsutaju and having used up all of his parent's inheritance, Heizo now goes to Urokogataya to find evidence that counterfeit editions of "Setsuyoshu" have been printed, and Tsutaju also puts in a spectacular performance.
Heizo, who lived the life of debauchery, and Heizo, who carried himself with dignity. He seems to have a split personality, but when we profile the real Heizo after he worked at Edo Castle as a guard in the Nishinomaru Shoin, we can imagine that he must have been a handsome man with good manners.
◇ Selected for a position that required good looks and flawless manners
In 1775, the year after he was hired as a shoinbanshi, Heizō also took on the role of gift attendant at the age of 30. Gift attendants were tasked with receiving and managing gifts delivered to Edo Castle from feudal lords. In addition, when Noh performances were held within the castle, they were tasked with setting up the stage in a spectacular fashion in front of an assembled VIP audience, so they had to be good looking and had good manners to do the job. Only one in ten shoinbanshi were chosen to be gift attendants, so it can be assumed that the real Heizō was quite good looking.
During Heizō's lifetime, there were approximately 5,200 Hatamoto, of which about 40% were unemployed. Even if you were successful in your job search, the competition continued. Being a shoin guard was tough, as it was the starting point of the elite course. One new Nishinomaru shoin guard was promoted to the position of superior, but seniors and colleagues who were not happy about this continued to bully him. The bullied guard finally resorted to a blade, killing three colleagues at the workplace and injuring two others. This happened in 1823, 28 years after Heizō's death.
To avoid this, it was important to save face for his seniors and not be annoyed by those around him. Apparently, he held a "welcome party" to entertain his seniors at his new workplace, and when he was on night duty, he would prepare a lavish lunch box to treat his seniors. The ability to get along well in society was also an essential skill.
In the sixth episode of "UNBOUND", Tsutaju, who knew that the investigation was reaching Urokogataya, confesses that he hoped that if Magobei (Kataoka Ainosuke) was arrested, "I could take his place." Heizō says with a philosophical attitude, "The samurai are always fighting for their place in the family. Outwitting or pushing them down. It's nothing to worry about. That's just how the world is," but it seems that his worries at work are oozing out.
In "UNBOUND," Heizō tells Tsutaju about his work as a shoinban, "This isn't to my taste. I'm just trying to make a name for myself, hoping to get transferred to the magistrate's office." In real life, however, Heizō worked as a shoinban for 11 years. After becoming the Arson and Theft Control Officer (Arson and Theft Control Officer), he outwitted the magistrate.
◇The magistrate's office is impressed by his initiative. It's scary when he is looked at.
There was a yakuza boss named Harimaya Kichiemon. Kichiemon was also the boss of the illegal prostitutes in the Ueno area, and had a bad reputation. Kichiemon also served as the head of the detectives who helped the Kitamachi Magistrate's Office with crime investigations. With his strong grip on the underworld, he was able to find even the most vicious criminals. Because of this, the Magistrate's Office turned a blind eye to Kichiemon's misdeeds.
One day, Heizō went to Harimaya alone. Heizō took Kichiemon outside, saying, "I won't bother you," and then arrested him, saying, "I'm going to arrest you." Kichiemon's henchmen came running out, but Heizō's glaring eyes made them freeze up. It became a rumor in Edo that "Hasegawa, fed up with the magistrate's officials being co-opted by Harimaya, showed the magistrate his nose."
As an aside, the stage name of the late Nakamura Kichiemon, who played Heizō in the TV series "Onihei Hankacho" (Fuji TV), was Harimaya. Of course, Harimaya Kichiemon, who was captured by Heizō in real life, has nothing to do with Kabuki, but there is a certain fate involved.
The Arson and Theft Bureau's position was one with an income of 1,500 koku, while the Town Magistrate's was a higher-ranking position with an income of 3,000 koku. However, Heizo's popularity surpassed that of the Town Magistrate. A rumor spread that "Because Heizo always gets ahead of the Town Magistrate, now the Town Magistrate consults Heizo for everything he does."
In episode 6 of "UNBOUND," Heizō leaves officials from the magistrate's office waiting and goes alone to Urokogataya, where he shouts in a dignified manner, "There it is! It's a fake!" This scene was reminiscent of the real-life Heizō, who later proved the magistrate guilty.
The highlight is the scene where, after Urokogataya Magobei has been taken to the magistrate's office, Heizō hands Tsutajō a package of millet rice cakes, who has now found his way to the publisher. Heizō says, "Easy money, millet rice cakes. I've combined 'easy money' with 'rice cakes from heaven'. This means you've been blessed with an incredibly good deal. It suits you perfectly," and then, "You should be grateful for it. It's a tribute to the person who dropped it," and he looks pleased with his own catchphrase.
Let's introduce one of Heizo's famous quotes, which will get you intoxicated with his catchphrases. In 1773, his father, Heizo Nobuo, died suddenly while serving as Kyoto's Nishimachi magistrate, and officials from the magistrate's office held a farewell party for Heizo as he returned to Edo. At the party, Heizo said, "In the future, I will call myself Hasegawa Heizo (after my father) and will surely be praised as a hero of my time. If you have the opportunity to come to Edo, be sure to visit my famous home." It is said that everyone was left wide-eyed by his self-inspired, bombastic speech. (Text by Komatsu Kenichi)
◇Profile
Kenichi Komatsu Born in Osaka in 1958. Joined the Mainichi Shimbun in 1983. In charge of crime and government affairs in the Osaka and Tokyo social affairs departments. After that, he served as the head of the Bangkok branch, editor-in-chief of the evening edition, general manager of the North American bureau, and editorial committee member, before retiring in 2022. While he was an editorial committee member, he wrote the serial article "Walking with Onihei" for over a year, which overlapped the world of the historical novel "Onihei Hankacho" (written by Shotaro Ikenami, Bunshun Bunko) with the historical figure of Heizo Hasegawa and the samurai society of Edo. Based on that, he published "Tokyo in the 21st Century as Seen through Onihei Hankacho - A Reporter Goes with an Old Map in Hand" (CCC Media House). He is currently a lecturer at the Yomiuri/Nippon Television Cultural Center, where he teaches a course on learning about Edo from Onihei Hankacho.
