Ryusei Yokohama plays Matsudaira UNBOUND (Berabou)" (NHK General, Sunday 8pm and other times), starring Yokohama Ryusei. At the request of Tanuma Okitsugu(Ken Watanabe), he was adopted into the Shirakawa Matsudaira family, and after a "difficult childhood" that kept him away from the center of the shogunate government, he makes his appearance, and in the 30th episode, "Imitation Utamaro," broadcast on August 10th, he will soon face off against his "archenemy,"Okitsugu. "I would be happy if viewers could sense the hidden feeling of 'I've finally made it this far,'" Inoue said enthusiastically about his role.
◇ Struggling with the annoying Matsudaira Sadanobu's fast talking
Matsudaira Sadanobu was entrusted with rebuilding the shogunate, which was facing financial difficulties and a breakdown in public morals, and was appointed chief senior councilor under the 11th shogun, Tokugawa Ienari (played by Shiro Kairi). In contrast to Tanuma Okitsugu's flamboyant, commerce-focused policies, he carried out the "Kansei Reforms," which included thorough frugality, rural revival, the strict enforcement of public morals, and the encouragement of Neo-Confucianism. He was also strict on townspeople culture, and strengthened the control over the publication of sharebon and yellow-covered books. This had a major impact on Tsutaju's (played by Yokohama) publishing activities. His childhood was played by Kokoro Terada.
Inoue's impression of Matsudaira Sadanobu is that "in one word, he's a troublesome person (lol)."
"I completely understand what he wanted to do, but personally, I often wonder why he used those phrases and ways of speaking. However, looking back at history, I think that this may have been one of the reasons why Matsudaira Sadanobu fell from power. I can understand what Matsudaira Sadanobu was thinking and what he wanted to do, and I think that the part about the world he wanted to create is logical, but there was something a little unique about the way he went about it and the way he spoke. So, although he was initially supported when he began the Kansei Reforms, I think that this may be why they didn't last."
Inoue points out that one of the characteristics of Matsudaira Sadanobu depicted in "UNBOUND" is his "fast speaking".
"He speaks very fast. There is no historical evidence that Matsudaira Sadanobu was actually a fast talker, but one of the characteristics of the character Matsudaira Sadanobu that the ' UNBOUND' team created is that he speaks quickly. It feels right to me, and when I look at his lines, I can see that he certainly speaks quickly. So, when I started acting, I often found it difficult to speak a string of words that I'm not used to saying, and I'm struggling."
This was due to the difficulties that Inoue faced when he saw Matsudaira Sadanobu as a "troublesome man."
"I think the message can be conveyed without using those words (laughs). But Matsudaira Sadanobu loves letters and has always been in contact with them - he reads, sees and writes all kinds of things - so he has an otaku-like disposition. So he doesn't use those words on purpose. Of course, I understand that those words come out because they are ingrained in him, so it doesn't feel strange at all as lines from Matsudaira Sadanobu. But it's difficult for me to say them, so I'm struggling with that."
◇ I've watched it so many times that Kenmaru's line, "Just you wait, Tanuma..." is burned into my memory.
Regarding the Kansei Reforms, which are essential when talking about Matsudaira Sadanobu, Inoue says, "I've learned a lot of new things."
"Before I got involved in ' UNBOUND ,' I had a very vague image of the conflict between Matsudaira Kokoro Terada and Tanuma Okitsugu , two men who were trying different policies. I'm sure that's part of it, but as I watched the drama, I really felt that it started around the time of Tayasu Masamaru. It wasn't just two men with different ways of thinking clashing, but rather that various events had occurred in the background, and the resentment and anger that had built up led to this incident."
Inoue has watched the show many times and burned it into his memory is the confrontation between Kenmaru and Okitsugu in the fourth episode, "The Sweet Trap of Hinagata Wakana" (broadcast on January 26th).
Kenmaru is surprised to learn for the first time of the existence of a document in which Yoshimune states that the family line will be extinguished if there is no successor. The document itself was fabricated by Ienari, who wanted to eliminate the Tayasu family, with the help of Hiraga Gennai (Ken Yasuda Ken), but Kenmaru, who reveres Yoshimune, cannot ignore it, and things go as Okitsugu wants.
As Ikenaga leaves, Okitsugu, biting his lip, explodes in anger, saying, "Why must I be mocked to this extent by a former foot soldier?" He then vows to get revenge, saying, "Just you wait, Tanuma..." Inoue also reveals, "I watched it over and over again."
"I thought Matsudaira Sadanobu would never forget those feelings, and I thought it would be easier to play Matsudaira Sadanobu if I had those feelings at the core, so I decided to watch it many times and burn it into my memory."
