Introducing Hiroshige's works that reveal the shifts in power

NHK's educational program "Ukiyo-e EDO-LIFE" features ukiyo-e prints linked to the story every week, to help viewers enjoy the station's historical drama "UNBOUND (Berabou)" (General TV, Sundays at 8pm and other times) even more deeply. On August 15th, "The World of UNBOUND: Edo Flood! Tanuma Okitsugu's Prosperous City and Aftermath" will be rebroadcast on BS Premium 4K from 6pm and on Educational TV from 11:50pm.

The work we're introducing today is a work by master landscape painter Hiroshige, painted 60 years after Tsutaju's death. It's a tranquil scene of sailing boats passing by on the Sumida River. In fact, during Tsutaju's time, reclaimed land had been created in the river, and one of Edo's most prosperous shopping districts had spread out over it. This was Nakasu Shinchi, a town developed under Tanuma Okitsugu's aggressive economic policies.

But why did the city disappear completely? Unraveling the mystery reveals the great disaster that struck Edo and the shift in power from Okitsugu to Matsudaira Sadanobu.

"The UNBOUND World of Edo Floods! The Aftermath of Tanuma Okitsugu's Prosperous City" was first broadcast on March 19th this year.