There are only three episodes left of the NHK Taiga drama " UNBOUND (Berabou) " (General TV, Sundays at 8 PM and others), starring Ryusei Yokohama . The 45th episode, "His Name is Sharaku," aired on November 23rd, and depicted the "birth of Sharaku" as a gathering of playwrights, artists, and kyoka poets. This is a scene that is typical of " UNBOUND," and Kitao Shigemasa has always been a part of these gatherings, which have occurred in the past. He was played by Jun Hashimoto. Although his appearances were limited, Shigemasa and Hashimoto can be said to be two of the people who have continued to support the "UNBOUND" story.
Hashimoto's first appearance on "UNBOUND" was quite early on, in the third episode, "A Thousand Visitors: A Thousand Books at a Glance" (broadcast January 19th). The character he plays, Kitao Shigemasa, was born the son of a bookseller and grew up surrounded by books, where he developed his talent as an artist. He had many disciples, and it is said that he even trained Kitagawa Utamaro as his pupil.
While Shigemasa was popular as an artist of "beautiful women paintings" and "actor paintings," he also continued to work on illustrations for printed books until his later years and is said to have been involved in many of Tsutaju's publications. In the film, he has a refreshing and stylish demeanor when interacting with Tsutaju (Yokohama), and the gentle gaze he casts on Utamaro (Sometani Shota) when he was just starting out is also memorable, and from the viewer's perspective, he always seems to have been a "conscientious presence."
Hashimoto has embodied Shigemasa's personality in many ways. Going back 20 years, he played Magired/Ozu Kai in the Super Sentai series "Mahou Sentai Magiranger." This was the first starring role for the then 18-year-old Hashimoto, and in 2007, the year after "Magiranger" ended its TV broadcast, he also appeared in the NHK Asadora drama "Chiritotechin," and has since gone on to appear in many other works.
One of Hashimoto's defining features in his acting career is his extensive stage experience. When we spoke in conjunction with this fall's production of "This is the Sea," written and directed by Kato Takuya, Hashimoto said, "The beauty of theater is the power of communication, and the amount of things you can take away." He also said, "It has a great impact because people go away with an experience that feels like it's their own. But on the flip side of that influence, when you're on the acting side, you have to have the determination and pride. Without that, I don't think you're qualified to be on stage, so I want to make sure I remember that." This sincere attitude remains the same even in his film works. Perhaps that's why Shigemasa in "UNBOUND" is such a generous and tolerant character.
In the most recent episode, episode 45, "His Name is Sharaku," Shigemasa raised his voice, a rare sight, at Tsutaju's unreasonable demands, but rather than a quarrel it was more of a "loving scolding" out of concern for his disciples, and there was the kindness that Hashimoto-san has cultivated as Shigemasa. It is unclear how many scenes he will have in the remaining three episodes of the drama, but his role as the "UNBOUND" Shigemasa is sure to have left a lasting impression on fans.
