The 47th episode of the NHK Taiga drama " UNBOUND (Berabou) " (General TV, Sunday 8pm and others), starring actor Ryusei Yokohama , entitled "Manju Scary", was broadcast on December 7th. It became a hot topic among viewers when it was revealed that the "man with the exact same face as Hitotsubashi Harusame (Ikuta Toma)" who appeared before Tsutaju (Yokohama) at the end of the 46th episode, "Soga Festival Incident" (broadcast on November 30th), was actually Saito Jurobei (playing a dual role), a Noh actor employed by the Awa Hachisuka family.
Saito Jurobei is also mistaken for Hasegawa Heizo Nobuyoshi (played by Nakamura Hayato), and Shibano Kuriyama (played by Shimada Kyusaku), who knew Jurobei, stares at him when he first meets Jisei, as his face is so similar to Jisei's. Saito Jurobei is also said to be the true identity of the mysterious painter Toshusai Sharaku, according to art history.
In episode 47, Saito Jurobei, acting as a stand-in for Jisei, gets caught up in a revenge plot planned by Sadanobu (Inoue Yuki) and others along with Tsutaju, but there has been talk on social media that he may have appeared in the story before that.
In episode 42, "The Uninvited Guest" (aired on November 2nd), there was a "poster girl boom" in Edo, where regular customers lined up to buy rice crackers baked by Ohisa (played by Shiomi Matoi) at Takashimaya. There, "a man with a face that looked exactly like Harumasa" was spotted, and in episode 43, "A Love Song of Betrayal" (aired on November Getsuku), the same man was seen behind the crowds bustling with people celebrating Sadanobu's downfall, leading to comments such as "This person who was thought to be the extremely agile Hitotsubashi... is now it unclear whether it was actually Hitotsubashi or Saito Jurobei... what an incredible script," and "In fact, it may have been 'Find Saito Jurobei!' and not Hitotsubashi Harumasa..."
Fujinami Hideki, chief producer and production manager for "UNBOUND," said, "We would like to eventually find out who the 'person resembling Jisei' who has been around the city until now is," so attention will continue to be focused on the final episode, which will be aired on December 14th.
