The NHK Taiga drama " UNBOUND (Berabou) " (General TV, Sunday 8pm and others), starring actor Ryusei Yokohama , aired on December 14th. The final episode (episode 48), "Tsutajue Eika no Yumebanashi," depicted Tsutaju (Yokohama)'s "final day," but the sight of his wife Tei ( AI Hashimoto Ai), fully prepared at Tsutaju's side as he faced death, was also memorable.
◇ "The clappers... I can't hear them." Tsutaju's final moments
In the final episode, Tsutaju reopens his shop and continues to sell Sharaku's art. He then expands into the field of Japanese studies and continues to work energetically as a bookseller. However, one day, Tsutaju falls ill with beriberi.
While Teiya and Utamaro (Shota Sometani) and others are worried about him, Tsutae continues to create works and cultivate the world with calligraphy, together with his friends Masanori (Jun Hashimoto Furukawa), Shigemasa (Kenta Kiritani), Nanpo (Kenta Kiritani), and Kisanji (Toshinori Omi), despite his illness.Then, one night, Tsutae has a strange dream.
Kurosuke Inari (played by Ayase Haruka) appears in his dream disguised as a shrine maiden. He is told that the signal for his "time of death" and his arrival is a wooden clapper. Tsutaju consults with Tei about what to do with the store after he dies. Then, just as it seems that his arrival is about to begin, his friends rush in one after another, and at the signal of Nanpo's cry of "We're farts!" they all shout "Heh!" They begin fooling around, trying to bring Tsutaju back to this world. Then, waking up from the brink of death, Tsutaju mutters, "The wooden clappers... I can't hear them," to which everyone responds with an unconscious "Huh?" Then the sound of the wooden clappers rings out, "Clang clang!"... and so the story unfolds.
◇Even a "posthumous name" is prepared. Everything is prepared because we don't want to have any regrets.
Tei has been thinking about what will happen after Tsutaju passes away, and has not only prepared the store but has even prepared a posthumous Buddhist name. Hashimoto, who plays Tei, reveals, "She is more proud of her husband than anyone else, and more grateful than anyone else, so even though she is in the depths of grief that she can't bear to see him go, she is fully prepared. I felt that this is very much like Tei."
"(Tsutajyo) had a strong desire to continue making books in her own style until the very end, and then die. The way Tsutajyo uses her illness to her advantage is portrayed in a comical way, but we know that this isn't her true feelings. Tei was born into a bookseller's family, so she understands his pride better than anyone. She is a merchant at heart, and with that belief in continuing to create books and culture, she feels a sense of pride and resolve to see her husband off to the end, to be with him until the end, but at the same time, she also feels a desire for him not to give up on life, and for him to rest in peace. Despite all the intense emotions swirling around, the two of them face each other calmly, looking back on the time they've spent together, and it was a fulfilling time in many ways."
In this scene, Tei's honest personality shines through, with a clear and unwavering way of thinking. Tei then tearfully tells Tsutae, "You're the best in Hinomoto... You're an UNBOUND..."
"It must have been quite a difficult time to prepare for my husband as he faced death while continuing to hopelessly wish for him to live. But I think I was also fully prepared because I wanted to fulfill my responsibilities, dispel his anxieties, and above all, avoid any regrets. I wanted to be able to smile at the end and convey all of my feelings and thoughts to him."
