On January 27th, a letter from Saigo Takamori, a hero of the Meiji Restoration who is also known as the protagonist of the 2018 NHK Taiga drama "Segodon," appeared as a treasure on the variety show "Kaiun! Nandemo Kanteidan" (TV Tokyo, Tuesdays 8:54 PM), hosted by entertainer Imada Koji, freelance announcer Fukuzawa Akira, and former member of Sakurazaka46, Sugai Yuuka.
The treasure was given to me by a friend about 40 years ago for 500,000 yen. At first, I had no idea what it said, but as I looked at it every night while having a drink, I was able to decipher that it was about Saigo and the monk Gessho, who drowned himself in Kinko Bay. I think it is one of Saigo's most valuable letters.
The person himself estimated the value at 2 million yen, and Imada said, "I'd like to support the body in case it turns out to be a fake," which caused laughter in the studio.
The appraisal result was an astonishing 3.5 million yen, and Takashi Masuda, a visiting professor at Aichi Toho University who carried out the appraisal, declared, "There is no doubt that this is an authentic letter." He added, "It is a letter that has not been published in any collected works or collections of letters, and is a newly discovered letter."
He continued, "The letter is written in a very calm handwriting, with neat, orderly lines and no clutter. I have the feeling that the author was writing it with deep memories of Gekkou. I hope that you will treasure it from now on."
