The program "Platinum Family: A Glimpse into the Lives of a Glamorous Family" (TV Asahi, Tuesdays at 7pm *excluding some regions) introduces the lifestyles of "glamorous families." On May 19th, the program will air a "Platinum Family & Tuesday's Yoshizumi Kotaro Combined Special," visiting Hirohisa, the 13th head of the Takekawa family, a wealthy merchant family from the Edo period, in Matsusaka City, Mie Prefecture.
The Takekawa family was a major merchant family that served the Tokugawa shogunate in the Edo period, handling exchange transactions and rivaling the powerful Mitsui family. The 7th head of the family, Takesai, was a figure who financially supported prominent figures of the late Edo period, such as Katsu Kaishu, and it is said that the famous sword that Katsu Kaishu carried with him when he crossed the Pacific Ocean on the Kanrin Maru was a gift from Takesai.
The family home houses museum-quality artifacts, and this time they will be appraising four treasures from their historic storehouse. The sword guard cover of Ootaka Gengo, one of the Ako retainers, and the letter written by Kimura Okaemon the night before the raid are from the Takekawa family collection, and the appraiser is very interested, saying, "It contains historical facts and is very interesting."
The letter from Oguri Tadamasa, who will also be the protagonist of next year's NHK historical drama, is a letter of inquiry sent by Oguri, who was the Commissioner of Finance during the late Edo period, to Takesai, and the appraiser has shown interest, saying it is "of great historical value."
The "Hyakumanto" (One Million Pagodas) of the Nara period are small pagodas placed beneath the floors of temples such as Horyu-ji. The appraiser says they are "in good condition" as he examines the key points. A bronze statue of Kannon Bodhisattva, whose artist was thought to be unknown, is found to bear the mark of a famous sculptor representing Japan, but then the appraisal results are unexpected.
