NHK's program "Heroes' Choices," which spotlights heroes who made decisions that dramatically changed history, will air "Yokoi Shōnan, Pioneer of the Bakumatsu and Meiji Restoration: Towards a Politics of Public Deliberation" on NHK BS at 9 PM on June 1st. This special feature focuses on Yokoi Shōnan, a thinker admired and sought guidance from many prominent figures of the Bakumatsu period, such as Sakamoto Ryōma, Katsu Kaishū, and Yoshida Shōin.
Yokoi Shōnan, who looked far into the future and continued to offer suggestions for the nation's future, had a remarkable secret plan devised during the turbulent Bakumatsu period under Matsudaira Shungaku, the lord of the Fukui domain. His plan was to gather the envoys of foreign countries demanding diplomatic relations in Kyoto, and have them, along with the shogun, regent, and powerful daimyo, discuss and decide on the nation's major policy: opening the country or remaining isolated.
This episode will delve into the activities of a giant of intellect from the late Edo period, whose story has been largely forgotten.
