パペットホームズ、大河ドラマなどの好きなテレビ番組やラグビーについて書いています。アフィリエイトはやっていません。／Welcome to my blog. I write about some Japanese TV programmes including NHK puppetry and Taiga Drama, Sherlock Holmes and rugby. I don't do affiliate marketing.
Kamenojo celebrates his coming of age and names himself II Higonokami Naochika. His return and becoming the head of the clan are going to be permitted by IMAGAWA Yoshimoto for his father Naomitsu is still regarded as criminal. He hopes Jiro's securalisation but she tells Naochika that her becoming a priest exchange with the guaranteeing and negotiating of the Iis' fief. Naochika decides to make her return to the life as daughter of the Iis.
Naochika (Haruma Miura) wears eboshi, a kind of cap at his coming-of-age ceremony
Jiro helps villagers in Ii-no-ya with making bird-scarers and hears a man who became a monk returned to secular life and married a woman. After returning to Ryotanji, she bemoans od being a daughter of II Naomori. Then Nankei appears and shows two manju (baked cake)s on a dish, a tokuri (sake bottle）and two plates. The characters "Doi" (道威) is written on the bottle and the characters "Haku" (伯) and "Chu" (中) are written on the plates respectively.
He tells her that long ago, a king called Doi who ruled his kingdom Cho was forced to decide to choose between Haku and Chu as his minister. Then he gave two manjus to each of them. Both of them ate one, and Chu gave another one to a hungry child but Haku kept it and it became moldy at last. Nankei asks Jiro which Doi appointed as minister. Jiro answers that it's Haku but Nankei denies and tells her to consider why.
Manjus, tokuri and plates
In the residence of IMAGA Yoshimoto, Sena is teased by other women for she has no marriage partner. She leaves the room and sees Ujimasa whom she loved feeds hawks in the garden, while Takechiyo feeds a sparrow in the corridor for he is not given a hawk. Sena wonders about it and tells him that he should make efforts to be given a hawk and a sparrow never attaches to human and hunts nothing.
Sana (Nanao, right) sees Takechiyo (Sadao Abe) feeding a sparrow
Naochika puts himself into administration and inspects Ii-no-ya and becomes to beloved by people. Masatsugu says to his younger brother Genba that he experienced difficulties but the Onos must not trust him easily. Meanwhile, NIINO Samanosuke visits Sunpu to ask permission of the returun and the inheritance of Naochika for he is still regarded as son of criminal. But he learns Yoshimoto orders the dispatch of troops in exchange for permitting something. Because the Imagawa's army invades into Mikawa Province, current eastern part of Aichi and needs a large number of soldiers.
Naochika meets Jiro near the well of Ryugu Kozo and asks her to elope with him. His idea is making members of the II-clan and population of the fief believe that she is drowned and shelter her and himself in Kawana where Naohira rules for a few years. (*) Jiro is surprised with such a foolhardy plan but accepts it. But Naochika's idea makes Jiro shed tears at every opportunity and her mother Chika happens to see she is crying. She pities her daughter though she once told her to give up the idea of securalisation.
That night she asks her husband to make Jiro to return to the life as daughter of the Iis early. At the same time, Jiro fixes her eye on manjus while making a will for camouflage suicide and remembers the words of Nankei and her father that she should be the head of the Ii clan.(*) On the following morning, she goes to the well and tells Naochika that she cannot elope with him. She raises the allegory of manjus and she should be a moldy manju for the Iis, preparation for a worse case. Naomori finally understands her feelings. He holds her tight from behind and they separate.
Naochika hugs Jiro (Ko Shibasaki) from behind
When Jiro returns to Ryotanji, she finds Chika. She apologises Jiro for having given her trouble but she tells her mother that life as Rugu Kozo is satisfying. On the other hand, Shino, daughter of OKUYAMA Tomotoshi is going to marry Naochika. Masatsugu has mixed feelings about it for Tomotoshi intended to make her marry him at first. Naochika recommends that he should marry someone but says Jiro will not be his love any more. Masatsugu answers that he has never thought of such a thing. And in Sunpu, Sena finds that a sparrow perches on a finger of Takechiyo.
(*) This idea of Naochika reminds me of the plot of "Romeo and Juliet". (**) At that time, daughter of samurai could be a heiress to take over her family.
The images are from the official website of "Onna Joshu Naotora".
