ベイカー寮221B／Baker House 221B

In 1846, Kokichi is 18 years old and calls himself Kichinosuke. He becomes Kōrikata kakiyaku tasuke, an assistant of the secretary who is in charge of agricultural administration. Though the rice crop failures, farmers suffer from the heavy tax burden and debts. And a village headman (shōya) offers a bribe to Inoue, Kichonosuke's superior to escase from the situation. Then a girl suddenly runs out. She is called Fuki and a daughter of a farmer called Heiroku who is worried by duns. She should sell herself into prostitution unless her father clears his debts. Kichinosuke gives his stipend and the money Inoue received to the duns as a makeshift.  


As having no money, he attempts to catch an eel for his brothers and sisters. The members of the Saigo Family are forced to do piecework at home by having a new son Shingo (later Saigo tsugumichi). Kichibe-é who learns Kichinosuke gave his money to farmers scolds him. Then Ōkubo shōsuke appears there. He becomes Kirokusho kakiyaku tasuke, an assistant of the secretary in charge of managing documents administratipn. And Nariakira, heir of Narioki plans to gather 2,000 samurais of the domain to drill the firing of cannon. But it is refused ZUSHO Hirosato, superior vassal of Narioki. Hirosato reconstructed the finance of the domain and cleared off the enourmous debt of Shigehide, great grandfather of Nariakira  who planned to reform Satsuma. But Hirosato is said to have received large sum of money instead.


Fuki lives in a little shanty with her father, her mother Tami who is ill and her brother Ippei. She says it will be all right if she serves somebody. Kichinosuke offers them some onigiri, rice balls he has as his lunch. One night a party to congratulate Shōsuke is held at the house of Kichinosuke but Shōsuke refuses drinking sake because of his stomachache. While Kichinosuke and his friends chat away, AKAYAMA Yukié brings them a red sea bream (*). And Ito brings a bottle of sake. Kichinosuke and Shosuke are surprised with Ito who becomes a young woman and she works at Yukié’s house to study under him (**). Ito grills the fish and Kichinosuke says that he hopes that Nariakira will be the lord not only for themselves but also for farmers.


MURATA Shinpachi tells him that Narioki intends Hisamitsu to succeeded him, not Nariakira. Narioki believes Hirosato unquestioningly. And both Hirosato and O-Yura think ill of Nariakira. On the other hand, ARIMA Shinshichi and ARIMURA Shunsai joke with each other and accidentally drop a dish on which the red sea bream is placed on the ground. Then Ito tells them that it would be presumptuous of you who waste good food to argue how the domain should be.

(*) The fish is served at celebrations in Japan.
(**) Though it may be fictional, it is thought to be so unusual in Satsuma at that time.

The images are from the official website of "Sego-don".

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