Matsumoto Jun’s “timid prince” in the historical drama “Tokugawa Ieyasu,” by Takita Sakae, is being reevaluated as the origin story of Matsumoto Jun’s “timid prince.

The NHK historical drama “Dousuru Ieyasu” starring Arashi’s Matsumoto Jun has finally started. Although the average household rating for the first episode was 15.4%, which was lower than the previous episode, the drama has been receiving a great response on Twitter, ranking first in the world in terms of trends.

Matsumoto’s character Ieyasu is “naive and unreliable. In the first broadcast, he was the only one who left the battlefield and shouted, ‘I hate it! Ieyasu,” he cries out as he leaves the battlefield alone in the first episode, which greatly overturns the image of Ieyasu as a “raccoon dog father.

Ryota Furusawa, who wrote the script, said, “When I thought about what kind of person would be able to end the turbulent Warring States period and create the Edo period, which lasted for 260 years, I came up with the image of a ‘timid prince. It will be interesting to see if Ieyasu, played by Matsumoto, can become the hero that the new era needs.

This is the 62nd drama in the history of the series, and the 27th in which Tokugawa Ieyasu has appeared. This is the 27th appearance of Tokugawa Ieyasu in the history of the 62nd Taiga Drama, beating Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi to the top spot. However, the only other historical drama featuring Ieyasu himself was “Tokugawa Ieyasu” broadcast in 1983.

Ieyasu is not very popular among the Japanese people, who are partial to the courtier. Tokugawa Ieyasu” was the first drama to overturn this image of Ieyasu. In fact, “Tokugawa Ieyasu” and “What to do about Ieyasu” are connected by a mysterious bond.

To our surprise, Matsumoto Jun, who stars in “Tokugawa Ieyasu,” was born on August 30, 40 years before “Tokugawa Ieyasu” was aired. Moreover, for ‘Tokugawa Ieyasu,’ he has selected the fresh, handsome, 185-centimeter-tall Sakae Takita, who was active in the Shiki Theater Company.” The two actors have something in common in that they are both trying to dispel the image of Ieyasu as a raccoon dog father.

Takita went through the training school of the Bungakuza Theater Company before joining the Shiki Theatre Company. In 1979, he played the role of the husband of the heroine Natsuko (Tomoko Hoshino) in the historical drama “Kusa Burning,” and the following year he played the role of the heroine Natsuko (Tomoko Hoshino) in the morning drama “Nacchan no Shashin Kan” (both on NHK).

However, even after reading the original story “Tokugawa Ieyasu” written by Shohachi Yamaoka, a well-known author at the time, Takita was unable to grasp the “Ieyasu image” that he was supposed to portray.

Rinzai-ji Temple, a Zen temple of the Rinzai sect of Zen Buddhism, is the family temple of the Imagawa family, a feudal warlord with close ties to Ieyasu. It is also the temple where Ieyasu spent his childhood as a hostage. When Mr. Takita visited Rinzai-ji Temple, the abbot showed him a painting of Buddha’s death, the Nirvana, and said, “Around the deceased Buddha, all living things, including animals, insects, snakes, tigers, and humans, bid farewell and say thank you. I was told that I should aim to be such a true leader, and those words gave me a hint for my role.

Perhaps Takechiyo (Ieyasu), 400 years ago, was also taught this lesson by his teacher, Sessai Taihara. This teaching will change not only Ieyasu’s role, but also Takita’s life,” said a producer from the production company.

Takita actually decided to devote his life to learning about the Buddha, and the day after “Les Miserables,” a musical that ran for 14 years, ended, he left for India, where he spent two years in zazen and meditation, reexamining himself.

What kind of person is Tokugawa Ieyasu? In “What to do about Ieyasu,” too, there may be hints of the future “Ieyasu the Great” in his childhood days as a hostage of the Imagawa clan.

In the first episode, Yoshimoto Imagawa (Mansai Nomura) asks Motoyasu (Ieyasu) about “royalty and supremacy.” Ieyasu, who was greatly influenced by Yoshimoto, is portrayed in this work as a man of compassion and kindness, which is rare in the Warring States period.

The image of Ieyasu as a man who conquers by force would not have created such a tight-knit group of Tokugawa vassals. The “timid prince” Ieyasu may be the key to unlocking a new image of Ieyasu.

Coincidentally, Matsumoto Jun will enter the 25th anniversary year of “Arashi” this September. What kind of change of heart will come to Matsumoto himself as he plays Tokugawa Ieyasu? We will definitely keep an eye on that as well.