680,000 people went wild!　Jun Matsumoto’s “Arashi” attracted more than 6 billion yen in economic impact.

Tokugawa’s vassals, on your way! “Oops!”

On May 5, Jun Matsumoto (39) participated in the “Lord Ieyasu Riding Warrior Procession” during the “Hamamatsu Festival,” astride a horse in the golden armor he wore in the NHK historical drama “Dousuru Ieyasu,” accompanied by Li Mitsudo Itagaki (21) who played Naomasa Iyi, Dai Okabe (33) of “Hanako” who played Chikayoshi Hiraiwa, Masahiro Komoto (57) who played Koji Natsume, and others. The parade was held in the center of Hamamatsu City and stretched about 800 meters. Fans gathered along the route to catch a glimpse of Matsujun, as it was the middle of a consecutive holiday weekend.

The area along the route was set aside for 22,000 spectators, but those who did not win the lottery rushed to hotels, restaurants, and other places where they could see the procession, even if only a little. On the day of the event, as many as 680,000 spectators gathered to see the cavalry procession. Takuya Kimura’s participation in the Nobunaga Festival in Gifu last November was also quite crowded, but this time the number of spectators greatly exceeded the 460,000 who came that time. Although the ratio of people drawn by lottery for the viewing area has not been announced, I suspect it will be far higher than the 64 times the ratio for the Gifu Nobunaga Festival,” said a reporter from a sports newspaper.

Matsujun waved and smiled to the cheers pouring in from the roadside. Seeing the “real Matsujun” up close, people said, “Matsujun! MATSUJUN!” and “MY DEAR MATSUJUN! The audience was getting more and more excited. When Itagaki said at the press conference after the parade, “I got enough ‘caws’ for the rest of my life,” he must have meant it.

The Saigagafura Battlefield, located about 3 km from Hamamatsu Station, also attracted nearly three times as many tourists as usual, and has become a “sacred place” for fans since Matsujun and Kasumi Arimura participated in the groundbreaking ceremony for the Mikatagahara Battle Monument on April 29. Speaking of “sacred places,” Matsurugi’s “What to do, Matsumoto Jun? Tokugawa Ieyasu’s Great Adventure,” in which Matsujun toured places related to Ieyasu, was broadcast last year. The historic sites, ramen shops, and eel shops he visited on location have also become “sacred places,” and the economic impact is estimated to be in excess of 6 billion yen.

The fact that Matsujun had personally supervised the preparation and delivery of boxed lunches featuring Hamamatsu specialties to 250 elementary and high school students participating in the parade was also a topic of conversation. Some of the high school girls who were handed the lunch boxes were so moved by the gift that they began to cry.

Despite Tono’s fan service, viewer ratings for “Dare Ieyasu” have been low, and are expected to fall below the 8.2% average for “Idaten,” the lowest of the Taiga dramas to date. Although “Arashi” is currently on hiatus, it is hoped that Matsujun’s divine power, which has shown a higher viewer turnout than that of Kimura, will bring about a V-shaped recovery.