【Taiga Drama "Bera-bo"】 Episode 41 "Utamaro's Portrait of a Beauty: Head-and-Shoulders Picture" Retrospective: The Protagonist is Mother Tsuyo, Two "Okka-san" Moments Where Deep Emotions Intertwined; Utamaro's Beauty Head-and-Shoulders Picture: Tsutaju's Cost Sense and Utamaro's Superb Technique, the Essence of Craftsmanship
Episode 41 of the Taiga drama "Bera-bo" focused on Tsuyo, Tsutaju's mother, revealing her deep love, and detailed the creation of Utamaro's head-and-shoulders print using Tsutaju's business acumen.Summary
Episode 41 of the NHK Taiga drama "Bera-bo: The Dream of Tsutaya Juzaburo's Glory" centered on Tsutaya Juzaburo's mother, Tsuyo (Saki Takaoka), highlighting the deep maternal love that led her to abandon him. The episode revealed the truth behind her departure: she and Juzaburo's father fled gambling debts, falsely claiming they abandoned him because they were 'mad about pleasure' to protect their son from creditors. This revelation led Juzaburo to finally call her "Okka-san" (Mother) before a journey, a moment deeply moving for both. This theme of filial piety ("Kō") resonated with the Shogunate storyline. Furthermore, the episode detailed the creation of Utamaro's famous "Beauty Head-and-Shoulders Picture." Juzaburo insisted on adding the "kirara-zuri" (mica printing) technique to enhance impact, demonstrating his cost-conscious business sense, as mica was not as expensive as gold or silver. The success of this masterpiece relied on Utamaro's supreme skill, as noted by museum curator Kana Murase, who pointed out that the simple color palette of Utamaro's early head-and-shoulders works made the mica application feasible. Finally, Juzaburo's wife, Tei (Ai Hashimoto), proposed publishing a book of elegant calligraphy featuring famous passages from *The Tale of Genji* for educated women, showcasing her intelligence and advocacy.
(Source：美術展ナビ)