| Samurai Movies (37) |
June 23, 2022
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| [Rochu 4] He read all 37 episodes of the three books and was surprised that he never remembered any of the stories, even though the drama was televised about a half century ago. In the drama, Hiraga Gennai was in his early or middle 20s. His father expected him to succeed him in his job as a low ranked samurai of a certain-sized local han. But, Gennai didn't have any desire to do that. It was steady and reliable, but very boring to him. In Gennai's room, there were piles of books, various gimmicks and gadgets that even his family members didn't know what they were for. In one scene, a young woman came and asked him for some herbal medicine for her father's stomachache. Gennai made some earnings from this. One day, he was called to come to the castle of his han. He met the lord, and was asked if he could make sugar. At that time, Gennai lived from l728 to 1780, sugar was very precious. He was given a small piece of star-shaped candy. It was the first time for him to taste sugar. He replied that maybe he could make sugar, and if he succeeded, he wanted to go Nagasaki to study, using the han's money. The lord accepted his offer. Gennai found seeds of sugar cane and started to cultivate it. A samurai who looked to be around the same age as  Gennai came over and introduce himself as his guard. Producing sugar could earn a lot of money, so other hans might send spies. Even Gennai might reveal how to grow sugar for money, in that case he would have to kill him, the guard said. Finally Gennai succeeded to grow sugar cane. He also succeeded to get his sister to marry the guy who had learned how to produce sugar with him, so that he could succeed his father's position. Gennai left for Nagasaki. His guarding samurai followed him. He said that he had negotiated with the han saying that Gennai might reveal his sugar production knowledge, so he should watch over him while he was studying in Nagasaki. But, in reality he wanted to see the beautiful women of Nagasaki. In Nagasaki, Gennai planned to attend a certain school which taught the Dutch language and its knowledge. But, while taking the school's entrance exam, he felt that the school's level wasn't as good as he had expected. In addition he had recently met Sugita Genpaku who had just quit the school. Genpaku said that the school was authoritarian in style, and the quality wasn't that good. So, Gennai decided not to enter. Gennai was a very practical person. He hated authoritarianism the most. He had read that Gennai held nationwide exhibitions several times nationwide, in which various types of ingredients (herbs, plants, minerals, and even animal's stomach) for medication were gathered and discussed. Many people from around the country gathered together and exchanged information. Gennai thought globally. For instance, in an episode, his han asked him for the impossible ~to increase 1,000 ryo to 2,000 ryo in 5 days. He consulted a merchant and the merchant advised him to meet a Dutch businessman. The Dutchman said that he could exchange Gennai's 1,000 ryo (gold) koban to 2,000 ryo of silver. Gennai asked why. He said that the international rate of gold to silver was 1:15, although in this country it was 1:5. Gennai withdrew his offer saying it was not good for his country. (To be continued ...) |
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No.483
*reliable :信頼できる
*gimmick :仕掛け、装置
*sugar cane :サトウキビ
*cultivate :栽培する
*authoritarian :権威主義の
*consult :相談する