Times change and a new history begins

“A storm is coming.”

The final scene was a line spoken by Mahiro (Yuriko Yoshitaka) to Michinaga (Tasuku Emoto).

It is a conclusion so simple that one might momentarily think, “Wait, is that it?” but it is actually very profound.

Meeting the warrior Sojumaru (Kentaro Ito) also carries great significance in symbolizing the arrival of the “age of the samurai,” and it was something that made me realize how the times are changing.

And we must not forget that, considering the first episode began with Abe no Seimei predicting “rain” from his night sky observations, this ending scene, which foresees the approach of a “storm,” links perfectly with it.

“What on earth have I been doing all this time?”

I imagine most people could relate to this line spoken by Michinaga on his deathbed in some way.
I have been thinking the same thing lately.
It is something I think about as I get older, but rather than “regret,” there are times when I suddenly lose sight of the “meaning” of the life I have lived.

Even though I have not shouldered the heavy responsibilities of the state like Michinaga, when I look back on my life, I feel as if I have accomplished nothing.

Is it not common for everyone to feel a sense of emptiness in a life that feels long yet short?

However, we who know the history that follows cannot help but find it ironic, as everything Michinaga spent his life protecting will eventually be swallowed up and disappear into the tides of time.

Lady Rinshi was smarter than I thought

After Lady Rinshi's (Kaho Kuroki) bombshell last week, I expected that Mahiro, being intelligent, would eventually come clean.

But it was not everything!

The clash of maternal love between the two

Mahiro absolutely did not touch upon the subject of who the father of Kataiko was.
This shows her stance as a parent to protect her daughter at all costs.

In contrast, Lady Rinshi initially spoke with the “composure” of a legal wife, saying, “I want you to become my husband's mistress,” but after hearing the details and realizing that Mahiro was actually the one Michinaga truly loved, she felt strongly that Shoshi, who adored Mahiro, must never know, and she snapped, “Please take this to your grave.”

Ultimately, both Mahiro and Rinshi were protecting their “children” more than Michinaga.
Mahiro protected Kataiko, and Rinshi protected Shoshi.

This scene can be called a famous scene where both showed deep maternal love.

And in this regard, it can be said that it was a victory for Mahiro, who kept it completely hidden until the very end.
I just couldn't tell anyone this truth, you know? 💦

And yet, Lady Rinshi is so magnanimous.

I wouldn't say Lady Rinshi was entirely free of jealousy, but when she bowed her head to Mahiro, asking her to meet with Michinaga as he approached his final moments, I thought she was truly broad-minded to calmly judge what needed to be done as his principal wife.

Seeing Michinaga's hand, already cold in death, reaching out from the futon toward the veranda, she must have even sensed who that hand was reaching for.
Surely, while Lady Rinshi thought it was a good parting gift for him, complex emotions must have crossed her mind, and she likely never spoke of that moment to anyone.

I felt a very deep meaning in the close-up of Michinaga's hand at the end.

Reflecting on the memorable characters

Looking back, I think again that every character who appeared in this series was perfectly cast.
There were many great performances by many great actors, but let me list the cast members that come to mind right now.

The overly beautiful Emperor Ichijo

Akihisa Shiono was an actor I first learned about in this year's Taiga drama.
With such a fragile and noble beauty, I wonder if there could be anyone more perfect for the role.
In any case, he looked so good in his court attire that his appearance was divine, and his acting well expressed the dilemma of his position, where he was at the mercy of Michinaga and other court nobles, yet could not help but rely on them.

His portrayal was so spot-on that I wanted to see his other work, so I even recorded and watched every episode ofTV Asahi's 'Munou no Taka'every week.
Unfortunately, he didn't have that noble beauty there, and if anything, he played a pathetic character, but I could see how he distinguished between the two roles.

He is a member of Gekidan EXILE and debuted in the entertainment industry under Oscar Promotion, which produced stars like Ryoko Yonekura, Aya Ueto, Emi Takei, and Ayame Gouriki, back in 2012, inthe 2012 Fuji TV drama 'GTO' starring EXILE's AKIRA—I'm pretty sure I watched that, but I have absolutely no memory of him! 💦
A quick search didn't turn anything up, so it must have been a very minor role.

There is no doubt that in this year's Taiga drama, it was a career-defining role where he showed a commanding presence.

Fujiwara no Yukinari, devoted to Michinaga

The 'Four Major Counselors' who supported Emperor Ichijo alongside Michinaga—Fujiwara no Kinto (Keita Machida), Fujiwara no Sanesuke (Satoshi Kanada), Fujiwara no Yukinari (Daichi Watanabe), and Minamoto no Toshikata (Daisuke Honda)—were also characters not to be forgotten.
Of course, it was because they had their own self-serving desires, but they were like companions who had cooperated since their youth to lead the imperial court, and despite their different personalities, I think they harmonized well.

In the end, it's as if they all loved Fujiwara no Michinaga (Tasuku Emoto), or perhaps they all bet on the man that was Michinaga.

Among them, Yukinari, who worked with special dedication, usually had little influence in his speech, but at critical moments, he would use all his knowledge to make powerful proposals that were so airtight that even the Emperor could not argue back.

I didn't know this either, but he was the vocalist of a former rock band (Kuroneko Chelsea)!
I couldn't have imagined it from that passive Yukinari.

Despite being an inconspicuous presence, his many statements, which could be called the work of an unsung hero of history, were small yet significant in the drama, and he was an indispensable presence.

Still, to pass away on the same day!
Was this because Yukinari's longing for him was so strong?
Did Michinaga take him along?
To depart for the afterlife together like that must be quite the deep-seated bond.

The darkness of the clan: Kaneie and Michikane

The ones who took on all the darkness of the Fujiwara regency were, above all, Michinaga's father, the Don, Kaneie (Yasunori Danda), and his older brother, Michikane (Reo Tamaoki).
Their character portrayals had a 'wickedness' that was truly chilling.

However, in the end, his older brother Michikane worked for the sake of the world like a "Buddha," such as by caring for plague patients, and it was a relief for us viewers to see that.

However, it is ironic that Michinaga would end up inheriting the methods of his father, Kaneie, whom he had despised so much, more than anyone else.
By watching both of their methods, I felt as though I had seen the answer to how the methods of the Fujiwara regency were established.

Robert Sanesuke, full of a sense of justice

When I learned that the actor playing Fujiwara no Sanesuke was Robert Akiyama (Ryuji Akiyama), I simply thought he was there just to inject some comedy as a breather in the drama.
Sanesuke was a court noble who lived to be 90, a living witness to these events, and the person who left behind the "Shoyuki," which serves as a valuable historical record.

I even wondered how they would manage to finish the character by having Robert Akiyama play such an important figure.
However, the fact that he expressed the original character's sense of justice while incorporating humor must be due to his acting ability, or perhaps the power of the script.

His consistent, unwavering stance of speaking out for what he believed was right, even if he was all alone, was a scene that sometimes brought relief to my heart.
Oh my, Akiyama-san, please forgive me, but I never thought you were such a capable man.

However, although the conversations between the two when they met were recorded in Sanesuke's "Shoyuki" and Murasaki Shikibu's "The Diary of Lady Murasaki," that part was not realized as an idea.
Since they seemed to view each other favorably, it should have been a heartwarming scene, so it is very regrettable.

The infinite tolerance of Fujiwara no Nobutaka

The depth of heart of Nobutaka (Kuranosuke Sasaki), who became Mahiro's husband, was moving.
"The self you think you are is not the only you."
"I will accept all of you just as you are."
It felt like Mahiro finally fell for him after being bombarded with such thrilling pick-up lines.

Moreover, his tolerance in even cheerfully acknowledging the child she conceived through her illicit affair with Michinaga was, if anything, an impossibly handsome display of character.

With this, she would fall for him even while strongly desiring Michinaga.
Even though she loved Michinaga above all else, her feelings for Nobutaka, who had watched over her since she was a child, grew all at once as a family member.
At one point, she was even being encouraged to have an arranged marriage with the aforementioned Sanesuke, but the way her perspective shifted from a relative's uncle to a spouse all at once was something I could empathize with as a woman.

Yes. Nobutaka was a straightforward man who could express what a woman wants most.
If I wish for her to have had a little more longevity to find ordinary happiness as a woman, then perhaps she would not have realized her service as a lady-in-waiting, and "The Tale of Genji" might never have been born.

There is nothing more unpredictable than a person's life.

The effect of fictional characters like Naohide and Zhou Ming

By the way, what on earth did Zhou Ming want to say to Mahiro?
It ended without that being revealed, and I feel a bit unsettled.
I suppose it is meant to be left to the viewer's imagination, but I wanted a depiction that made it clear.
Or did I miss it?

Since Mahiro sets out on a journey again at the end, did he want to take her to Tang and spend their later years together?

And, we must not forget Naohide of the Sarugaku troupe.
Because he existed, and because they witnessed his death and buried him together, they became "soulmates," and that is why Mahiro and Michinaga were united.
Even though Naohide's existence was fictional, he was a significant presence and became a key person in the subsequent development of the story.

To put it strongly, he was such an indispensable presence for the two of them that without him, even the final episode would have faded.

It was a huge shock when he died, but seeing how his importance was highlighted because of it, I have to say, that is Oishi-san for you.

In the end, what is the relationship between Michinaga and Murasaki Shikibu?

Now, were Murasaki Shikibu and Michinaga lovers in historical fact?
It is difficult to confirm from the remaining historical records, and there are pros and cons among historians, so it is quite frustrating that none of them lack a decisive blow.

I think that part may have been intentionally left unspecified in this year's Taiga drama by creating a tense dialogue scene between 'Mahiro vs. Rinshi'.

As far as we know, Michinaga had four concubines, and their common points include:
・Close blood relatives
・Widows
・Middle-aged women
・Court ladies who served his daughters or their princes
Murasaki Shikibu also fits these criteria, so the possibility is extremely high.

However, judging Murasaki Shikibu's personality from all available literature, we can see that she was quite passive, which significantly lowers the probability.

Although exchanges of suggestive poems remain, they can also be interpreted as being full of adult wit, so it cannot be confirmed whether they had a romantic relationship.

History has many parts that modern people have no way of knowing, and those must be created through fiction.
Moreover, most of Murasaki Shikibu's life is veiled in mystery, and there are too many unknown parts.
The screenwriter for this Taiga drama, Ms. Oishi, took advantage of that to create a masterpiece that greatly expanded her imagination.

And I think it was very effective that she boldly connected the episodes of the world-famous long novel 'The Tale of Genji,' which has been read for over a thousand years, to those blank parts of her life.
She must have assumed that such a masterpiece could not have been written without her own life experience.

~Truth is stranger than fiction~

It vividly tells us that developments beyond imagination lie in the facts themselves.
If everyone who watches it overlaps the characters with those of The Tale of Genji, wouldn't that be a huge success for the intention?

At the very least, I would like to believe that the two were in a romantic relationship.