You have to laugh off life's hardships with parody

Oh eel, from what mountain did you come, to have your lovers' bond
torn apart, only to have your body scorched?

~Ah, how painful, eel. To be split down the back as if your bond with a lover were being torn apart, only to have your body scorched~

Now, in this episode, Ota Nanpo (Kenta Kiritani) appeared; although he was a low-ranking retainer, he was also a leading man of letters and kyoka poet of the Tenmei era.

It is clever to compare love to grilled eel, isn't it?
While it is love that scorches the heart, it is the eel that is actually being grilled and scorched.

There was also a slang term that "a yam turns into an eel," so the "oh eel" at the beginning is a pun that means both "ah, how painful" and "I don't know what kind of yam this eel came from."

In this way, enjoying painful things by expressing them in a funny and humorous way as a parody comparing them to something else was one of the hallmarks of Edo chic.

What are the differences and characteristics of these poems?

"Kyoka," as the name suggests, is a "crazy-form waka." Unlike traditional waka, it is a poem that emphasizes humor and wit, and it became explosively popular during the Edo period.

Japanese poetry is generally divided into four types, and I have summarized their characteristics and differences in the table below.

Waka and Kyoka, Haiku and Senryu
The contrast is interesting

The origins of waka are ancient, dating back to the Asuka and Nara periods, as evidenced by the existence of the "Man'yoshu."
It flourished greatly in the Heian period, and as seen in last year's "Dear Radiance," people did not convey their feelings directly, but rather through the exchange of waka letters.
For court nobles in particular, it was an essential part of their education for conveying their intentions.

Similarly, in "The 13 Lords of the Shogun," which depicts the early Kamakura period, it was an essential item for people of status and was used for political communication, and has been widely used and loved ever since.

On the other hand, kyoka also originated in the Heian period, and by the Kamakura period, it seems to have been distinguished from waka, forming an independent genre.
Of course, since kyoka satirized the world, it is said that even Sengoku warlords composed them, but they were treated as mere "mutterings," so neither the person who composed them nor the person who heard them seems to have gone out of their way to write them down.
Or perhaps the content was such that it would have been problematic if it leaked out.

Haiku originated in the Kamakura period, initially as an independent "hokku" (the opening 5-7-5 of a renga sequence). It continued to develop as "haikai renga" in the Muromachi period, and it was in the Edo period that artistry was added to it, established by Matsuo Basho.
It is said that it only became generally known as "haiku" after the Meiji era, so it is surprisingly new.

Senryu was born among the common people in the Edo period and is, so to speak, a parody of haiku.
The form is that of haiku, but the content, like kyoka, is poetry that humorously depicts human nature and social satire.

In summary,
Kyoka is a parody of waka.
Senryu is a parody of haiku.

Even though it is a parody, the foundation is education; you cannot create a chic parody unless you are well-versed in "waka" and "haiku."

This Ota Nanpo (Kenta Kiritani) may seem frivolous, but he was actually a highly educated person who was well-versed in Sinology and was even called a "child prodigy" when he was young.

It became popular thanks to published books

The "Kyoka (mad verse) gatherings," as seen in the drama, began about ten years before this, and while they initially consisted of a small number of low-ranking shogunate retainers and townspeople, by the Tenmei era, they were being held all over Edo and gradually began to show excitement.

Just at the right time, publications compiling kyoka by Tsutaju and others became hits, leading to an even greater boom.
It is the same in any age, but a knack for riding the trends of the times is essential for business, and the publishing industry of that time was no exception.

The smiling conversation between Tsutaju and Tsuruya is terrifying

An eye for an eye
Tsutaju's counterattack

Tsutaju also has quite a bit of cunning.
He openly plans a "Hinagata Wakaba" (Young Leaves Pattern Book) that blatantly mimics the art style of Torii Kiyonaga, borrowing the artistic talent of Utamaro (Shota Sometani) to compete with Nishimuraya's (Masahiko Nishimura) bestseller "Hinagata Wakana" (Young Greens Pattern Book).

To Nishimuraya, who came storming in with a furious look,
"It was you, Nishimuraya, who taught me that dirty tricks are also an option."
I felt a sense of relief at Tsutaju's words, which he retorted calmly.

In the first place, it was Nishimuraya who snatched the "Hinagata Wakaba" idea, so no matter the method, it was just a matter of taking it back; an eye for an eye, right?

ややこしいですが「若菜」が西村屋、
「若葉」が蔦屋です。

However, that was not all.
By diverting Nishimuraya's attention and spreading false information about courtesans in the meantime, the content of Nishimuraya's "Yoshiwara Saiken" (Yoshiwara Guide) became full of errors, forcing them to discontinue the guide.

Since he had been cautioned by Tsuruya (Shunsuke Kazama) to "take good care of the guide," his reputation was completely ruined.

Tsutaya vs. Tsuruya
Behind the bone-chilling smiles

That was not the only part of Tsutaju's counterattack.
The trigger was that the book "Miru ga Tokui Issui no Yume" by Hoseido Kisanji (Toshinori Omi) was highly praised in a critique book by Ota Nanpo (Kenta Kiritani).

Tsutaju's books became popular, and bookstores in the city wanted to do business with him; even Tsuruya, who had previously forbidden it, had to reluctantly accept business with Tsutaya, understanding the sentiment of wanting to stock popular books that would lead to large sales.

Tsutaju visited Tsuruya carrying the books published by his shop and expressed his gratitude, saying,
"Thank you for acknowledging me among your associates."

However, Tsuruya flatly declares,
"Whether we do business is another matter."
"I do not want a single book that you, Tsutaya, make."

Although he had to accept business with some bookstores in the city, he is saying not to lump him in with them.

Tsutaju is not defeated either.
With a similar fake smile,

"I will devote myself to making books that you, Tsuruya, would want to do business with!"

It is a brilliant exchange.
Moreover, both of them are conversing with flawless smiles.
It was a harsh exchange of words 💦

Tsutaju must have anticipated being told that and visited Tsuruya on purpose.
I could see his significant growth there, and more than that, what on earth is the reason Tsuruya hates Tsutaju so stubbornly?

From Kyoto
The pride of a long-established store that has continued for three generations

"Tsuruya" is the top of the top "Jihon Tonya" (local book wholesaler).
It is a long-established store that has continued for three generations, originally opening in Edo with its main store in Kyoto.
It is a famous store with a great track record in publishing and distribution, having handled numerous hit products.

At the time, regardless of whether it was a publisher, business was thought of as a "house," and the head of the family for generations would take the same name to protect and pass down the family business.

The "Tsuruya" played by Kazama is the third-generation Kiemon, and he has the pressure of having to keep the house going and the pride of being a long-established store; he cannot afford to lose to Tsutaya, who rose to success in a single generation, and he certainly cannot bring himself to acknowledge him.
Even if he is secretly impressed by Tsutaya's brilliant skills, he cannot show it in the slightest.

I sense that in his own way, he was just desperately trying to protect his final shred of pride in order to keep the "house" going.

Even so, I am impressed by Kazama's performance as a villain.
Because of his baby face, I had let my guard down until now, but it is clear that he is further broadening his range as an actor by being able to pull off such a cynical and nasty role.

The schemes of Harusada are interesting as a drama

Everything is being danced in the palm of Harusada's (Toma Ikuta) hand, and things are proceeding exactly as he wishes.
This is surely a complete work of fiction, but I am impressed by how they have fashioned this Hitotsubashi Harusada in this way to connect a series of historical facts.

Harusada's plan to eliminate the Tayasu family is proceeding steadily

Harusada succeeds in sending his own son, Toyochiyo, as the successor to the current Shogun, Ieharu (Hidekazu Mashima).
And he does so under the guise of having "no other choice."

He insists that he only reluctantly offered him because Tanuma (Ken Watanabe) told him to, and he never reveals that he has been committing all sorts of evil deeds behind the scenes to make it happen.

Furthermore, regarding Ieharu's intention to have Tanehime, whom he had already welcomed as an adopted daughter, become his legal wife, he ultimately rejects it, insisting on Momehime of the Shimazu clan, with whom an engagement had already been arranged.

It is said that Tanehime was the younger sister of Matsudaira Sadanobu (Kokoro Terada) and was brought in as an adopted daughter of the Shogun's family as the "sowing of seeds" for the Tayasu family's hope, intended to be the legal wife of the late heir, Iemoto.

That is why the "White Eyebrows" Matsudaira Takemoto (Koji Ishizaka) was also struggling in various ways to place the "Tayasu family" in important positions in the government.
The story unfolded in a way that made it clear to the viewers that it was this Harusada (Toma Ikuta) who had not only murdered even those white eyebrows but also thoroughly made it look like Tanuma's doing to eliminate people who were in his way.

I have to say that this part is truly skillful as an entertainment drama.
I am impressed by the skill of the screenwriter, Ms. Morishita, for creating fiction where there is no historical fact at all and fabricating unknown history.

Thanks to that, we who are watching cannot take our eyes off it while feeling anxious.