Tears in the Eyes of an Ogre

Mitani's take on "Hojo Masako's speech" was magnificent.

When she began reading, "The kindness of Lord Yoritomo is higher than the heavens and deeper than the sea...", I thought for a moment that it would follow the conventional historical account, but then Masako discarded the prepared text and spoke from her own heart.

Honestly, this line made me lean forward and think, "Wow!"

According to the Azuma Kagami, it was read aloud by Adachi Kagemori.
Speaking of Adachi Kagemori, he was the one who had a dispute with the second shogun, Yoriie, over his wife, but he didn't get a single moment in the spotlight; Hojo Masako took it all for herself (laughs).

Since conventional wisdom holds that this speech by Masako changed history, a reading by Adachi Morinaga would have lacked a certain level of persuasiveness.

As expected of Mitani-san, it wouldn't be interesting otherwise.
If she didn't express her true feelings in her own words, the subsequent events wouldn't hold up.

Even so, were those tears of Yoshitoki's genuine??
Considering all the evil deeds he has committed up to now, I suspect I am not the only one who couldn't take them at face value.

What is the Retired Emperor Gotoba's goal?

"I don't want to have trouble with the Retired Emperor."

This line from Naganuma Munemasa (played by Shin Shimizu) truly speaks for the feelings of the gokenin (vassals) at the time.

"Hunt down Hojo Yoshitoki"

Having received this imperial decree from the Retired Emperor, there had never been a case in the past where one could defy the Retired Emperor (the Emperor) and win, so for the people of that time, there was only the option of absolute obedience.
It was no wonder they wished for the status quo to remain unchanged without incident.

Yoshimura's younger brother, Miura Taneyoshi, had advised the Retired Emperor Gotoba based on this.

"Among the gokenin, there are many who have given up on Yoshitoki and are looking to cling to the mercy of the Retired Emperor."

Taking this at face value, the Retired Emperor suddenly becomes emboldened.

The Almighty Emperor

Considering the subsequent developments, Retired Emperor Go-Toba might appear quite foolish.
However, that is not the case at all; he was, in fact, one of the most capable emperorsin history, having mastered waka poetry and kemari, and being well-versed in both civil and military arts as well as strategy.

Sword Complex

The Three Sacred Treasures are the following heirlooms inherited by successive emperors.
・Yata no Kagami (The Eight-Span Mirror)
・Yasakani no Magatama (The Eight-Shaku Curved Jewel)
・Kusanagi no Tsurugi (The Grass-Cutting Sword)

However, they sank into the sea along with the Taira clan during the earlier Battle of Dan-no-ura, and the Kusanagi no Tsurugi, in particular, could never be recovered.

Retired Emperor Go-Toba was an emperor who ascended the throne without the sword among the Three Sacred Treasures.
This complex is difficult for us modern people, especially as commoners, to understand, but it must have been a grave matter for the Imperial Family.

Perhaps this was a lingering thorn in the Retired Emperor's heart.

Wanting to Regain Imperial Court Power

Originally, all the benefits of the manors should have belonged to the Imperial Court. Since the Kamakura Shogunate managed the eastern manors, the Court only received a portion from the west and could not obtain the income it desired, and the Retired Emperor held great dissatisfaction with this arrangement.

Feeling that a major source of income had been taken by Kamakura, and wishing to regain the power of the Imperial Court (the Imperial Family)as it had been before, he secured a group of warriors from the west.

Eliminating the Hojo Clan

That said, the Shogunate itself was necessary to the Retired Emperor as his own mercenaries, and he had to leave it as an entity to control those 'soldiers,' so he could not overthrow the Shogunate entirely.

He only wanted the actual power to do as he pleased with the Kamakura Shogunate.

The obstacle to this was the Regent, the Hojo clan.
He began to plot the removal of the Hojo clan, especially Yoshitoki, in order to install a 'representative' who would do his bidding.

Retired Emperor Go-Toba's Major Miscalculation

As a result, in the third year of Jokyu (1221), it developed into the Jokyu War, and the Retired Emperor's side suffered a crushing defeat.

He, who is said to be one of the greatest emperors in history, was driven into the most unfortunate circumstances of any emperor in history.

So, what was the cause of this crushing defeat?

I believe the Retired Emperor's intentions were likely as follows:
・Yoshitoki would surely be isolated due to advice from people like Miura Taneyoshi.
・Internal strife would break out within the shogunate between the pro-Yoshitoki and anti-Yoshitoki factions.
・The Miura clan would side with him.

Although the Retired Emperor Go-Toba was well-versed in strategy, perhaps his sheltered upbringing was his undoing, as his foresight seemed naive; he may not have even anticipated that it would turn into a war.

Though his authority had waned, he remained the highest authority in Japan, and he never imagined that anyone would point swords or arrows at him.

As a result, the authority of the Imperial Court itself suffered a major decline.
The shogunate's power extended across the country, even reaching the point of interfering with imperial successions.

And so, the Jōkyū War became the catalyst for the birth of a samurai government that would last for over 600 years, from this point until the collapse of the Tokugawa Shogunate and the Meiji Restoration.

In the first place, given that the Hojo had been committing selfish atrocities all this time, it wouldn't have been strange for divine punishment to befall them right then, but that was still a long way off, 112 years later. (The fall of the Kamakura Shogunate in 1333)

The reason Yoshitoki became submissive

Meanwhile, Hojo Yoshitoki, the head of the Hojo clan and the highest authority in the shogunate.
Upon receiving the order for his own subjugation from the Retired Emperor, he submissively decides to commit suicide.

The final smile was that of the carefree Yoshitoki from back then.

Because he could feel Yasutoki's growth

I felt a moment of pity for Yoshitoki's submissive attitude, but when I recall the series of self-serving conflicts in the past, I have to wonder if it was genuine.

That is why his son, Yasutoki (Kentaro Sakaguchi), took the lead in overthrowing the Retired Emperor.

Oh, that's right.
Come to think of it, Yoshitoki had clearly stated that no matter what anyone said, Yasutoki would be his successor.
He had properly recognized his potential and decided that Yasutoki was the one to whom he should entrust everything.

It was precisely because he felt the tangible signs of his eldest son's "growth" that he was able to prepare himself to offer his own head for the sake of Kamakura's future peace.

Still, for Yoshitoki to shed tears!
This was an unexpected directorial choice. I never imagined a demon would cry.
Mr. Mitani likely does not want to end Yoshitoki's story while he is still a villain.

Was he forced to grow into a "villain"?

As Yoshitoki himself said, he was originally just the second son of a minor local lord in Izu.
Looking back, he was a carefree and honest young man who didn't have a shred of "greed" in him.

However, his fate took a sharp turn when his sister Masako married Yoritomo, the legitimate heir of the Minamoto clan.

At first, Yoshitoki was pushed around by Yoritomo and his father Tokimasa, but eventually, he realized his mission and transformed into a "villain".

Shun Oguri's acting ability in these scenes was magnificent.

Looking back, the foundation of it all was the same as his sister Masako's "Hojo First" policy.
I think this is the one thing the siblings always shared.

In the drama, Yoshitoki is portrayed as the one doing the dirty work while Masako is depicted in a better light, but I believe Masako is also a "villain".

Who is the true villain!

I can't help but feel that it's unreasonable to wrap everything up in just one more episode.
It happens every year, but the Taiga drama always rushes through the final act.
Since most stories reach their climax at the end, I wish they would depict it with a bit more care.

Wasn't there too much focus on Yoritomo in the first half this time as well?
Wouldn't it have been better to let the Hojo clan seize real power sooner?

With that said, since this year's final episode will surely be rushed as well, I would like to propose my own points of interest here.

Who is the biggest heel??

❶Yoshitoki Hojo (Shun Oguri)
Even if people say he had no selfish motives or that he was just earnest, when I recall the cruelty of the past, I can't help but suspect that there's something behind his meek attitude at this late stage.

❷Masako Hojo (Eiko Koike)
She is the Nun Shogun, the supreme authority at this point in time.
Thinking ahead, she doesn't want to remain at the mercy of the Imperial Court, so she wants to skillfully put her brother Yoshitoki in her debt and seize real power for the future.

❸Yoshimura Miura (Koji Yamamoto)
He had his younger brother Taneyoshi Miura (Tatsuya Kishida) serve as a guard to curry favor with Retired Emperor Gotoba, and at this moment, he is playing both the "Retired Emperor" and the "Shogunate" against each other.
In historical fact, he betrays his brother and sides with Yoshitoki's Shogunate, but his duplicity has always been second to none.

With the above in mind, what kind of script did Koki Mitani craft?
What kind of end will Yoshitoki meet?
I intend to enjoy the final episode to my heart's content.

[References]
・Sponichi
・Benesse
・President Online
・Wikipedia