Hundred Bales of Rice
Background Information This drama was written by Yuzo Yamamoto, that was based to modern Japanese history. It was first performed in 1943, but it was stopped writing, publishing, and performing during war years. So this drama wasn't popular before. It became popular very much suddenly, because on May 7th, the Prime Minister Koizumi Junichiro mentioned it in his general policy speech. In 1868, Tokugaw shogunate government had finished, and the Meiji emperor started the imperial rule on Japan. The incident has been called the Meiji Restoration. Just after that, the Boshin Civil War that the imperial military attacked to the former Tokugawa forces had started. Hokuetsu War that was one of the battle of the Boshin Civil War had been done at Nagaoka, present Niigata prefecture. Nagaoka intended to keep of the armed neutrality, but the Meiji government didn't allow it. Finally Nagaoka was destroyed completely. This drama starts after two years from the war. Cast Story It has passed two years after the Meiji restoration. But Nagaoka hasn't been restructured yet. The feudal stipend of Nagaoka was decreased to one third. Former retainers think that they wouldn't be able to live on it. Miyama that is the relative of the lord of Nagaoka donated 100 bales of rice to Nagaoka. Ito Kiheita is one of the former retainers of Nagaoka. When he comes home, his son is reading aloud a book. Kiheita says that his son would rather become a monk than studying something. Iga Zennai comes there bringing a jug of sake. He is drunk already. Kiheita and Zennai drink it together, and they talk about Hokuetsu war that they fought. Although Nagaoka lost the war, they think that they had fought enough. And they also think that they aren't rewarded enough yet. Then Zennai stops drinking, and starts crying. Zennnai's daughter had gone to the house of the silk merchant to take a bath last night. After she took a bath, she wore a wrong pair of geta that is Japanese traditional wooden shoe. When she was going to leave there, a clerk stopped her. The mistress' tortoise comb had disappeared. The clerk suspected the daughter, because she had made a mistake of geta, already. She was searched. When found innocent, she was released. After she came home, she said crying to Zennai about it. He had gone to protest to the merchant in indignation. The merchant had apologized and brought the sake as a gift afterwards. His pride was injured very much, because Zennai accepted the sake. He should have refused it as bushi, but he even drank it. Bushi is a male who belongs to the warrior's class, and is the same meaning as samurai. Recently, bushi has been living on his pride only. After the Meiji restoration, the warrior's class had been abolished, though. Kiheita says that Zennai wasn't wrong so much. He thinks that every wrong thing has been caused by the government of Nagaoka. They start drinking and crying together again. Mori Senhachiro comes there, and says that a meeting is going to be held concerning the 100 bales of rice that was sent from Miyama. He says that that rice wouldn't be distributed to them. The clan official, Kobayashi Torasaburo decided to sell that rice in order to build a school. They all think that it is stupid matter. Kill him !!! Scene ; Lodging of Kobayashi Torasaburo It is very late night already. After Kobayashi Torasaburo finished working on some notes, he went to bed. Then the intruders come there in order to protest to Torasaburo. Intruders are Kiheita, Zennai, Senhachiro and other former retainers. They intend to make Torasaburo stop building a school, or kill. Torasaburo gets up to listen to their talking. They all says that they are living on very fewer stipend than before, and they can't eat even enough. They demand to distribute to them the rice that was sent from Miyama instead of building a school. After Trasaburo listens to it, he goes to bed again. They get angry with him very much, but Torasaburo says that he doesn't need to hear their talking. Zennai sticks his sword into the tatami in indignation. Then Torasaburo gets up again, and he starts talking about his plan. Although there are 1700 family in Nagaoka, that rice is only 100 bales. It isn't enough to distribute to every family. Everyone would eat up it with only a few days. Torasaburo has been thinking that there is no person who has ability in Nagaoka. Former retainers think that every wrong thing is caused by the government. It means that Nagaoka has needed able persons. So Torasaburo decided to built a school in order to make a good future of Nagaoka. Kiheita can't accept Torasaburo's idea, because he knows that every former retainer is in trouble now. He says again that former retainers can't eat now. Also others agree with him. Then Torasaburo says to look at the scroll hanging on the wall. '常在戦場' that means 'keep your mind like being at battlefield anytime' is written on the scroll. It is spirit of bushi. When bushi is on the battlefield, he doesn't mind eating because he should fight anytime. But Kiheita and others say about just eating now. Torasaburo asks them where their pride as bushi has gone. They all quiet down and feel ashamed. Torasaburo says that he is aware of the retainer's hardship and that it pains him. However, there is no other way to make new Nagaoka and future Japan. Torasaburo asks them to be patient with recent hardship. Suddenly Kiheita draws his sword to kill himself, but he is stopped by others. All of them have known the true meaning of Torasaburo now. Bushi must keep pride highly. Then Zennai grabs up his sword from the tatami, and he slashes to an insect cage. They all watch the fireflies flying away from the broken cage. The servant opens the shutter of the window, and morning daylight comes into the room. They hope that it would promise their bright future. It wasn't so easy.
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