Freespirit1221

"Make use of life"

In July of 1575, Kanbe met Nobunaga. During the meeting, he stated that Nobunaga should conquer Chungoku if he wanted unification. He told him the situation in Harima, that most clans supported the Mouri and promised to persuade all the clans to side with the Oda. Hashiba Hideyoshi was secretly watching the meeting and purposely showed up late to be appointed the general by Lord Nobunaga. He explained that if he had been there, Nobunaga's vassals would have objected to what Kanbe said because they disliked Hashiba Hideyoshi for being a former farmer. Hideyoshi then invited Kanbe to visit his castle, Nagahama Castle, located in Omi province. Gifu town, which was Nobunaga's town, was the busiest town in the country, where Nobunaga eliminated checkpoints and widened the roads, so more and more people came and brought prosperity to the town. Hideyoshi copied his Lord when he built his own castle town.Nobunaga considered people as his tools, including Hideyoshi and Kanba. He stated that uncompetitive men were useless. I mean, he had a point. Ambitious vassals would fight each other and help him achieve his goals. Nobunaga was truly a smart boss.Anyway, Nobunaga gave his legendary sword “Heshikiri” (cutter) to Kanbe, to which Hideyoshi stated that he really liked Kanbe. Nobunaga used to slide a priest who was insolent to him in half along with the dresser that the priest fled under. In the meantime, the Lord of Gochaku, whom the Kudora clan served, changed his mind and decided to support the Mouri after being influenced by Teru’s brother, while he agreed with Kanbe in the official council to support the Oda. If that really happened, it would be considered deceit and betrayal to the Oda clan and it might be the end for the Kudora. That’s why Teru tried to ask the Lord’s wife to convince him to keep supporting the Oda.A new character appeared that seems to play an important role later on, Ishida Mitsunari. I haven’t read about this person in history so I don’t know if he would turn out to be a bad person later on. Although I can’t stand the actor now, I will not let my personal feelings judge his character in this drama.From what I read in history, Hideyoshi was a well-known womanizer and had numerous concubines and mistresses besides his official wife Nene, who was also one of his trusted political advisors. In this episode, Nene showed both jealousy and wisdom, after finding out her husband spent the night outside before coming back home and tried to lie to her. The couple put Kanbe in a tight spot because he couldn’t lie to Nene or break his promise with Hideyoshi. Kanbe’s three vassals also showed their loyalty to their Lord in this episode. When Hideyoshi tried to hire them with a large amount of money, Kuriyama Zensuke, Mori Tahe, and Inoue Kuroemon declined the offer and stated that they would never leave the Kuroda clan until the moment they died. Kanbe looked so anxious just a minute ago and then he looked so proud. So did I. Hanbe appeared again at the end of the episode, and it seemed that he would test Kanbe out in the next episode.4 main lessons from this episodes:1) "Warfare is based on deception.", Kanbe borrowed Sun Tzu's words to state that "A large army doesn't mean anything. Victory or defeat isn't decided merely by the size of an army.", when Nobunaga's vassals looked down on the Kuroda army because they only had five hundred soldiers.2) "Make use of life." Kanbe advised Hideyoshi to make a thief live and work for him instead of beheading him. Kanbe said that's what he learnt from his late grandfather. Kanbe was taught not to waste his life dying in vain, and he decided that his priority would be trying to gain victory with minimal casualties. Hideyoshi agreed and stated that the best strategy for him was to win without actual combat.3) “Taking the enemy lightly in battle means death.” Teru taught Matabe and her son Shojumaru, because Matabe looked down on Shojumaru for being smaller and weaker than him, and took Teru lightly because she was a woman. Teru won against Matabe and her winning was also approved by her father-in-law. He looked so proud of her. ^^4) “Gain by losing. Think long-term.” Nene advised her husband Hideyoshi when he was about to impose business taxes because the construction work on his castle and town was costly. She was against it and told Hideyoshi to gasp the people’s hearts first so that more people would gather and the province would prosper later on.

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"A leader with just cause will become ruler"

In September of 1573, Azai and Asakura were destroyed by the Nobunaga army after battling for over 4 years. During this time, Nobunaga promoted his vassal Kinoshita Tokichiro to a Lord and granted North Omi, the former fief of Azai to him. With Nobunaga's permission, Tokichiro also changed his name to Hashiba Hideyoshi. He came up with this name by combining kanji characters from two of Nobunaga's key vassals Niwa Nagahide and Shibata Katsuie. He has risen from a 'sandal bearer' to a Castle Lord. Meanwhile, Kanbei brought a young boy home named Matabe, whose father served the Lord of Gochaku (Kodera Masamoto), who was the Lord that the Kuroda clan was serving. The boy lost his parents and had nowhere to go, so Kanbei asked for the Lord's permission to bring him home. He asked Teru to help him take care of Matabe. From what I felt in this episode, I think the young boy would become close friends or brothers with Kanbei's son, Shojumaru.Teru's older sister and brother visited her, and tried to use her to convince Kanbei to side with the Mouri clan in the battle with the Oda clan, using Teru as a pawn to manipulate him into their plans. Teru and Kanbei also got pressure from the others, as Teru only gave birth to Shojumaru during 8 years.- "The Oda or the Mouri? You'll be forced to choose someday". - said Kanbei's father.- "I now know the burden you carried. My decision will decide everyone's future."- "That's what it means to be a Lord." Nobunaga’s wife confronted him for blazing Mount Hiei. While he tried to destroy corrupt priests at Mount Hiei, he also killed thousands of children and women living there. He did it because he was worried that someday those children and women might strike back at him. Noh-hime was scared because his actions were too brutal and someday Nobunaga might have to pay for what he had done. However, as expected, Nobunaga didn’t believe in retributive justice or karma. I already knew what would happen to him later on, so I’m also scared.Kanbei’s vassals were discussing which clan should they side with between the Oda and the Mouri. It was a survival question. The Mouri was a safer choice as they were upright and loyal, while the Oda’s strength was too strong to be defeated. The clan might go down with the Mouri if they had to fight the Oda. The only problem with the Oda was their leader, Oda Nobunaga. He was too scary and couldn’t be figured out, which showed through all of his overbearing and intense actions. The Mouri clan’s leader didn’t pay much attention to the Kuroda clan because they were small, but there’s a great quote to learn from one of their vassals: “A little leak will sink a ship”.Overall, there are two big lessons from this episode: 1) From Kanbei’s father: “Don’t be afraid of failing.” - Kanbei: “If my prediction is wrong, we will lose everything, everything that Grandfather and you have built.”- Kanbei’s father: “Don’t be afraid of failing. You are to think and decide. It’s all for the sake of survival.”2) From Kanbei himself, following Mencius (Mengzi)’s Confucian philosophical concept of the mandate of heaven or the consent of the governed: “A leader with just cause will become ruler.”In this philosophical concept of Mengzi, a true ruler is achieved through benevolence and righteousness, by having a just cause rooted in the moral support and well-being of the people. It means that the people are the most important factor in a state, and true authority to rule is also conferred by Heaven. When applied to the situation between the Oda and the Mouri, the Oda’s momentum could not be stopped. They had great strength and administration. Oda Nobunaga strengthened the people to strengthen his provinces. People in his provinces were prospering incredibly. He also promoted people regardless of their family, social rank or status, so he had topnotch vassals by his side. Therefore, Oda Nobunaga had the valour and wisdom to become the ruler. That’s why Kanbei tried to convince his Lord to not miss the chance to side with him, because a wrong move could result in demise in that situation. At the end of this episode, finally, Kuroda Kanbei and Oda Nobunaga met. It would be a great milestone.

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Unity is strength

"No concubine. You're the only woman for me." - Kanbei told his wife Teru. Not taking any concubines was considered a rare thing that a Lord like Kanbei would do in this period. I respect him for that. The main lesson from Kuroda Kanbei in this episode: 'Unity is strength'. This is what he told his vassals: "The Kuroda clan is known for our strength. The strength is based on our clan's unity. There's only so much a single man can do. But when we are joined by a strong bond, our strength is multiplied by tenfold, even hundred fold. Kuriyama Zensuke, Mori Tahe... I order you both to be sworn brothers. Zensuke is the older brother, and Tahe is the younger brother. With Zensuke's wisdom and Tahe's strength being strongly united, how promising is that?""You only die once. Everyone dies some day. I want to make full use of my life." - Oda Nobunaga.Oda Nobunaga was claimed to be a cold-hearted person, who was merciless against anyone he deemed a foe, who believed in nothing but himself. He was claimed to be the scariest person, but that's also something that made people want to follow him.Nobunaga ended the Muromachi Shogunate by expelling the final shogun Ashikaga Yoshiaki from Kyoto and requested to the Emperor to change the name of the period into 'Tensho'.

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Mori Buhe scrificed himself

"It's not stingy, but thrifty.""After taking it to a close game, I have to lose. That's the hard part.""He's improving his skills of losing now."Mori Buhe sacrificed himself to save his Lord (Kanbe) in this episode. This is so painful. On the other hand, Takenaka Hanbei decided to work under Toyotomi Hideyoshi.New characters appeared. I just checked and found out this one was released in the same year as "Nobunaga Concerto". So far, I'm seeing familiar faces who were in both dramas, playing different supporting characters. Hamada Gaku played Kuriyama Zensuke, and Takahashi Issey played Inoue Kuroemon in this drama, who both would later be part of the "24 Kuroda Horsemen", while in "Nobunaga Concerto", their characters could be considered as enemies lol. It must be interesting for the cast. Anyway, I hope that the Kuroda clan will soon cut ties with that lame Lord of the Kodera clan. I already knew what would happen to them according to the history facts, but I'm still sad and furious.

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Cool your head

"Crushing what is old, useless and rotten to create a new country. That's my justice" - Oda Nobunaga said to his wife, Noh-hime."Anger can revert to happiness. Resentment can revert to joy. But a vanquished state cannot be revived, the dead cannot be brought back to life..." - Sun Tzu's The Art of War."Don't let personal anger and resentment start a battle. A dead person cannot come back to life", Kuroda Mototaka, Kanbe's father borrowed Sun Tzu's words to tell his son."Cool your head", said Kanbe's grandfather.By the way, Uchida Yuki played Nobunaga's wife. I'm so happy!

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Oshin made up her mind to leave her husband

Oshin is a strong woman. Under any circumstances, nobody would really be able to control her when she finally made up her mind to do something. People around her called her stubborn and I think her mother-in-law hated her partly because of that, because Oshin could do something not many women would dare to do, including herself. In the era where brides were told to obey their in-laws no matter what, Oshin was the one who stood up for herself and refused to do the thing she didn't like to do. Even her husband knew that he would never be able to control her completely. In this case, she finally made up her mind to leave and I know that no one would be able to stop her now.It's painful to watch Oshin lose her daughter. It's even more painful to know that her baby would never be able to be alive even if she made it, because she was too weak. Oshin worked everyday without any rest or a proper meal. She blamed herself, obviously. I think every mother would blame herself for losing her own baby and I think she would never be able to forget about the child until the day she died. That's how my late grandma felt too. When she was about to pass away, she asked my mom if she could help her find the place where she buried her daughter who died very young as a baby or toddler. She had other children who passed away young too and she always blamed herself for everything that happened.

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Women gave women hope

Men made women suffer, women gave women hope. That's how I have been feeling when watching Oshin. I just checked the crew and found that the screenwriter of this asadora is a woman. I feel like she was mocking every Japanese man in this era lol. There are very few decent men in this asadora so far.I'm so happy to see the people in Kaga-ya again in this episode. I love how they gathered with Oshin's mother like a family and talked about Oshin so proudly. If only Oshin stayed in Kaga-ya. She would have two loving mothers (including her biological mother and Kayo's mother), a loving grandmother and an open-minded sister.It's funny that what Kayo's grandmother and mother told her is very similar to what a lot of people keep telling me everyday: "She should think more of her future... Oshin's found herself a nice husband and has a son already... But poor Kayo..." I think Kayo would love to be in the 21st century. She wouldn't have to give up her dream of being an artist to marry someone whom she doesn't love for the sake of her family. However, instead, she would have to worry about how to survive in this capitalist world.Meanwhile, Oshin was suffering in her in-law's house as an outsider and being hated by everyone while her loser husband was not on her side. It's painful for me to watch because my mother is badly treated by her in-laws too and my father is never on her side for once. I'm glad that When Life Gives You Tangerines is based on a real couple and not fantasy. I also know that good husbands do exist.A letter from her caring teacher in Tokyo gave her a little hope and a smile. But I doubt that she might not be able to run away from her husband's house any time soon.

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It isn't all black and white

Lol I was just watching Oshin getting scolded by her mother-in-law (episode 122), then I switched to Mampuku to see Mampei-san getting scolded by his mother-in-law. Both mother-in-laws made me furious, but I also found it so funny at the same time. It was like a role reversal. 😂Anyway, it's hurtful to see people suffering because of the war, even though it was their government's fault. I started to like Sera more in this episode. I thought he was a bad person when he first appeared. Like Fukuko, I'm also confused about what kind of person he is and how he would become in the future, but like Sera said it himself, I also think it's not the important thing at the moment. Life is unfair and people are complex. It isn't all black and white.

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I'm so scared for Oshin's future at her in-law's house

A lot of childhood memories were unlocked while I was watching this episode. My family used to live for a while in my grandparents' house because my father wanted to, which is similar to Oshin's situation. If my mother hadn't kept insisting on moving out, I guess we would have to live there for a longer time. Oshin's mother-in-law was very much like my grandmother on my father's side. She always goes easy on her daughters and spoils her sons while treating her in-laws pretty badly. Until now, I still can't get along well with my grandmother, uncles and aunts from my father's side because I can't forget the way they treated my mother. Sometimes I wonder if I am bad for doing that. I don't feel comfortable around them every time I visit them. No wonder my mother always says her life is very much like Oshin's. It made me so sad right now.

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I relate to Kanade’s feelings

“Be your usual cheery, energetic self… Pretend this didn’t happen.”“No. We’ll do it!”She’s in pain and just poured her heart out in front of everyone, and that’s the only thing you could say to her? Ugh! That Matsumoto guy is insufferable. He’s so hypocritical. I hate him from the beginning. He keeps talking about all the great things but always let other people do the job for him. Why don’t you go and do it yourself? You’re the one who started the idea and now it’s Kanade who’s taking all the blame and pressure for the whole team. I still love this episode because I love what Kanade said. Somehow I relate to her story.

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