Photo/Illutration A portrait of Nariaki Tokugawa (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

Actor Naoto Takenaka's commanding presence grabbed my attention in "Seiten wo Tsuke" (Reach beyond the blue sky), Japan Broadcasting Corp.'s (NHK) year-long historical TV drama series that started this past Sunday.

Takenaka presented an impassioned portrayal of Nariaki Tokugawa (1800-1860), a feudal daimyo who ruled the Mito Domain (present-day Ibaraki Prefecture).

I was always of the impression that Nariaki was one of the most uncompromising champions of nationalism and the Meiji Restoration.

But I learned recently that there was also a side of him that was surprisingly progressive or liberal, if you will.

When a cholera pandemic raged toward the end of the Edo Period (1603-1867), Nariaki published a manual that he hoped would "help the entire nation," and distributed it to his people.

"All over Japan, the disease strikes indiscriminately, young or old, male or female. In the provinces where there are no fine doctors and no good medicines, patients are not even treated," he lamented, and undertook writing the manual himself.

He recommended frequent gargling, keeping the home clean, avoiding excessive drinking and eating, and remaining physically active.

He also gave this bizarre advice: "Place powdered medicine in a silk sachet. Carry this on your person--on the left side of your body if you are a man, and on the right side if you are a woman."

Aside from this dubious comment, his writing was clear and helpful.

"This is hardly known, but because Nariaki was critical of the medical community that shunned scholarship, he devoted himself to personally seeking medical knowledge," noted Noriko Koakutsu, the chief researcher at Kodokan, a school for children of Mito's samurai during the Edo Period.

Nariaki was tuned into international affairs, and even more keenly so into the trends of infectious diseases, according to Koakutsu.

During a smallpox epidemic, Nariaki busied himself promoting vaccination, providing it free of charge to everyone irrespective of their place in the social hierarchy of the time. He even gave pocket money to children who got vaccinated.

I am impressed by his passion to save his people with the vaccine at all costs.

COVID-19 vaccination starts today. Everyone is seesawing between anticipation and anxiety, wondering when their turn will come and if they will develop side effects.

And this is precisely when the government should disclose information, so it can "help the entire nation."

--The Asahi Shimbun, Feb. 17

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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