The battle between Koshodo and the Jihon Wholesalers Alliance has finally come to an end.
A new Koshodo begins in a town stained in ash!

Source: Kokusho Database

Koshodo finally makes it to Nihonbashi. In episode 25 of the historical drama “Berabou,” Koshodo achieves its dream of expanding into Nihonbashi, and Tsutaju marries “Tei.” This marks the end of the battle with the Jihon Wholesalers Alliance, and Tsutaju is officially welcomed into the Jihon Wholesalers community. The drama begins with Kashiwaraya, the wholesaler that purchased Maruya, approaching Tsutaju to consider buying their store. Naturally, Tsutaju immediately agrees, but there’s one major obstacle: the rule from the previous episode that Yoshiwara residents cannot purchase property within Mitsuke. To resolve this issue, Tsutaju visits Tanuma Ochi with Subaraya Ichibei. They bring with them a map of Ezo, which contains evidence of the Matsumae family’s smuggling. Tsutaju requests permission to open a store in Nihonbashi, on the condition that they hand over the map. Ichi readily agreed, and Tsutaju finally gained control of Maruya in Toriyucho, Nihonbashi. However, the conflict with the rival Nihonbashi local wholesaler alliance remained unchanged, and the owner of Maruya, Tei, remained closed off. Tsutaju therefore pondered ways to reconcile with Nihonbashi. Meanwhile, a massive eruption of Mount Asama occurred, causing a huge amount of ash to fall on the city of Edo. The sudden ash caused great confusion for the people of Edo, but with this troublesome ash in hand, Tsutaju smiled and said, “This is ash that’s a blessing…”

As the ash fell, Tsutaju headed to Maruya, showed Tei the bill of sale for the store, and asked him to help protect it. However, Tei refused, closing the store doors and hiding inside. So Tsutaju climbed onto the roof of the store and covered it with the old clothes of courtesans, preventing ash from accumulating in the gaps between the tiles and protecting the store. He also worked hard to remove the ash from Toriyucho, Nihonbashi, working hard alongside the owner of Tsuruya, the leader of a rival local wholesaler. They competed for prize money and treated the ash like a game, winning the hearts of the townspeople. Seeing Tsutaju’s behavior, Tei’s heart gradually melted. The two were happily married. Tsuruya also attended the wedding and presented them with a noren curtain as a celebratory gift. “This time, Toriyucho was able to have fun removing the ash. It’s all thanks to Tsutaya’s Yoshiwara spirit, which aims to turn everything into fun. As Edo’s most knowledgeable and festival-loving man, he will surely liven up this town even more. With this, the consensus of the town was settled, and Nihonbashi Toriyucho is willing to welcome Tsutaya.” This marked a happy new start for the new Koshodo, but in actual history, the volcanic ash from the massive eruption of Mount Asama caused cold weather damage, devastating crops and casting a shadow over the management of the Tanuma administration. And Tsutaju, too… Going forward, the company will have to face challenges incomparable to anything it has faced before.