Fictionalised account of the story of the he Chōshū Five (長州五傑 Chōshū Goketsu) who travelled to and studied in Britain in 1863 while Japan was still under sakoku (鎖国 "locked country").
Acting
Ryuhei Matsuda's thousand-yard stare meets top hats.
Production
Victorian London built on probably-not-that-budget.
Director
Shō Igarashi
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The real Chōshū Five founded Japan's modern railway system, military academy, and its first constitution. No pressure.
Sakoku meant these men were literally among the first Japanese civilians most Britons had ever seen—imagine being a walking national debut.
JP
