Synopsis

During the Edo period, under the rule of Shogun Tokugawa Yoshimune, there was a small feudal domain with an income of just 15,000 koku that found itself burdened with impossible demands from the shogunate. This was the Yunagaya Domain.
In the spring of 1736, the Yunagaya Domain was suddenly ordered by the Tokugawa shogunate to undertake a “Sankin-kotai,” a ritual journey to Edo. The order was part of a scheme orchestrated by senior shogunate official Matsudaira Nobutoki who sought to seize control of Yunagaya’s lucrative gold mine for himself.
The deadline was just 4 days – an impossible demand considering a standard “sankin-kotai” journey typically required eight days to complete. On top of that, the trip demanded enormous expenses, far beyond the means of the financially struggling Yunagaya Domain.

Although enraged by the treatment of his domain at the hands of the senior councilor, who looked down on them as a minor clan, Lord Naito Masaatsu remained determined to meet the challenge. He ordered his resourceful chief retainer, Souma Kanetsugu to devise a plan that would enable the domain to successfully complete the journey to Edo within the impossible four-day deadline.