Asian Drama

Manabu runs a ranch on a mountain in Shimane prefecture where he grew up. In his town, there is a dance called 'KAGURA', which is said to be the origin of kabuki. Local teenagers make their debut at the annual festival. The dance is the pride of the local community. His son, Tatsuya, is supposed to make his debut at the festival this year, but he is skipping Kagura practice. Manabu worries that his son will leave the region like many young people do. Meantime, the town decides to close the elementary school that he graduated from because of the decreasing number of children. Population decline due to the outflow of young people to cities is one of the major problems in the region. As a result, not only Kagura, but also the transmission of many traditions and crafts unique to the region, is in a critical state. A story of people who, in the midst of a region where the population drain cannot be stopped, earnestly try to live while preserving the tradition, pure as a clear stream.

In the chaos of the last days of the Tokugawa shogunate, two young men bound by the bonds of firm friendship stand by their convictions as they try to create lives for themselves, walk the path they believed and die in the course of destiny. Ibuya Majiro (Ichihara Hayato) is a boorish, low-ranking samurai who serves the Hitachifuchu domain. Although Ibuya is skilled, he is terrible at making his way in life because he is honest to a fault. The single-minded Ibuya lives for justice and is loyal to the shogunate which is on the verge of collapse. In contrast to Ibuya, Tezuka Ryoan (Narimiya Hiroki), a fine doctor of Western medicine, is usually an irresponsible womaniser, but a compassionate person who would go all out for his patients...