The Shogun has returned rule of Japan to the Emperor. The head of the Tokugawas is now a prince - the title would be abolished in 1946 - and their annual income cut from millions to just 700,000 ryo a year. This means they have to let most of their samurai go. They established an office to help them and their dependents start new lives in America, but the wars with the other daimyos is not ended, and so they started a military school in Numazu. One of the applicants is Yatarô Kurokawa, a member of the merchant class from a clan that is fighting against the Tokugawas. When he is accepted into the school, he has to face a lot of prejudice.Tadashi Imai's first feature is a standard-looking feature for anyone who has seen a movie like ANNAPOLIS SALUTE, but in its depiction of a microcosm of Japan moving from a feudalistic society with its emphasis on tradition, to a modern one in which knowledge is paramount, it's well done.