Original subtitles

This story began in 1782...

...at the time when the USA had just obtained independence,

and Europe was on the verge of the French Revolution.

At this time, Japan stayed aside from world events,

still reveling in its self-imposed 150-year isolation.

DREAMS OF RUSSIA

December 13, 1782.

A ship loaded with a cargo of rice left the Shiroko harbor and headed to Edo.

On the night of the same day,

the crew (16 sailors and captain Koudayu Daikokuya) ran into a storm.

Koichi, we're in trouble!

Throw the cargo overboard!

Cargo overboard!

Cargo overboard! Quick!

Port!

Yes, Captain!

The rudder is broken!

The rudder is broken!

Captain, we have to hinge the mast.

We have to hinge the mast!

Cut the mast!

Hey! Get out of there!

Take cover!

Cut the ropes! Cut the ropes!

Based on the Novel by Yasushi Inoue

Written by Tatsuo Nogami Fumio Konami Jun'ya Sato

Cast: Ken Ogata, Takuzo Kawatani Hiroyuki Okita, Oleg Yankovskiy Marina Vladi, Yuriy Solomin

Gods of the Ise Shrine, show us the way.

Gods of the Ise Shrine, show us the way.

The gods have heard us!

One thousand ri to the north.

Set sail!

Directed by Jun'ya Sato

March, 26th.

Ikuhachi has died.

The first death after 103 days.

July, 3rd. Over 200 days at sea.

So far, we have lost five fellows.

We keep floating endlessly, unable to do anything about it.

Land! I see land!

Captain! It's not a cloud, it's the land!

You're right. It's not a cloud. It's the land!

Set sail! Change the course!

We've hit the rocks! We have a leak!

Get a lifeboat down! Load the supplies!

Where are we, Captain?

Is it Japan?

It's impossible. We've been at sea for nine months.

It's August now, but it's freezing here.

We must be north of Edo.

Look!

We come from the country called Japan.

We've been shipwrecked.

They seem to be alright. Let's take them with us.

Come with us.

Over there.

I think they want us to follow them.

Koudayu Daikokuya.

Koudayu.

I see.

Your name's Koudayu.

Koudayu.

Nevidimov.

I am...

...Yakov Ivanovich Nevidimov.

Nebidimofu?

Boris, accommodate them.

Let's go. Come on.

What's this smell? It's awful.

This is the smell of furs.

Vasiliy, light a lamp for them.

You will stay here.

Well, make yourselves at home.

What's going to happen to us?

August, 16th.

After 248 days we have finally reached the land.

We lost six people. There are eleven of us left.

Where are we?

And what's going to happen to us?

Nobody knows.

Nothing is for sure.

Vanya, look, it's about 1.25 in width, right?

Good. You'll get a bottle of vodka for this.

And it's 2 in length.

You get three bottles of vodka.

What's this?

What's this?

Captain,

I think you ask "what's this?" when you don't know what something is called.

What's this?

He took my amulet and asked, "What's this?"

When he saw a medical kit, he also asked, "What's this?"

I pointed to their clothes and asked, "What's this?" and they answered me.

All of you have to use this phrase to learn the foreigners' language.

Memorize even small things.

What's this?

- What is it? - A fire.

- A fire? - Yes, a fire.

- What's this? - It's a fish.

What's this?

It's a ship. A ship.

A ship.

The foreigners say they come from the country called Russia.

What are they doing here away from their native land?

When the sea freezes over, it'll be impossible to fish and hunt fowl.

We can't survive without food.

Collect everything.

Fish, fowl, roots, herbs...

We're starting to prepare for winter.

The sea's going to freeze over.

And we will freeze as well.

What happened?

I want... fish... fowl.

Some of us are sick.

I don't have any extra fish or fowl.

I can give you some meat.

Japanese not eat meat!

But it's better to feed the sick with meat.

They need good sustenance.

God not allow meat.

Please... fish, fowl.

No. All I can give you is meat.

I want rice!

I want rice!

Shin!

Damn!

Shin!

I've brought you some food from Nevidimov.

Captain, but this is animal meat.

I know. But if we don't eat, we'll die.

If I eat meat, I'll go to hell.

We're already in hell.

I'll steal some fish.

Let's steal some fish. Everybody wants fish.

Eat.

No! I don't want to turn into an animal!

- I said eat. - I don't want to be an animal!

Alright.

I'll eat it.

Sada!

I'd rather die than eat this.

The fish is back. It means a ship will arrive soon.

I'll get my furs and come back to Okhotsk a rich man.

Put us on the boat. Alright?

Why not?

When we're in Okhotsk, we'll ask the governor.

Maybe, he'll find a way for you to get back home.

Before Okhotsk...

...can go Japan?

No.

There will be no time.

The ship will come for the furs. The will be no time to go to Japan.

Japan is far away.

This is Okhotsk, and this is Japan.

And this is where we are now. See? It's too far.

Yes, this is where Japan is. Well, to Japan!

To Japan! Hurrah!

- What happened? - The ship has wrecked!

Their ship has wrecked.

Rest in peace.

- Will be... another ship? - How should I know?

If we're lucky, another ship will come in four years.

And if we're not, we'll rot here forever.

Captain, everyone's here.

We will build a ship.

It's impossible.

Captain, are you serious?

I am.

But we can't cross this sea in a boat.

We're going to build a ship, not a boat.

But it's impossible.

Would you rather wait for a ship that might or might not come?

Or would you rather build your own?

The choice is yours.

We need a ship that can also carry Nevidimov and other Russians.

One that we can load the furs on.

It's impossible. We'll need a long board to use as a keel.

How about this?

Where did you find it?

It's incredible.

I saw logs three times as large here.

But, Captain, in order to build a ship we need tools.

The Russians have tools. They built houses, after all.

We'll need nails too.

We can melt the anchor.

What about coating? The ship will have leaks without it.

If you crush shells and add boiled seaweed, that will do the job.

Well, shall we try?

If we build a ship, will we be able to go home?

Unfortunately,

I don't know how to get to Japan.

That's why we have to go to Okhotsk first.

Alright, Captain. Let's get to work then.

How's the fire?

Great.

Heave-ho!

Heave-ho!

Heave-ho!

Once again! Heave-ho!

Titov! Come on!

It's unbelievable.

We've built this ship out of nothing in only two years.

Yes. Indeed.

Loosen up a bit.

Got it.

We'll take them with us. There can be no discussion about it.

Starboard!

We're going to be home soon!

I can't believe this.

You really crossed the Okhotsk Sea on a ship you built yourselves?

We really did.

The ship is in the harbor now, half-destroyed.

As for the Japanese, it's up to the governor of Irkutsk.

We have no authority to solve this problem.

So what should they do now?

They should file an application with the governor to have them sent home.

- Suppose we did that. - But the response will come in a year.

It's too long.

It takes three times as long to get to Irkutsk now.

The rivers are in flood.

We have to wait till winter for them to freeze over.

Besides, it's 3,500 versts from here to Irkutsk.

Are you kidding?

We risked our lives believing we could come back home!

Captain, that wasn't the deal!

You said the opposite...

You said that from Okhotsk, we'd be able to get home.

Captain, please, talk to him again.

We want to go home!

Ask him one more time.

- Just ask him. - Get a grip on yourself!

There's nothing else I can do for you.

I'm sorry.

Even if we go there together, it won't change anything.

Actually, he'll probably order to take back the money given to you.

You have to wait.

Thanks to Nevidimov, we are allowed to stay in the post office.

Get your things.

This is the place.

Well, time to say goodbye.

Yakov...

Thank you.

You helped us a lot.

No, I should thank you.

We wouldn't have been able to come home without you.

We have to wait a whole year.

Captain...

Let's go to Irkutsk.

I agree.

It's better to go to Irkutsk than to wait here for a whole year.

Irkutsk is 900 ri from here.

It's nine times as much as from Edo to Kyoto.

So what?

There's nothing for us to do here anyway.

Captain...

We didn't build a ship and come here to sit and wait.

Let's go.

I was told that this is the coldest place in the world.

If you get frost-bitten, your hands and feet will rot the same day.

The next day, your nose will fall off.

On the third day...

...you'll be dead.

Captain...

It's about time we got used to the cold and hunger.

We have nothing else to be afraid of here.

No.

I can't put you under such risk.

Captain...

We've made a long way.

We have to go to Irkutsk.

Listen carefully to what I'm about to say.

We have four months of travel in this freezing weather ahead of us.

So far, we've been helping one another.

But from now on, you can't rely on others.

If you help another, you may die yourself.

Think only about your own survival.

We won't bury anyone. Anyone who dies will stay in the snow.

That is my last word.

Come on! Get up!

Captain!

Captain!

This is hell.

We're in hell.

It hurts.

It hurts.

Well, we've made it. We're in Irkutsk.

March, 8th.

Our five-month journey through hell is over.

Irkutsk is situated on the shore of Lake Baikal.

The town has more than 3,000 houses and 10,000 inhabitants.

IRKUTSK

The governor ended his service and went back to Petersburg last month.

Went back?

- When will the new one be here? - No one knows.

What about the application?

It was sent to the capital. We're waiting for the response.

- When will it come? - I don't know.

What are we supposed to do?

Wait here.

Each of you will get enough money to live on.

Pyotr Zakharovich, give them an allowance.

They give money to foreigners who suffered a shipwreck.

What a generous country.

What happened?

Captain!

We've found Japanese writing!

Tsugaru Kyutaro.

See?

And here...

...it says "Tsugaru Sannosuke."

Japanese people lived here.

Do you think they returned home?

Captain, what did the governor say?

- The thing is... - Good afternoon!

Hello.

I came here as soon as I learned there were Japanese people here.

Sannosuke is my father.

What happened to them? Where are they now?

Where is your father now?

In heaven.

Sannosuke died 18 years ago.

Kyutaro died 20 years ago.

They're both dead.

I heard that my father's ship hit a storm on the way from Tsugaru

and ended up in Russia.

They lived in Russia for twenty years?

Twenty years...

No! I don't want to stay here!

It hurts!

I don't want to stay here!

He's frostbitten! We need a doctor!

I see...

The doctor says...

...if we don't amputate, it will spread and you will die.

Is there really no other way?

Captain, it doesn't hurt anymore. I feel better.

Really.

Don't cut my leg off.

Don't do it.

It doesn't hurt anymore.

I feel better.

- Why? - It means that the leg is completely dead.

If we amputate, you will live.

We have to believe the doctor.

Please, go ahead.

Let's begin.

Shin, what's going to happen to us?

I'll return to Japan whatever it takes.

Look, it's Captain!

Captain!

It's beetroot soup today.

Captain, what did the governor say?

- Are you hurt? - I'm fine.

Thank you.

Captain!

- Do you transport these sacks alone? - Yes.

Are you those Japanese people who were shipwrecked?

How do you know?

Everybody is talking about you in town.

Thanks.

Thanks a lot.

Thank you for your help.

You're welcome.

Thank you again and good luck.

Whoa!

How are you feeling?

It doesn't hurt anymore.

It's good.

I've been invited to someone named Shelekhov.

He's the new governor's friend.

He might be able to help us.

Leave me alone!

It's unbelievable.

You crossed the Okhotsk Sea on a ship you made yourselves.

It sounds like a fantasy.

You're very brave people.

I was also not far from Kamchatka at the time. I was buying furs there.

I had three ships there.

If you keep killing animals for profit, there will be none left in all of Russia.

Another sermon from you?

This pessimist here is Kirill Gustavovich Laxman,

member of St. Petersburg Academy of Science.

He's an eminent scientist and speaks 17 languages.

I don't speak Japanese, though.

But I've heard a lot about Japanese scientists...

...Nakagawa Junan and Katsuragawa Hoshu.

Do you know Katsuragawa Hoshu?

Thunberg...

...who published the book The Plants of Japan...

...mentions them in his travel notes.

We live on this sphere?

You look surprised.

You probably don't know that...

...the globe rotates every day.

So why don't people on the bottom fall?

Can you actually answer this question?

From Siberia to St. Petersburg stretches the Russian Empire.

Japan is here.

This is Japan?

It's so small.

- A Japanese school? - Yes.

In 1705, Pyotr the Great opened a Japanese school in Petersburg.

The teachers were Dembei and Sanima.

Later, Sozo and Gonzo.

All of them got to Russia because of shipwrecks.

In 1754 the school relocated to Irkutsk.

The new teachers were Kyutaro and Sannosuke.

Did any of them return?

Unfortunately, not.

Not a single one of them?

Koudayu, sit down, please.

I have a lot of things I want to ask you about.

I'd also like you to help me with my work.

And starting from tomorrow, you'll eat with us.

Leave me alone!

Don't say that. She's worried about you.

Sorry.

Shinzo, that concerns you too.

Shut up!

Don't be like that.

The weather is nice here.

- Let's go outside? - Outside?

Outside?

Shinzo, touch it.

Touch my leg. It's not there anymore!

Oh, you're that Japanese man.

My name's Shinzo.

I'm Nina.

Thank you for you help.

Do you want me to show you the town?

I do.

Whoa!

What are you doing?

- Are you hungry? - Yes, of course.

This was drawn by a Russian based on a Dutchman's words.

But this map is not accurate enough.

Do you think you'd be able to make corrections or draw a new one?

- Can I take it home? - Of course.

- Koudayu. - Yes?

Yesterday, I wrote to a friend of mine.

He's a very influential person in Petersburg.

In the letter, I ask him to inquire about your application and assist you.

Thank you.

But it would be better if you signed it with your name.

In hieroglyphs.

You're right.

This brush works much better.

Yes.

Well?

You put the plants on the cardboard, then put a sheet of paper on top.

And then you put it under a press.

And then you dry it.

- How long? - Four months.

It's enough now.

How many children do you have?

We promised each other not to discuss family.

It was so cruel of me to ask that.

Please, forgive me.

Some peoples who underwent China's influence use chopsticks.

Is anything wrong?

They're just curious about your chopsticks.

My husband died two years ago.

He had too much to drink and froze to death.

Thanks a lot for your help.

I like working too.

I'm tired of waiting.

Do you have family back in Japan?

My father died when I was seven.

Then I became a sailor.

When I was thirteen, my mother died of hunger.

Looks like Shinzo has a crush on the widow.

She's got him wrapped around her little finger.

And Captain does nothing except go to Laxman all the time.

And listens to things he doesn't understand.

Doesn't anyone want to return home anymore?

It would be better if no one returned.

No country in the world can exist in isolation nowadays.

For example, in order to fully exploit all the resources in Siberia...

...or sea resources in Eastern Russia, we need trade relations with Japan.

- Is that what the Japanese school is for? - Of course.

England and France are also sending ships to the Sea of Japan...

...in order to establish trade relations with Japan.

- England and France? - Koudayu!

The world is developing rapidly.

Japan is small.

If it falls behind, it can cease to exist.

Do you understand?

What Laxman told us seemed incredible.

The more I listened to him, the more enriched I felt.

No!

Coward! Pull yourself together!

However much you torture yourself, you can't get your leg back.

Leave.

Go away!

Forgive me.

Please, understand...

You have to live.

You have to live the life you have.

He's here, Captain.

Shozo!

I wanted you to see this.

Thank God.

Shinzo, get me a stick.

Put me down.

Nina!

Nina!

What's wrong?

- They're taking away my mill. - They're what?

Because of my husband's debt.

I tried to paid it back, but it's over now.

They don't want to wait any longer.

We'll work together and pay off your debt.

You'll go back to Japan.

We can't go back.

We can't.

Shozo, the governor wants to see us.

I received a document from the capital saying that you and five other Japanese citizens

have to abandon your attempts to return to Japan.

Why?

Why is that?

You have to serve the country as Japanese teachers.

We want to re-open the school with your help.

Of course, you'll get accommodation and a good salary.

No.

Let us return to Japan.

If you refuse the service, we'll be forced to stop supporting you financially.

Please, help us return.

We have nothing to discuss here.

It's over.

We're going to die away from home.

No.

I'm not going to stay here forever.

It's naive to expect they will send us home.

What did you say? You don't want to go home?

- You don't? - Stop it.

It's not his fault.

Captain!

I want to go home.

I want to go back home.

Captain!

I know it's not the best time...

But...

I've decided to stay.

I'll live with Nina.

Ever since I fell in love with her...

...I've been thinking a lot...

...about the day we return home.

But then I realized that we're just wasting time hoping in vain.

Maybe, I will regret my decision.

But it's...

...my own decision.

I'm sorry, Captain.

Shinzo!

Take care.

What happened?

I received a note from my friend in the capital.

You application hasn't been presented to Katerina the Great.

It was simply shelved.

Russia lacks Pyotr.

Koudayu...

Koudayu, would you mind going to Petersburg with me?

If your application has been shelved...

...it's better for you to talk to the Empress herself.

After the New Year, I'm going to Petersburg, to the Academy of Science.

But to see Katerina the Great...

...is the same as to see the shogun in Japan.

Yes, it's not easy to get an audience with the Empress, but we will do our best.

I come from a village called Bratsk. It's in the middle of nowhere.

It doesn't matter.

January 15th, 1791.

On this sunny day we left Irkutsk.

Petersburg is 6,500 versts away.

It's very far.

You don't resist the invisible force of destiny.

Instead, you rely on it in order to achieve your goal.

This must be what the wisdom of Japanese people consists in.

If the invisible force of destiny is responsible for us meeting each other...

...it's my duty to help you return home.

It will be my pleasure to do it.

Koudayu!

Koudayu!

Captain!

I have...

...converted to Christianity.

I've been christened Sitnikov.

In Japan, death awaits a Christian.

I can't go back now.

Thank you.

Captain, I will stay in Irkutsk.

I'll become a Japanese teacher.

May God help me.

Thank you for everything.

Thank you a lot.

Your return to your motherland has to happen.

All your sailors, as well as Japan and Russia need it.

The one who leads is always lonely.

But no goal can be achieved without such people.

Did you meet a French traveler in Okhotsk?

You made quite an impression on him.

He devoted eight pages of his travel notes to you.

If the Empress read it, she would become interested in you.

Early April. We have arrived in Petersburg.

This palace is the residence of Katerina the Great.

It's called the Winter Palace.

Where is the Empress's room?

Koudayu, there are five hundred rooms.

- Count Bezborodko? - That's right.

He's general-in-chief.

He acts as the Empress's advisor.

- Is there any chance? - Good morning, Your Excellency!

I kindly ask you to consider...

This is Koudayu. And this is Count Bezborodko.

My name is Koudayu Daikokuya.

I have heard a lot about you.

But matters relating to shipwrecked Japanese are Count Vorontsov's responsibility.

I will tell him about your problem.

We'll go to the chairman of the Academy of Science now.

He can talk to Count Vorontsov about you.

Alright.

Are you alright?

Are you alright?

I feel dizzy. I have a fever too. Looks like I caught a cold.

You need to rest.

He has a high fever. His condition is extremely worrisome.

Help him.

I'll do what I can.

The highest point will be today or tomorrow.

If he gets through it, he might be able to recover.

I was ready to sacrifice my return to Japan for the sake of his recovery.

I couldn't abandon him.

Yes?

May I come in?

You have mail.

Thank you.

Kyuemon died last night.

Before he died, he cried and said he wanted to die in his motherland.

Does the same fate await all of us?

Isn't there any chance to return home?

Forgive me, my friend, but I need to go.

(Inaudible)

I'm sorry, gentlemen, but not today. I have to say goodbye to you.

I asked Count Vorontsov, but there's no answer yet. You will have to wait.

Will I get an audience?

It's unclear yet.

A war with Turkey might break out soon, so we're very occupied.

But maybe later...

Koudayu...

Do you know what it is?

It's a map.

Yes, it's the map of Turkey.

This sign denotes a castle.

And this is where troops are.

Would you be able to make a similar map of Japan?

And mark ports and castles on it.

Of course, you don't have to.

I just thought...

If you made a map of Japan...

...we would have a pretext to introduce you to Her Majesty.

Thank you.

I'm very grateful to you.

Not at all.

It's hot.

Why have you marked ports and castles here?

I was asked to by Count Bezborodko.

He probably said that if you made a map,

it would be easier for you to meet the Empress.

Yes.

How typical of politicians.

- Should I refuse? - No.

In order to meet the Empress...

...all means are good.

Long live Katerina!

They say Katerina is in Tsarskoye Selo.

Oh yes, it's May already.

The whole court will stay in the summer palace until August.

Even better.

We'll go to Tsarskoye Selo.

Don't worry.

It's even better.

The atmosphere is more relaxed there, so it'll be easier for you to get an audience.

I'll talk to my friend Busch. He's a court gardener.

Also, his younger sister is Her Majesty's maid of honor.

Let's go.

I'll go alone.

- Are you sure? - Yes.

Tsarskoye Selo is located not far from the capital.

I traveled alone for the first time.

My name is Koudayu Daikokuya.

Kirill's friend is my friend. Make yourself at home.

Thank you very much.

Here is my sister Sofia. She serves the Empress.

- Katerina the Great is German? - Yes.

She came from Poland to marry Pyotr Ill.

But Pyotr Ill wasn't capable of ruling the country.

So he was removed from the throne by the Empress.

Her Majesty decided to rule by herself.

The Empress fought against Turkey in the south,

Poland in the west, and Sweden in the north.

And she was always victorious.

Her Majesty managed to significantly expand the territory of Russia.

Her Majesty is very occupied indeed.

Because all decisions: new laws, political events, and wars...

...are her responsibility.

Sofia!

In his letter, Kirill mentions some travel notes.

Do you happen to know if Her Majesty has read them?

Koudayu, are you that Japanese man who is mentioned there?

I don't know.

If Her Majesty reads the book...

...she might become interested in Koudayu.

Yes. I'll ask Her Majesty.

If she does, it will be much easier for me to talk to her.

I implore you.

I promise to do everything I can.

If she agrees, it will be done.

There you are!

At last!

I found you!

Kirill...

Kirill Gustavovich!

Koudayu, stop it. Come on.

Interesting.

Even castles and ports are marked.

How many military ships are there in Japan?

He said they didn't have a navy.

What a peaceful country.

Well, it will be easier to win.

To what extent are England and France interested in Japan?

I don't know what you have in mind.

But don't you think that our country has a great opportunity...

...to establish trade relationships with Japan?

It has been Russia's dream...

...ever since the times of Pyotr.

Nehmen Sie bitte Platz, mein Herz.

Danke schön.

I've been studying Japan for a long time now.

It's a country of peculiar culture.

There, a gifted man like Koudayu is an ordinary sailor.

It's an incredible country.

You're being sentimental, like all scientists.

I'm not being sentimental.

We're waging a war against Turkey. But Japan is not our enemy.

If we send these Japanese people home, it will be a great pretext

to establish friendly relations.

But sending a ship to Japan will entail considerable expenses.

I'm sure they will pay off.

In any case, the final decision regarding this is up to Her Majesty.

The day after tomorrow, Her Majesty will go to the theater.

We wouldn't want to waste this opportunity.

I am going to sing a song

written by a lady from Her Majesty's inner circle, Sofia Ivanovna Busch.

This song expresses homesickness felt by Koudayu...

...who ended up in Russia eight years ago because of a shipwreck.

Somewhere beyond the fields, the uncropped fields

Lies the sorrowless native land

How are you holding on, my dear friend?

On Her Majesty's permission...

...I would like to present good news.

In Babadag, seven thousand Russian soldiers

under the command of General Kutuzov...

...have defeated a forty-thousand strong Turkish army.

In comparison with the state...

...or the war...

...I'm so little and insignificant.

Koudayu!

Koudayu!

It's been arranged!

It's been arranged!

You have the audience.

Koudayu!

The day after tomorrow.

Count Vorontsov. Koudayu. Count Bezborodko.

I will wait for an appropriate moment to ask for an audience.

Meanwhile, you stay behind and wait.

Stay vigilant.

Please.

Wait here.

Don't worry.

Don't worry. The audience will begin soon.

Her Majesty has agreed to see you. Let's go.

Let's go.

Come forward.

Your Majesty, here is that man.

- Come closer. - Come closer.

It says here that since you landed, many of your people have died.

How many of your fellow citizens died?

Twelve out of seventeen people.

What a shame.

So you want to return to your motherland.

You don't like Russia?

It is not that.

Russia saved my life. I was born again here.

Born again?

Here, for the first time, I recognized myself as Japanese.

And before you did not realize that?

Here, for the first time, I saw people

who looked differently and spoke a different language.

I see. What's next?

When I learned a lot of new things about the world, about politics,

I felt like I was born again.

You are speaking almost like one French philosopher.

Is this a Japanese book?

It contains song lyrics for the puppet theater.

Puppet theater?

Can you sing something? Right now.

- Now? - This is Her Majesty's wish.

I will try.

Enough.

Enough!

I want to hear you talk about Japan again sometime.

Please!

Please!

Let us return to Japan!

For eight years, I have lived with the hope of returning home!

Please!

Stop it! It's inappropriate.

Koudayu!

Forgive me.

You want to go home so much?

Yes.

Yes, Your Majesty.

Then you may return to Japan.

I grant your request.

Thank you.

Thank you.

- The Ise harbor is beautiful. - Well done.

What is it?

That is all for today. Goodbye.

Your efforts were not in vain, Captain.

It became possible because of help from many people.

How have you been?

I get 300 rubles in silver a year.

You may not get even three back home.

Take care of Shozo.

Don't worry.

Farewell and good luck.

Thank you.

Goodbye.

Thank you.

September 13th, 1792.

Nine years and nine months after leaving the Ise harbor,

we are returning to Japan on a Russian ship.

I am overcome with indescribable feelings.

We're home.

We're in Japan!

What's this place?

It's home.

Home.

We've returned.

A boat is coming.

Strike sail and anchor!

A platoon of sailors to the starboard side.

Come in.

Here he is.

- Koudayu, help us with translation. - Alright.

I'm Koudayu Daikokuya from Ise.

Let me assist you in translating.

My daughter must have already married and had a child.

But...

It will be difficult to meet the families of those who haven't returned, though.

Koudayu, what's wrong?

Why aren't you translating?

He says that those who have returned from abroad...

...will be executed.

How ignorant.

On behalf of the Russian Empire,

we have sailed here to return three Japanese citizens and hand over a letter.

If Matsumae County refuses to welcome us...

...we will go to Edo and talk to your government directly.

Translate it.

Attention!

Hold on.

These are dairies that I've kept for ten years.

If you read them, you will be able to learn more about Russia and Russians.

Please, hand them over to the government.

EDO CASTLE

If they have sailed here under the pretext of returning the sailors,

we cannot refuse them entry based on our closed borders policy.

If we do, they will sail to Edo.

But we don't have military ships or cannons.

Edo doesn't have a military either.

But they are not going to land.

Therefore, their aim is to establish trade relationships.

Governor Sadanobu,

you want to open the borders and break the rule we have followed for 150 years?

It has to happen someday.

But we have a lot of problems now.

We have just quenched the peasant revolt.

Now we have to do everything to support peasants, craftsmen, and traders.

It's not the right time to expose the country.

But Russians say they're not going to return the sailors otherwise.

What should we do?

We have no choice. They'll have to go back to Russia.

Don't worry, Captain.

Given the distance between Matsumae and Edo,

a response will come in no less than three months.

Koudayu!

We've been told that the Japanese side won't accept you

unless we reach an agreement with them.

But we have permission to enter the port of Nagasaki. It's enough for me.

So I intend to go back to Russia.

We can return! Do you hear?

We'll be back home tomorrow.

We're going home.

We're going home.

Salute!

Disembark!

Koichi!

We're back on Japanese soil.

Can one only return to the motherland dead?

We should have stayed in Russia.

We didn't do anything wrong.

We didn't.

We didn't do anything wrong.

Do you hear?

We didn't do anything wrong.

Captain, is it a crime to see and get to know another country?

As soon as you learn something new, you change.

And when people change, the world changes too.

- Like in America and France? - Yes.

Yes. This is what powers that be are afraid of.

Stop it! No talking in a foreign language!

But there are people who understand the importance of what we have brought back.

People like us.

Halt!

Captain!

Was everything we experienced in Russia only a dream?

It can't have been.

When Koudayu was brought to Edo, he was pardoned on the shogun's order and received a house on Bancho Street.

He re-married and had two children.

He died at the age of 78.

As a result of steps taken by Koudayu and Laxman,

Japan and Russia established diplomatic relations.