Synopsis
In the mid-1800s, the Tokugawa Shogunate teeters on the edge of collapse, overwhelmed by pressure from foreign nations eager to open Japan to trade. After the United States Navy compels Japan to open its ports, the country now faces the formidable 52-gun frigate Diana of the Russian Empire. Unable to challenge such a powerful warship militarily, Japan opts for diplomacy. Toshiakira Kawaji, fresh from finalizing a treaty with the Americans, is tasked with negotiating a similar agreement with Russia. But talks with the unpredictable Russian commander Yevfimy Vasilyevich Putyatin prove extremely challenging. As negotiations stall, a devastating earthquake strikes Japan's coastline, inflicting heavy damage on both Russian and Japanese personnel. This tragedy, however, may become the event that finally brings the two nations together.
Background
Bakumatsu no Spasibo is based on the true events of Yevfimy Putyatin's diplomatic mission to Japan and the signing of the Treaty of Shimoda in 1855.
