During the Tokugawa Shogunate, it was mandatory for feudal lords to perform expensive procession marches to pay respect to the shogun. Country simpletons Lord Naito of Yunagawa and his samurai just managed to scrape by for their ritual visit. Both time- and money-poor they literally sprinted for 5 days to get to the capital. After surviving the journey, and even finding a wife, Naito has every reason to celebrate. But news of their villages being ravaged by rebels prompted the men to swiftly return home to Yunagawa-else they risk losing their land. The men must hike up their kimonos and sprint all the way home in 2 days! To complicate matters, their old enemy, Lord Nobutoki, reappears to make sure they lose much more than just farmland.—Ibrahim
Masaatsu Naito (Kuranosuke Sasaki) successfully completes Sankin-kotai (required ritual to visit the shogun). On his way home, he hears that an insurrection by peasants has taken place in his hometown of Yunagaya. Masaatsu Naito knows that it is a counterattack by Matsudaira. He returns to Yunagaya, but finds that his castle is gone.