After the relative peace since the fall of the ishin shishi, political and economic turmoil once more rips the fabric of Japanese society. The Shogunate commits a series of fatal mistakes and a new alliance rises to challenge them.

The following is a list of some of the Japanese names and terms that are used in this episode: Ii Naosuke, sonno joi, ishin shishi, Tokugawa Nariaki, Hitotsubashi Keiki, Tokugawa Yoshinobu, Satsuma, Shimazu Hisamitsu, Saigo Takamori, Choshu, Mori Takachika, Kido Koin, Tosa, Sakamoto Ryoma, Nakaoka Shintaro, fukoku kyohei, sankin kotai, Hyogo, Kokura.

Sources: The Meiji Restoration by W.G. Beasley, The Making of Modern Japan by Marius B. Jansen, A Modern History of Japan by Andrew Gordon.