Tezuka's Ancestor Dr. Ryoan

1 Prologue
It is1854, towards the end of the Edo Period, and the people of Koishikawa are under the influence of the charged atmosphere of the times. One morning Tezuka Ryoan finds himself in a room in the red-light district, as is often the case with him. In the meantime, Ibuya Manjiro had succeeded a fief from his retired father only four months earlier. His allowance is of the lowest rank for a retainer. One day, at the wake of Chiba Shusaku, who was his mentor, Manjiro fights a duel with another student named Kiyokawa Hachiro over a difference of opinion and badly injures himself. Ryoan is called upon to give him a treatment, but the two proceed to engage in serious fighting. Several days later, they meet again at Zenshoji Temple. The two have lost their heads over Oseki, daughter of the chief priest of the temple. There again, they begin to fight. But on their way back, Ryoan is abruptly attacked by an unfamiliar samurai. Manjiro instinctively helps him; whipping out a sword the against two samurai and killing them. Following this incident, a student of Genbukan begins to target Manjiro. It is Kiyokawa Hachiro, who had fought previously with Manjiro. In the meantime, Ryoan leaves for Osaka after having been accepted as a student by Ogata Koan, a great Western science scholar of the day. But he goes straight to the red-light district, neglecting his studies. There, he meets a prostitute named Tomiyakko, who complains of a stomachache. Although Ryoan diagnoses it as appendicitis, her Chinese medicine doctor insists that it is caused by her emotions. Eventually, Tomiyakko dies.

2 
On March 10, 1868, the Edo Castle surrenders after a meeting between Katsu Kaishu and Saigo Takamori, thereby saving Edo from war. In the meantime, Aya is recovering. Ryoan confirms how Aya feels about Manjiro, and the two decide to marry. But Manjiro feels, as a samurai , that he is being left behind the times. Manjiro hears at the wedding ceremony that the Shogitai troops of Ueno have entrenched themselves at Kaneiji Temple to protect Tokugawa Yoshinobu. Immediately following the wedding, Manjiro appears in front of Aya clad in armor.

3 Ryoan Sets Sail
One day, Ryoan and Manjiro happen to meet at a noodle restaurant in Azabu. Sharing adoration for Oseki, the daughter of the priest of the Zenshoji Temple, both of them go to see her. The two are rivals again, but this time in love. On their way back, Ryoan is attacked by a group of unfamiliar samurai. Manjiro instinctively draws his sword against two samurai and kills them. Because of this incident, a student of Genbukan starts to target Manjiro: it is the same Kiyokawa Hachiro who had fought previously with Manjiro.

4 Sonezaki Shinchi
Arriving at Osaka, Ryoan meets a prostitute named Tomiyakko, who is suffering from appendicitis. But being a doctor practicing Western science, he is not allowed to treat her for appendicitis. The Chinese medicine doctor who comes to see her is helpless. Ryoan despairs.

5 Before the Storm
Ryoan is finally accepted into Teki Juku private school in Osaka. But disgusted with the selfish students and the dirty room they share, Ryoan continues to sleep in Sonezaki Shinchi, neglecting his studies. At the same time, Ryosen devotes himself to opening a vaccination clinic in Edo, and manages to get a chance to see Endo Tajimanokami, the supervisor of the direct retainers of the Shogun. But it is the doctors in charge of the Shogun that appear in front of Ryosen. They oppose the establishment of a vaccination clinic.

6 The Great Earthquake of the Ansei Era
A large earthquake hits Edo. Manjiro guides people evacuate to the sea, but this area is full of scoundrels. Manjiro draws his sword at rogues who threaten to kill if they are not given money.

7 Vaccination Clinic
Ryoan is not allowed to vaccinate patients, and he is urged by Koan to first make people understand before vaccinating them. Meanwhile, many cases of smallpox are reported. Ryoan moves around the town to prevent the spread of infection, but it is already too late.
In the meantime, Manjiro, who is acknowledged for his post-earthquake disaster relief efforts, meets Abe Masahiro, a member of the Shogun's "Council of Elders," and is abruptly asked if he supports the opening of Japan to foreign countries.

8 Harris Arrives
Ryoan is told by Koan to persuade Oshina, daughter of Ninaya, to accept a vaccination. Ryoan tries to convince her by wooing her. Oshina tells him that she has a fiance chosen by her father, but that she is in love with somebody else. Ryoan doesn't know what to advise her. Then, the "bird of the night" Okon volunteers to help.
In the meantime, one of the 'black ships' which is carrying U.S. envoy Townsend Harris, arrives offshore of Shimoda on the Izu Peninsula. The magistrate of Shimoda, Inoue Shinanokami, orders Manjiro to guard the U.S. mission.

9 Sad News and Expulsion
Manjiro is told by Harris' interpreter, named Heusken, about the manufacture of cannons in Shimoda. Manjiro reports the discovery to Inoue Shinanokami, and he is ordered to go to Nirayama. There he is amazed to find a giant brick furnace. A man named Hashimoto Sanai appears in front of Manjiro and extols the necessity of establishing a central government by abolishing the Shogunate. He also explains that the plan was devised by Abe Masahiro, a member of the Shogun's "Council of Elders," and that Manjiro is one of their number.
In the meantime, Okon visits Ryoan, who is studying at Teki Juku in Osaka, and says she wants to observe an autopsy of a criminal put to death by the death penalty.

10 
Manjiro hurries back to Edo upon hearing of the sudden death of his father, Sensaburo.
Manjiro is determined to take revenge after learning that his father died trying to protect Ryosen from an assassin. Ryosen and Otsuki Shunsai entrust him with a parcel to be delivered to Abe or Hotta for the purpose of establishing a vaccination clinic.
In the meantime, as punishment for allowing someone who is not a doctor to observe an autopsy, Ryoan is ordered by Koan to memorize a clinical medicine book entitled the "Empirical Teachings of Hufeland" within the period of a month. With the help of Fukuzawa Yukichi, one of his classmates, Ryoan endeavors to memorize the book.

11 The Petition
In April 1857, Hotta Masayoshi and Abe Masahiro discuss the Japan-U.S. Commercial Treaty, of which Harris is demanding authorization, at Edo Castle.
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Manjiro is summoned to Edo Castle together with Katsu Rintaro (later Katsu Kaishu), and questioned about Harris' true motives. But Manjiro proposes the need to set up a vaccination clinic, an idea which is totally irrelevant to the meeting. In the meantime, the doctor in charge of the Shogun, Taki Seisai, bribes the chief treasurer Kawaji Toshiakira, who receives a petition from Manjiro. Then Oshina, whom Manjiro rescued in the great earthquake of Ansei, comes from Osaka to see him.

12 Audience with the Shogun
In 1857, U.S. envoy Harris is to have an audience with Shogun Iesada. But the delicate Iesada is unable to carry on a normal conversation. Members of the Shogun's Council of Elders assemble doctors in charge of the Shogun, and order them to fully cure him within the space of one month. One of the troubled doctors secretly consults with Ito Genboku, a Western medicine practitioner. Perceiving this as a rare opportunity for Japanese practitioners of Western medicine, Genboku and Ryosen summon Ryoan and Manjiro and ask them to come up with a "brilliant idea."

13 Doctors in Charge of Shogun
The audience goes well, and Ryoan feels relieved. But he receives an urgent summons from Ito Genboku. Genboku tells him that one of the doctors in charge of the Shogun, Taki Genpaku, has consulted with him. Teppei wonders about the symptoms of Shogun Iesada, who has been diagnosed with insomnia.
Ryoan heads for Osaka to look into the books of Ogata Koan. He devotes himself totally to the investigation and is hardly sleeping. Then, Koan gives Ryoan a book written in English. Ryoan takes the book back with him to Edo, and asks Manjiro to arrange for a meeting with Heusken so that he can ask him to translate it.

14 Setting up the Vaccination Clinic
In 1858, Ii Naosuke becomes the chief minister, and Hotta Masayoshi falls from power. Manjiro, who had been serving Hotta, is dismissed from the position of guard to Harris. In the meantime, Shogun Iesada becomes critically ill. Ito Genboku is summoned to Edo Castle as the doctor in charge of the Shogun to give him treatment. Genboku is overjoyed to be unexpectedly appointed as the doctor in charge of the Shogun. Hearing the news, Ryosen asks Genboku to deliver his prospectus for setting up a vaccination clinic to the members of the Shogun's Council of Elders. Genboku promises him that he will do his best.

15 Cholera Lands
It is early summer in 1858, and Ryoan is energetically working at the vaccination clinic.
Then he received the news that 7,000 people have died of cholera in Nagasaki. The disease spreads from Kyushu to the mainland, and finally to Edo. Hearing that Okon is also ill with cholera, Ryoan rushes off to her, but she has already has lapsed into a coma. Will Ryoan be able to save her? At the same time, Ryoan's mother, Onaka, is also infected. What will he do?

16 Imprisonment
By July 1858, the cholera has disappeared from Edo. Ii Naosuke, who has taken over the seat of the chief minister due to the fall of Hotta Masayoshi, is suppressing the Hitotsubashi clan, which is made up mainly of Mito clan people.
Manjiro is also arrested for having held secret talks about overthrowing the Shogunate with Saigo Yoshinosuke (later Saigo Takamori) and Hashimoto Sanai, and on top of this he is no longer considered part of the Fuchu clan.
Ryoan devises a strategy to rescue Manjiro, who is being subjected to torture.

17 Storm of the Spring
As suppression by the Shogunate of the anti-foreigners becomes more severe, Ryoan, who has been pretending to be dead, goes to see the principal retainer of the Mito clan, Ajima Tatewaki, to report on the situation in Edo. There, Manjiro meets with the Royalists including Takahashi Taichiro. Manjiro tells them that he wants to see the Shogunate government overhauled.
In the meantime, the vaccination clinic burns due to a fire started in Kanda.
As a large sum of money is required to re-establish the clinic, Ryoan visits Okon, who has a shop in the newly opened port in Yokohama, and has her introduce him to some prospective sponsors. But he unexpectedly becomes involved in an incident.

18 Return
In the summer of 1860, Manjiro, who is pretending to be dead but is actually lurking in Mito, is summoned by Katsu Rintaro (later Katsu Kaishu) to Edo. He is asked to serve as a guard for Harris and to stay at Zenpukuji Temple as a Shogun's retainer. The order surprises Manjiro, but he immediately leaves for Zenpukuji Temple. There he is attacked by assassins including Ushikubo Tobei. Manjiro follows Tobei to his house, where he is surprised at what he sees.
In the meantime, Ryosen falls ill with apoplexy. Diagnosing his condition, Shunsai lets Ryoan in on a secret.

19 Parting
In the spring of 1862, Katsu Rintaro (later Katsu Kaishu) declares that a conscription system will be initiated in December in order to ensure that the country will be able to stand on equal footing with other nations. Rintaro asks Manjiro to train farmers as infantrymen capable of handling heavy weapons. Manjiro experiences many problems training the farmers.
In the meantime, the circumstances surrounding Manjiro and Ryoan shift; Oseki of Zenpukuji Temple became a Buddhist nun, and Ryosen falls critically ill.

20 The Visitor
In August 1862, the movement embodied by the phrase 'revere the Emperor and expel the barbarians' intensifies. Ogata Koan is to leave Teki Juku in Osaka and come to Edo to take over as head of the Western Medicine Center and as the doctor in charge of care of the Shogun. Just as Ryoan is to go and meet Koan, masterless samurai who identify themselves as patriots of the Mito clan come for treatment. Although Ryoan tries to seek the support of other doctors because of the seriousness of the wounds, he is stopped from notifying the others. Will Ryoan be able to save them?
In the meantime, some members of the farmer infantry led by Manjiro are considering joining the masterless samurai group (later Shinsengumi) set up as advocated by Kiyokawa Hachiro.

21 Military Station Doctor
The Shogunate government sought a military doctor in the spring of 1863. Koan recommends Ryoan, but Ryoan delays his reply to Koan by hiding in Toyoya with Okon. Okon was, at that time, about to undertake all lumber procurement involved in building a military station for infantrymen. But Seikichi, master of Tamaya, interferes. Seikichi threatens Okon that he will reveal her identity as "Okon the night bird" at the bidding. Ryoan wishes to help Okon.

22 The Infantrymen Take the Field
In November 1863, masterless samurai band together under the banner of expelling the barbarians and providing assistance to the poor. In the Kujukuri district, the Shinchu-gumi Group is staging raids as if they were thieves. Then, the infantrymen group led by Manjiro is ordered to suppress the Shinchu-gumi. But the infantrymen hold back to know that their main enemy is not a foreigner but the Shinchu-gumi, which is made up of farmers like themselves. Although Ryoan has become the doctor to the military station, he encourages them by saying that he will take to the fields.
In the meantime, Seikichi of Tamaya, who has a grudge against Okon regarding the procurement of lumber for the infantrymen's station, consults with Tobei.

23 Storm at Dawn
Aya, younger sister of Kusunoki Otojiro of Shinchu-gumi, appears in front of the infantrymen who depart to suppress Shinchu-gumi. She has come to find out about the possible course of the Shogunate army. Manjiro decides to stage a surprise attack at dawn. The frightened soldiers bravely charge at the battle cry of Manjiro. He then engages in a battle with Otojiro, who staged a surprise attack on his father, Sensaburo. Is there any chance for Manjiro to prevail?

24 Dispatch of Troops to Choshu
In the summer of 1864, Aya, younger sister of Kusunoki Otojiro of Shinchu-gumi, appears to Manjiro and the infantrymen who are in training, collapsing on the spot. After being tortured at the supreme court of the Shogunate in Edo, she has presumably come to take revenge for her brother, but is barely able to remain conscious. Although Aya is the sister of Otojiro, who has killed Manjiro's father, Manjiro says he will take care of her. In the meantime, the Shogunate government is preparing to suppress the Choshu clan, who were expelled from Kyoto and denounced as enemies of the Imperial Court. Manjiro and his infantrymen also depart Edo for Osaka. There, Manjiro meets Sakamoto Ryoma. Sakamoto tells him that the Tokugawa Shognate government is nearing its end, and he will establish a new nation.

25 The Direct Petition
The Shogunate government army is fighting desperately against the Choshu clan in 1866. Being an army doctor, Ryoan is feeling helpless as he treats the stream of wounded soldiers carried in to him. Manjiro proposes to Katsu Kaishu a reshuffling of the Shogunate government, but Katsu is thinking about how to put an end to the government altogether. Later, the Satsuma clan joins hands with the Choshu clan in betrayal of the Shogunate government, and in the end power is returned to the Imperial Court. In the meantime, Aya regains consciousness thanks to the good care of Manjiro. But Manjiro makes a certain decision and leaves her behind.