Reach Beyond the Blue Sky

The 60th historical drama depicts the life of Shibusawa Eiichi, known as the Father of Capitalism in Japan. He lived from the mid-19th to early 20th century, contributing to around 600 public projects, and led around 500 enterprises to success. He also committed to international relations and was nominated to Nobel Peace Prize twice. He kept on challenging with high aspirations throughout the life and his well-calculated planning and sincere work opened up the way to the future of modern Japan.

Eiichi learns the indigo trade from his father Ichiroemon and reading from his cousin Shingoro. However, his greatest pleasure is to perform the lion dance at the village festival. However, due to adult circumstances, the festival was canceled. Eiichi is disappointed, but he comes up with a plan. On the other hand, Shichiro Maro, who was adopted by the Hitotsubashi family, changed his name to Yoshinobu and was loved by the Shogun Ieyoshi as if he were his own son. Nariaki, now in retirement, attempts to return to politics with his son as his only hope. Then, Perry is coming to Japan...

Eiichi goes to Edo for the first time with Ichiroemon, and is amazed at the glamour of the city, and learns about the difficulties of business from his father. Eiichi wants to go out and buy indigo leaves himself to help his father, who is in dire straits due to a poor crop that year... In the meantime, Edo was in an uproar when the Black Ships arrived. When Ieyoshi dies, Yoshinobu's name is mentioned as a candidate for the next shogun, but Yoshinobu rebels against the idea. A man is chosen to be Yoshinobu's trusted servant.

As Eiichi worked harder and harder, he wondered what he could do to make better indigo. Meanwhile, the Shogunate was in turmoil as Perry's return was imminent. In order to provide his son, Yoshinobu, who is a candidate to become the next shogun, with an excellent retainer, appoints the eccentric Hiraoka Enshiro as his page. Finally, the Japan-U.S. Treaty of Peace and Amity was signed. The rumor of the opening of the port reaches Chiaraijima, and Junchu was stunned. When Eiichi receives a large sum of money as a representative for his father Ichiroemon, he begins to feel that something is wrong with the world.

When Eiichi learns how the Qing Dynasty was defeated by the British in the Opium War from a book recommended by Junchu, he fears for the future of an open Japan. Meanwhile, Eiichi's older sister, Naka, becomes depressed when her uncle, Sosuke, and his friends oppose her marriage proposal on the superstitious grounds that the other party's family has an evil spirit. On the other hand, Nariaki, who still cannot accept the policy of the shogunate, goes out of control. The elder Abe Masahiro and Nariaki's aide Fujita Toko desperately try to restrain him. Then, a major earthquake strikes Edo.

Eiichi, who is practicing swordsmanship with Choshichiro and Kisaku, is determined to do something, and says, "Even a farmer can do something". When Chiyo suddenly expresses her feelings for him, Eiichi's heart starts to race. Furthermore, a man named Sanada Hannosuke, a dojo stormer showed up to Eiichi and the others at the dojo... On the other hand, after losing Toko, Nariaki's words and actions become even more extreme, and he is advised to retire by Yoshinobu and others, but he refuses, saying that he will retire if Yoshinobu becomes the shogun. Also, Yoshinobu was troubled by the temperament of Mikagimi whom he had taken as his wife.

The shogunate was in turmoil after the death of the elder Abe. In the midst of all this, the calls for Yoshinobu to be the next shogun are increasing day by day... Meanwhile, in Chiaraijima, Sanada recommended that Choshichiro goes to Edo to train as a warrior. Eiichi's relationship with Chiyo is still awkward, but he is upset when Kisaku says he wants her as his wife. Eiichi, who went out with Junchu to sell indigo, realized his true feelings as he walked along the mountain path while reciting Chinese poetry, and at the top of the towering mountain... he reached beyond the blue sky!

Finally, Eiichi speaks his mind and asks Chiyo to marry him. However, Kisaku intervenes. Eiichi and Kisaku decide to compete in a kendo match. On the other hand, in the shogunate, Ii Naosuke, who became the Great Elder, signed the "Treaty of Amity and Commerce between Japan and the United States," but the signing of the treaty was considered to be against the Emperor's orders, which led to a big problem. Yoshinobu and Nariaki, who had voiced their opinions to Ii, were punished, and the harsh oppression known as the Ansei Purge began.