In de Edo-periode werden de samoerai door iedereen gerespecteerd, maar de komst van de Amanto (buitenaardse wezens) leidde tot het verval van de samoerai met het verbod op het dragen van het zwaard. Maar een jonge jongen genaamd Sataka Gintoki besluit op zijn eigen manier te leven door freelancer te worden (iemand die klusjes accepteert om service te verlenen). Vergezeld door zijn twee vrienden Kagura en Shinpachi leeft en vecht hij als bandieten.

The 38th NHK Taiga Drama is Genroku Ryoran. The "Forty-seven Loyal Samurai" is one of the most enduring and best loved stories of Japan's history. Generations have grown up hearing the stirring tale of Oishi Kuranosuke, chief councillor of the Ako clan who leads his men through suffering and hardship to ultimately avenge their lord after he is unjustly forced to commit harakiri. NHK's 38th Taiga Drama "Genroku Ryoran" is the ambitious remake of this classic epic and boasts a cast that reads like a Who's Who in Japanese entertainment.

Commanding shoguns and samurai warriors, exotic geisha and exquisite artisans—all were part of the Japanese “renaissance”; a period between the 16th and 19th Centuries when Japan went from chaos and violence to a land of ritual refinement and peace. But stability came at a price: for nearly 250 years, Japan was a land closed to the Western world, ruled by the Shogun under his absolute power and control. Japan: Memoirs of a Secret Empire brings to life the unknown story of a mysterious empire, its relationship with the West, and the forging of a nation that would emerge as one of the most important countries in the world.