A sugoroku whose title "country opening" is very fresh, which reminds us on upheaval of time and power of history.
11 blocks from 26 are concerned with civil or other warfare. It starts with Perry's arrival and ends up with honors granting of Japan-Russian War. It's interesting to take the case of Namamugi(*) as the incident of the destruction of Edo government. The main topics between the end of Edo and the beginning of Meiji are covered chronically so well that it narrates history more visually and explains the relationships among the events more clear than many trite textbook.

＊The case of Namamugi....A case took place in the Namamugi Village near Yokohama where Satsuma feudal lord Shimadzu Hisamitsu made 4 British people injured because they crossed ahead of the parade with which Shimadzu escorted the emperor's messenger from Edo to Kyoto. The British mission chief required 25 thousand pounds to Satsuma-han and 100 thousand pounds to Edo government as a compensation and demanded a punishment of the criminals. Satsuma-han refused it whereas Edo government accepted it, which caused the Satsuma-Britain war in the next year. This case has indicated that Edo government has lost the power to control over leading feudal lords and proved the fall of its authority.