Hitoya ni saku hana (2010)

Set in 1854, Torajiro attempts to flee to America, but fails. He is then jailed at a prison located in the mountains, which is owned by the Choshu Hagi family. In prison, Torajiro meets Hisashi, who is in prison for communicating with the lower class. Torajiro and Hisashi get to know each other in the notorious prison that no one has ever gotten out of alive. Ishihara's film, based on a novel by Yamaguchi-born author Kaoru Furukawa, captures Shoin's historical struggle with actor Michiyoshi Maeda who already tackled similar territory when he played one of the Chosyu Five, five young men who traveled to Great Britian in 1853, in Sho Igarashi's 2006 film of the same name. It definitely looks like Ishihara is playing up the romantic subplot between Shoin and a lower caste love interest played by actress Hana Konoe.