A raging storm. A shattered ship. And a crew lost in the vast Pacific Ocean for 484 days.

In 1813, Captain Oguri Jukichi and his men set sail aboard the Tokujomaru, a small Japanese cargo vessel on a simple voyage from Edo (Tokyo) to Toba. But when hurricane-force winds tore through their sails and broke their rudder, their journey turned into one of the longest survival stories in maritime history.

Cut off from the world during Japan’s isolationist Sakoku era, the Tokujomaru drifted helplessly into the open ocean without sails, without steering, and without hope of rescue. What followed was a desperate fight against starvation, dehydration, scurvy, and madness. For more than a year, the men struggled to stay alive, rationing soybeans, filtering seawater, and praying someone might find them.

When rescue finally came in 1815, only three survivors remained. But even then, Captain Oguri’s nightmare was far from over.

This is the true story of the Tokujomaru, the shipwreck that defied nature, distance, and death itself. It is a tale of courage, tragedy, and human endurance against impossible odds.