Samurai Marathon |work| ✦ Validated & Validated

So the next time you think you’re having a bad run, just remember: at least there isn’t a samurai with a katana waiting at the finish line.

In 1854, the Annaka domain was given a terrifying task. The shogunate’s senior councilor, Abe Masahiro, ordered the lord of Annaka—Itakura Katsukiyo—to prepare for a potential attack by Western forces. Specifically, the domain was ordered to provide coastal defense. But there was a problem: Annaka’s samurai were stationed far inland, miles away from the ports of Edo Bay (modern Tokyo). Samurai Marathon