"This is the quintessential film about the Meiji period (it has been re-made three times), and a true masterpiece" (David Owens, Japan Society). The turn-of-the-century story, based on a newspaper serial that was objected to by the authorities, concerns a young boy who is forced into labor by his drunkard father. He later resorts to theft to support himself before finally being rescued by a sensitive teacher. The film "has a rich feeling of life being lived, a dense, almost Dickensian narrative flow, and a remarkable performance by the young Akihiko Katayama. Tasaka is another director whose work should be better known" (John Gillett, British Film Institute).