A popular folk hero is named Suminawa, or “Master Ink-line”, who is known as the “Magical Carpenter of Japan”. He is the purveyor of wisdom and the solver of riddles. He outwits demons and villains and saves damsels in distress. The action takes place in Kyu Nihon, ‘Old Japan’, a legendary golden age when the emperor’s rule was benevolent and absolute, before the despotism of the shogun. Suminawa, accompanied by his trusty comic sidekick Matsumitsu, fights for the common people and the harmony of the realm, not unlike The Three Musketeers or Robin Hood. He builds all sorts of ingenious devices to thwart his enemies, including mechanical birds, horses, and people. He builds fantastic boats and buildings which often contain secret doors and booby-traps.