Itto Ogami- High Executioner to the Shogun- has been betrayed by his political enemies and sentenced to a dishonorable death. Seeking to restore the honor of his name, Ogami- The Wolf- must flee the Shogun’s grasp and live long enough to prove his innocence. Taking only his sword and his son, Ogami embarks on a bloody journey of righteousness and revenge as he seeks to destroy those who would disgrace his family’s name. Hunted mercilessly by the Shogun’s troops, by his enemies, and by those who seek the reward put on his head, Ogami must fight his way through feudal Japan, challenging and defeating all who stand in the way of his quest for honor. Can Ogami- a true Samurai Warrior- endure the ceaseless violence which surrounds him?
Following the death of the second Tokugawa shogun, it is revealed that he was poisoned by retainers of his son Iemitsu in hopes of gaining him the shogunate despite the stammer and birthmark which undermine his respect. Iemitsu and his brother Tadanaga become bitter rivals for the shogunate, and the land is split into factions, eventually erupting into warfare. Iemitsu’s mentor, his fencing instructor Yagyu, is fixated upon securing Iemitsu the shogunate and ends up betraying everyone, even his own family, in pursuit of the goal.
Set in the Edo period, Kanou Toshu studied medicine in Nagasaki and lives on the outskirts of Senju-juku . He is also a master of the Mugai Ryu sword style. Although he has skills in medicine, he is also a big drinker and often drinks all day and falls asleep, or drinks at night and does not go home. He does not charge for treatment and medicine costs from poor patients such as tradesmen and farmers, but occasionally he’ll buy their produce or drink with them. When he senses injustice by the rich and powerful, he takes matters into his own hands and doles out justice as he sees fit.
In this first episode, we are introduced to Takezo, what Musashi used to be before he became the man of legend. His beginning are not exactly auspicious. He sides with the Toyotomi at Sekigahara, and as a result finds himself on the losing side of the historic battle. He and his friend Matahachi manage to escape the slaughter although the latter is wounded in his leg. They stumble across the young Akemi who makes her living with her mother Oko by robbing corpses of their armor and anything else they can sell. Oko takes it into her head to seduce Matahachi, which she does first by skillfully sucking the gangrene from his blood, and then just by sucking.
In the sixth and final episode Rentaro Mikuni steals the show as Baiken Shishido, Musashi’s nemesis. Mikuni is the nominal villain of the film, but he is a devoted husband and father as well. He tries to kill Musashi only to avenge the death of his brother-in-law. While Baiken (who wields a chain and sickle against Musashi’s sword) is a very human character and the emotions that Mikuni displays in his performance are quite believable and engaging
In the Edo period, a nameless ronin accepts an assignment to go to a mountain pass and wait. Near the pass he stops at an inn where a collection of characters gather, including a gang set on stealing shogunate gold that’s soon to come over the pass. When the Ronin’s assignment becomes clear, to help the gang, he’s ordered to kill the inn’s residents, including a woman he’s rescued from an abusive husband. He’s reluctant to murder innocent people; then he learns that the gold shipment is a trap and he’s part of a double cross. How he sorts through these divided loyalties tests of his samurai honor, and perhaps of his love for a woman.