Reprising his role from the popular TV series "Koya no Suronin" (The Lowly Ronin), Mifune Toshiro stars in this full-length, stand-alone made for TV movie. The wandering ronin is reminiscent of his most famous role as the samurai without a name in Kurosawa's "Yojimbo" and "Sanjuro". He travels about Japan, and while he may seek happiness, violence and tragedy always cross his path. This time it is a woman carrying a young infant who he encounters on the road that leads him into a tale of violence, intrigue and a village in uproar. A great story and cool action scenes, a movie not to be missed!

Reprising his role from the popular TV series "Koya no Suronin" (The Lowly Ronin), Mifune Toshiro stars in this full-length, stand-alone made for TV movie. The wandering ronin is reminiscent of his most famous role as the samurai without a name in Kurosawa's "Yojimbo" and "Sanjuro". He travels about Japan, and while he may seek happiness, violence and tragedy always cross his path. This time, he reluctantly agrees when a girl hires him to kill a local offical who has unfairly taxed her villagers. But he soon discoves that not all is at it appears when he finds a direct link to his past.

Low-caste former samurai Hanayama Daikichi and his gambler friend Hanji of Yaizu, come to a once peaceful post town of Kofu. A town now filled with gamblers, prostitutes, and unscrupulous opportunists, all drawn by the smell of blood and the scent of newly-mined gold. Daikichi brings a little girl whose father has been butchered by yakuza assassins, hoping to find her family. Intrigue and violence follow the group as they must ward off a deadly female spy and a mysterious ronin with a violent past. Tension mounts as all these forces come together to unravel a secret which will unleash a wave of violence that could destroy them all.

The "lowly ronin" meets a child who is being chased by men that killed his father before his eyes. Feeling indebted to the child for buying him dinner, the Ronin takes the child back to his village. There, the Ronin reluctantly gets involved in a pathetic revolt by the cowardly villagers against their tyrannical governor. Mifune at his best!

After saving a young Lord from an assassination attempt the Lowly Ronin finds that he is now a wanted man! Accused of being a thief by those that tried to kill the young Lord he must now clear himself of the accusations. Befriended by an old woman, she then attempts to use him for her own designs.

When the 'Lowly Ronin' helps an orphaned teenage girl avoid being turned into a prostitute, she then claims he is her father and they start a farm as father and daughter until fate steps in and he must draw his sword.

Accused of being a spy for a rival clan by Nanbu Clan samurai who then attack him, the 'Lowly Ronin' barely escapes with his life after being shot. Nursed back to health by Yamaoka Daijiro, the one Nanbu Clan retainer that believes him, he must find a way to prove his inno-cence to the others. The two team up together to uncover the mystery and find out who the real spy is that threatens the security of the clan. Against all odds, the two master swordsmen must rely on all their skills to defeat a vast conspiracy and save the clan from being abolished.

Continuing the tradition of the Yojimbo movies, Mifune Toshiro stars as Toge Kujuro, a wandering ronin searching for his own fame and happiness. With a sense of justice, he travels the countryside, with his motley collection of outcasts - a pistol-carrying ronin, a two-bit con artist and woman seeking revenge, following close behind, unwittingly righting wrongs and protecting the common man.

A nice exploration of the samurai-ninja aspect of the story, including its roots in the actual Marvel comic books. There are the requisite interviews with the principal cast and crew along with copious clips from the film as well as some behind the scenes footage (including a look at that supercool metallic bed that the elderly Yashida lies on in the lab in his fortress).

Bushido - the way of the warrior - is a Japanese philosophy with a moral code followed by samurai. But even the strictest concepts of honor can be overridden by jealousy, love and revenge. It is experienced by a child whose eyes see things they shouldn't at all.