Zatoichi returns to his peaceful village, only to find that it has been taken over by Masagoro. When Masagoro hears Ichi back, he sends Yojimbo to kill him. In their initial encounter, they both feel a grudging respect for the other...

Overview: The gentle breeze, the murmur of a babbling brook, the scent of plums...these memories call Zatoichi back to a once-loved village. But memories are deceptive, and he arrives to find things much changed. The former boss, Hyoroku, has been reduced to a carver of statues of Jizo, the Buddha of Healing; and his daughter, Umeno, has become a hostess--and, as she describes herself, one of the bad ones. Control of the village is split between a former traveling merchant, Eboshiya, and his son, Masagoro. Eboshiya befriends Zatoichi and seeks his aid against Masagoro minder, the drunken samurai, Yojimbo The Crooked Crook. When a masseur is killed, amidst rumors that a large amount of gold has been secreted in the village, the two factions begin to size each other up. It is at this point that Masagoro younger son suddenly decides his father needs more protection and calls on the services of the contract killer Kuzuryuu.