[1] At the time of its release, Itō was the leader of a new style of samurai films that featured outlaw heroes and fast-cut sword fighting scenes.

The existing print begins with Chuji on the road, fleeing the law while taking care of Kantaro, the son of a dead friend.

He leaves Kantaro with Kabe Yasuemon, an honorable local boss, but is shocked to find out that his own men have been committing robberies using his own name.

Angry, Chuji hits the road and eventually settles in another town, assuming another name and working as a clerk for a sake brewery.

When he saves her brother from trouble with the Otozo gang, his identity is revealed and the police close in.