Outside of town, a man asks Ichi to give a letter to a maid called Sen at Musashi Inn.
Saki is looking for her father, the headman of a nearby village disappeared while protesting against the harshness of new government intendant Gorota Kajime.
Worried that a man called Shinsuke has escaped, the boss's henchmen plan to take his sister Sen to Jinbei but Ichi intervenes.
A skilled retainer, Gounosuke, acting as the intendant's bodyguard tests Ichi in an impromptu iaijutsu display.
After he leaves the go table, a foot thick block of solid wood, falls in half.
Tired of waiting for her companion Gosuke, Saki decides to travel to Shimokawa and is abducted by Jinbei's men.
Ichi just wants to celebrate by worshipping the new year's sun on Mount Myogi but Gounosuke insists on a duel.
Just after her companion returns, Ichi tells Saki of her father's death and that she should go home as Jinbei plans to kill her.