The mere utterance of the name Zatoichi strikes morbid fear in his enemies and heroic awe in his fans. More of an unsuspecting hero, Zatoichi was kind of a roughneck gambler who adopts a life dedicated to peace, massage therapy, and superhuman swordsmanship. While working as a masseur for a feudal lord, Zatoichi discovers that his new master suffers from a madness that - if made public - would destroy his empire, the livelihood of the samurai warriors he employs, and force him to commit suicide. Pursued by the samurai for the secret he keeps, Zatoichi manages to escape relatively unscathed. But in a final duel, Masseur Ichi must face the infamous one-armed samurai (played by Tomisaburo Wakayama, the brother of star Shintaro Katsu).