Zatoichi decides to revisit a village where he once had a nice stay. But when he gets there, he finds that things have changed for the worse; the former village headman is carving tombstones all day long, the new headman is a shady merchant who is apparently helping one of his sons embezzle from the mint, the merchant's other son is a yakuza boss who's also after the gold, and this son is relying on the assistance of a yojimbo -- a bodyguard -- who may not be what he seems to be.