In 1629, the daimyō Tokugawa Tadanaga, decides to stage a samurai tournament where the participants fight with real steel swords rather than wooden swords against the strong objection of his advisor. To everyone's surprise the first challenge is between one-armed Gennosuke Fujiki and the crippled and blind Seigen Irako. In a flashback to 1622, seven years earlier, Irako is seen approaching the Iwamata dojo in Kagegawa, famous for the Kogan style, to challenge the master. However before he faces the master he must first defeat two apprentices. His first match is with Gennosuke Fujiki whose fingers he damages in the encounter.