市川哲夫

晴姿稚児の剣法

Underneath Himeji Castle, Miyamoto Bensuke was determined to inherit the will of his late father, Shinmen Munenori, and aimed to become a great swordsman. For this purpose, he challenged anyone he could to matches and eventually forced a duel upon a martial artist named Arima Kihei, whom he killed. Munenori's old friend, the monk Guan Ando, reprimanded Bensuke's brutality and told him to go to the capital to refine his skills.

お役者小僧 江戸千両幟

Okazaki Domain samurai Inaba Gotaro accidentally killed a superior while trying to save his beloved geisha, Ko-en. On the run, they were rescued by the actor Nakamura Utaemon, but Ko-en was taken by the Hatamoto, Ono Issai. Gotaro, who fell off a cliff, was saved by the Dutch-trained doctor, Shibarai Ryokai, and his daughter Oume. While traveling to Edo, they met Utaemon in Mishima, who was suffering from a serious eye disease. Ryokai’s treatment saved Utaemon from blindness, and a strong friendship was formed among the three.

柳生の兄弟

During the era of the third Tokugawa shogun, Iemitsu, to strengthen the shogunate, many daimyo clans that did not align with the central power were dismantled. Among them, the ronin from the Higo Kato domain harbored a grudge against Yanagisawa Tajima-no-kami, who was at the forefront of these suppressions. Tajima-no-kami had two sons, Jubei and Matashiro. While Jubei was prudent and thoughtful, Matashiro was of a free-spirited nature. However, both were devoted to their father and were exceptionally skilled in the way of the sword.