A legendary figure in Japan is Zatoichi - the blind masseur with healing hands and a swift sword.On the outskirts of the town of Furukawa, Zatoichi meets a young boy whose parents have been murdered by corrupt local samurai. Accompanying the boy is Wang - a one-armed Chinese master swordsman. After agreeing to lead the pair to a nearby temple, Zatoichi becomes entangled in a struggle to save the unfortunate pair and also the lives of many others. As the situation worsens, suddenly Zatoichi finds himself pitted against the mysterious Chinese sword-master.