Following the death of the second Tokugawa shogun, it is revealed that he was poisoned by retainers of his son Iemitsu in hopes of gaining him the shogunate despite the stammer and birthmark which undermine his respect. Iemitsu and his brother Tadanaga become bitter rivals for the shogunate, and the land is split into factions, eventually erupting into warfare. Iemitsu's mentor, his fencing instructor Yagyu, is fixated upon securing Iemitsu the shogunate and ends up betraying everyone, even his own family, in pursuit of the goal.
Kinnosuke Nakamura
Yagyu Tajima
Sonny Chiba
Jûbê Yagyû
Hiroki Matsukata
Iemitsu Tokugawa (Older Prince)
Teruhiko Saigō
Tadanaga Tokugawa (Younger Prince)
Reiko Ōhara
Okuni (Singer)
Yoshio Harada
Sanza Nagoya (Flute Player)
Isao Natsuyagi
Shozaemon Bekki
Mikio Narita
Ayamaro Karasumasu
Toshirō Mifune
Yoshinao Tokugawa
Hiroyuki Sanada
Hayate
Etsuko Shihomi
Yagyu Akane
Kentaro Kudo
Yagyu Matajuro
Jirô Chiba
Yagyu Samon
Hideo Murota
Sagenta Nogero
Mayumi Asano
Mon
