The rituals of peacetime prove to be more dangerous than the perils of war for the restless Samurai of the film's title, brought low not by swordplay but by the arcane study of the tea ceremony. Eager to learn its secrets, he accepts an invitation to wed his master's eldest daughter, despite having already promised himself to the sister of a rival warrior. Duplicity leads to tragedy in this potent melodrama, told with an urgency uncommon to Japanese medieval romance. Director Masahiro Shinoda, once an assistant to Ozu and at the time a rising star on the international film circuit, demonstrates again his assured technique, blending classical themes of honor and duty with a more colorful, contemporary approach to style.