Top-rated
Sun, Oct 14, 1973
Samurai Kiichi Hogan stumbles upon an elaborate contraband scheme that involves Spanish merchants, a band of ronin and the local police magistrate while trying to solve the mysterious murder of the father of a little boy he has taken under his wing. His path once again crosses with mysterious bandit Manji.
Kiichi Hogan's past catches up with him as he has a bittersweet reunion with O-Kiku, his former fiancée. Her brother leads a merciless group of cutthroats who are terrorizing a village, and murdering women and children. This is the episode in which Wakayama as director almost lost his life when doing a dangerous stunt, the signals to rescue him went unheeded.
In this episode, Kiichi Hogan enters a village searching for a bounty. He rescues a female hostage, while dispatching some kidnappers. Hogan has a chance meeting with Gunbei Shiba. Hogan was mistaken for Shiba and assassins were sent scurrying. Shiba tells a story about a Brit named Brad who at an earlier time used a sword on him while Shiba was using a wooden sword. Shiba was killed when the Brit cheated while he and Brad were fighting. Oran, an antagonist from an earlier episode claims to have changed her ways. Now Oran seeks reconciliation with a sister named Omitsu. Oran hasn't seen Omitsu for thirteen years, when her sister was five years old. Omitsu is being sent to Brad quarters by an arrangement of her employer and some local officials. When Omitsu's fiancee shows, he is dispatched. With some pleading, Hogan goes to Brad's residence and rescues Omitsu and her fiancee, Seiji. Brad brought a gun to a knife fight and lost.