Goyokin

The gold-laden ship sinks off Sado Island, triggering a desperate salvage by local fishermen. They gather portions of the treasure and plan to return it to the Tokugawa authorities to do the right thing. The incident marks the spark that begins Rokugo Tatewaki's quest for greed and the future crimes it will fuel.

Rokugo slaughters the fishermen to prevent any report of the theft from reaching authorities. Magobei Wakizaka is appalled by the massacre and vows to stand against his master’s brutality. In a grim bargain, Rokugo promises not to report again, tying Magobei to his secret ruin.

Three years pass and assassins sent by Rokugo's retainer Kunai converge on Magobei in Edo, threatening him and hinting at deeper schemes. He realizes Rokugo intends to seize more gold and slaughter more innocents if left unchecked. Magobei resolves to return to Sabai to confront his former master.

Magobei makes his way back toward Sabai, determined to end Rokugo’s reign of greed in the place where it began. He understands that the people of Sabai could suffer again if Rokugo’s plans proceed unchecked.

Back in Sabai, Rokugo enlists another ronin, Samon Fujimaki, to terminate Magobei and crush any resistance to his schemes. The hiring signals a new, more dangerous phase in the feud between master and former pupil.

Unknown to Rokugo, Samon is a spy for the Shogun and secretly switches allegiance to Magobei. This unlikely alliance gives Magobei a trusted ally as they face Rokugo’s threat together. Their partnership shifts the balance of power in the clan's conflict.

During the journey, Magobei encounters Oriha, a young woman who survived the original slaughter, and her brother Rokuzo. They decide to accompany Magobei, seeking safety and a chance to stop Rokugo’s greed-driven violence. The group grows not just in numbers but in resolve.

Upon reaching Sabai, the group uncovers Rokugo’s plan to move a bonfire that would warn ships away from dangerous rocks, ensuring a gold ship would crash. The scheme reveals Rokugo’s willingness to sacrifice strangers for wealth. The discovery tightens the alliance against him.

Together, Magobei, Samon, Oriha, and Rokuzo counter Rokugo’s plan by lighting the true bonfire and extinguishing the fake one. The act not only safeguards the ships but also exposes Rokugo’s broader scheme in the eyes of the villagers. Their coordinated effort strengthens their resolve to stop him.

With the bonfire deception foiled, the gold-bearing ship avoids the rocks and reaches safer waters. The peasants who aided Rokugo tread a narrow line between survival and ruin, but the immediate danger to them is averted. The town breathes a fragile sigh of relief.

In a snow-filled confrontation, Magobei finally faces Rokugo and slays him, though he is wounded by Rokugo’s throwing knife. The tyrant falls, and the threat that haunted Sabai is brought to a close. Magobei’s victory comes with a heavy cost.

As villagers and Oriha celebrate their survival, Magobei lays his sword on Rokugo’s grave and walks away into the falling snow. He chooses solitude over vengeance, leaving the world of memory behind. The community resumes its life, tempered by the cost of greed’s violence.