Sanjuro

After the chamberlain Mutsuta tears up their petition, nine young samurai vow to press for accountability and seek intervention from the superintendent Kikui. They meet secretly at a shrine to discuss their plan and mounting pressure. A wandering ronin overhears them and warns against trusting the corrupt officials.

As the samurai leave the shrine, an ambush is sprung on them. The ronin intervenes and saves the group, cementing his role as their protector. Realizing that Mutsuta and his family could be in danger, the ronin chooses to stay and help them.

The samurai arrive at Mutsuta's house only to find the chamberlain abducted and his wife and daughter held prisoner. A servant from the house gets the guards drunk, allowing the samurai to free the women. The group then hides in a house next door to the superintendent's compound.

While in hiding, the ronin gazes at the camellia trees and reveals his name as Tsubaki Sanjūrō. The woman of the house criticizes his frequent killings and argues that the best sword is kept in its sheath, signaling a tension between prowess and restraint.

Sanjuro decides to get closer to the corrupt officials and joins Hanbei, who had previously offered him a job after the shrine ambush. The samurai distrust him at first, but Sanjuro senses he is being followed as they walk together, and their shadows are easily captured and bound. Hanbei leaves to request reinforcements, setting up an opportunity for Sanjuro to act.

Sanjuro uses Hanbei's absence to free the four samurai he had been guarding, though he must kill all their guards in the process. He tells the freed men to leave him tied, explaining that he does not wish to die for a cause in which he has no stake. The exchange showcases his pragmatic, self-directed code.

The chamberlain's whereabouts remain unclear until the next day when Mutsuta's wife and daughter discover a torn piece of the petition in the stream flowing from the superintendent's compound. With an outright assault unlikely, Sanjuro devises a plan to misdirect the officials by claiming he saw rebels at a temple.

Sanjuro proposes signaling the attack by floating large numbers of camellias down the stream. He tells his group to prepare for the attack while he fabricates information about rebels at a temple to lure the officials into a trap.

The plan initially succeeds as the superintendent's forces rush toward the temple. However, Hanbei grows suspicious after catching Sanjuro attempting to drop camellias and ties him up. The others realize Sanjuro's temple description was a ruse and balk at the deception.

Despite Hanbei's misgivings, the officials acknowledge Sanjuro's ploy only partially and rush to chase the temple-bound forces. In the confusion, Sanjuro secretly ensures the signal will bring the samurai to the rescue, catching Hanbei by surprise when he returns.

Mutsuta is restored to his position, and the superintendent commits hara-kiri, attempting to avert a public scandal. In the aftermath, the chamberlain's family and loyal samurai celebrate, but they discover that Sanjuro has slipped away during the final commotion.

The samurai chase after Sanjuro and find Hanbei ready to duel. Sanjuro is reluctant to fight, but Hanbei, furious at his own loss of dignity, decides that peace can only be achieved through killing him. Sanjuro defeats Hanbei with speed, calls him a kindred blade until the end, and walks away as his admirers kneel in reverence.