Zatoichi and the Chest of Gold

Ichi travels to Itakura to pay respects at the grave of the man he killed two years earlier. While there he revisits the memory of the earlier yakuza clash between Iioka and Sasagawa. The moment is underscored when the dead man's sister Chiyo overhears Ichi muttering to himself.

The village has raised 1,000 Ryo to pay taxes to the local intendant after three years of drought. Ichi agrees to take part in the celebration and aid the villagers, just as Chuji and his troupe are referenced as protectors of the people. Tension builds around the promise of communal relief.

Ichi joins the convoy transporting the 1,000 Ryō to the intendant Gundayu. They are ambushed first by three samurai led by Jushiro, then by a larger band. The robbers press the chest of gold toward the base of the hill where Ichi sits atop it, calmly smoking, and he kills several attackers as others flee.

Back in the village, locals accost Ichi and accuse him of stealing the tax money. Rather than denying, he promises to locate the missing gold and restore the villagers' trust. The tension between Ichi and the community begins to set the stage for the ensuing conflict.

A well-dressed woman named Ogin overhears Ichi's situation and later encounters him on a backroad as he travels. When she questions his motivation, he explains in vague terms that he is blind, and they exchange guarded, curious conversation. The meeting foreshadows later tensions between their circles.

In a hot springs onsen en route to the destination, Ogin finds Ichi in a private room and they converse. Ichi reassures her that he is blind, otherwise he would not reveal himself, and even foils two would-be peepers by squirting them from a window. The moment deepens the mystery around his abilities and intentions.

Chiyo, the dead man's sister, follows Ichi after overhearing the earlier exchange. Her presence hints at a personal stake in Ichi's actions and foreshadows the potential romance or deepening ties between them. The pair's fates become increasingly entwined as events unfold on Mt Akagi.

On Mt Akagi, members of Chuji's troupe tell Ichi that several men were slain by a blind man with a sword. Ichi arrives to confront Chuji about the missing money and to warn that rogue elements have endangered them all. Chuji decides to leave the band and asks Ichi to escort his young nephew to safety.

In the nearby town, Monji, recently promoted and armed with a jitte, negotiates with Jushiro to capture Ichi and the bandits on Mount Akagi. Ichi overhears the plans and uses his surroundings to buy time for the bandits to escape, turning the pursuit into a deadly chase.

Ichi hears the approaching forces and activates the bandits' alarm system at the base of the mountain, drawing the police into a deadly trap that buys time for the bandits to escape. Though many fall defending their aim, the rest manage to scatter, leaving the field dangerous but intact for Ichi and the others.

Gundayu destroys evidence and tries to silence the crimes, while Monji demands half the gold. Before a confrontation can fully unfold, Gundayu kills Monji, and Ichi arrives to hold him to account; the tyrant is slain and the tax money can be returned. The balance of power shifts as the villagers prepare for a return to normalcy.

Jushiro arrives for a final duel, dragging Ichi by the neck with his whip; Ichi overpowers him, recovers his weapon, and kills Jushiro. The duel ends with Ichi standing victorious as he moves to fulfill his promise to celebrate with Chiyo.

Ichi gives Chiyo the recovered 1,000 Ryō along with his gambling winnings to fund a proper headstone for her brother. Chiyo pleads for him to stay for the village celebration, and Ichi hints at joining them, though his path seems to lead toward his own solitary fate. The film closes with him turning back toward the village to celebrate with Chiyo.