Kihachi Okamoto	...	(Director)
Shinobu Hashimoto, Kaizan Nakazato	...	(Writer)
Tatsuya Nakadai	...	Ryunosuke Tsukue
Yuzo Kayama	...	Hyoma Utsuki
Michiyo Aratama	...	Ohama
Toshirô Mifune	...	Toranosuke Shimada
Yôko Naito	...	Omatsu
Tadao Nakamaru	...	Isamu Kondo
Ichirô Nakaya	...	Bunnojo Utsuki
Kô Nishimura	...	Shichibei, Omatsu's 'uncle'
Kamatari Fujiwara	...	Omatsu's grandfather
Kei Sato	...	Kamo Serizawa
Yasuzo Ogawa	...	Yohachi
Ryosuke Kagawa	...	Dansho Tsukue
Atsuko Kawaguchi	...	Okinu
Kunie Tanaka	...	Senkichi
Takamaru Sasaki	...	Ishinsai Nakamura
Yûzô Kayama	...	Hyoma Utsuki
Yôko Naitô	...	Omatsu
Kei Satô	...	Kamo Serizawa
Ichirô Nakatani	...	Bunnojo Utsuki
Ryôsuke Kagawa	...	Dansho Tsukue
Hideyo Amamoto	...
Akio Miyabe	...	Toshizo Ogata
Yasuzô Ogawa	...	Yohachi
Hiroshi Murai	...	Cinematographer
Yoshitami Kuroiwa	...	Editor

Summary: Ryunosuke is a sociopathic samurai without compassion or scruples. When he is scheduled for an exhibition match at his fencing school, the wife of his opponent begs Ryunosuke to throw the match, offering her own virtue in trade. Ryunosuke accepts her offer, but kills her husband in the match. Over time, Ryunosuke is pursued by the brother of the man he killed. The brother trains with the master fencer Shimada. In the meantime, however, Ryunosuke earns the enmity of the band of assassins he runs with, and it becomes a question of who shall face him in final conflict.