Japan, 17th century. The Battle of Sekigahara ends the period of wars. Thus begins the Tokugawa shogunate and with it a long and prosperous peace and the isolation of Japan from the outside. However, peace is not good for everyone. Many samurai are left without a lord, and, with no wars to fight, they organize into gangs that terrorize merchants and peasants, robbing them, extorting them, even beheading those who resist. They are the hatamoto-yakko or kabukimono, a name they receive for their extravagant and colorful clothing.

The population, tired of enduring the injustices of these hatamoto-yakko, organizes to fight them. This is how the machi-yakko emerge, artisans and merchants without skill or experience in combat, who will defend themselves armed only with their work tools, sticks and wakizashi swords, the only ones they are allowed to carry as they do not belong to the samurai class.

In this historical context appears the figure of Banzuiin Chōbē (1622-1657). For many, a kind of Robin Hood who became the head of a gang of machi-yakko who fought against injustice and protected the population from the abuses of the samurai. For others, simply one of the first yakuza.

This is his story…

Banzuiin Chōbē's character is one of the most popular in kabuki theatre. His life and exploits have been adapted numerous times for the big and small screen in jidaigeki films. Also known as chanbara, or swashbuckling fiction, these are dramas generally set in the Edo era and starring samurai. Their popularity is such that they have inspired directors such as George Lucas, Akira Kurosawa and Quentin Tarantino, among others.