Shino Inuzuka, the first of the Dog Warriors, escapes with the
Murasame sword from the trap set by his uncle, Kamezasa, vowing
to avenge his fatherŐs death and fulfill his mission of
delivering the sword to Lord Ashikaga. He is attacked in the
woods by the sorcerous "jindai" Aboshi and barely
escapes with his life. Kamezasa, meanwhile, orders Shino's
comrade Sosuke to kill Shino, under the pretense that Shino is
threatening Hamaji, the woman they both love and to whom Shino is
engaged. Sosuke and Shino finally meet on a boat in the middle of
the "Wild" River. As Sosuke is about to attack, Shino's
"Ko" bead emerges magically from his robe, matched by a
similar bead that emerges from Sosuke's, a bead on which is
inscribed "" - "" - . Acknowledging, though
not understanding some inexplicable bond between themselves,
Shino and Sosuke end their fight and decide to join as brothers.
Under the influence of Kamezasa, Hamaji's foster parents agree to
a marriage between Hamaji and the jindai Aboshi. In love with
Shino, Hamaji vows to die before the wedding. Aboshi prevents the
suicide, but when Hamaji discovers his demonic nature, he
launches a murderous assault. As Hamaji is cornered, a man
claiming to be her half brother shows up. His name is Dosetsu
Inuyama, the third dog warrior.
"Horyu Tower"
As Hamaji's foster parents search for her, the jindai Aboshi
searches the village for Hamaji and Dosetsu with deadly intent.
Hamaji's foster father, Hikiroku, tries to appease the jindai by
giving him with the Murasame sword, but it is to no avail as
Aboshi assumes a monstrous form and begins a savage attack on the
village. Sosuke returns in the midst of the battle and fights
alone against the Aboshi. With the help of his mystic bead, he
destroys the monster, but the corpse left is that of a young
village girl. Sosuke is arrested by Kamezasa as a murderer.
Meanwhile, Shino is permitted to see Ashikaga to present the
Murasame sword. Somehow however, the sword has been replaced with
a fake. The vassals of Ashikaga accuse Shino as an assassin and
turn on him, but he escapes into the forest. In frustration,
Ashikaga's retainers release a particularly dangerous man
imprisoned in Ashikaga's dungeon, on condition he find and return
Shino. This is Genpachi Inukai, the fourth dog warrior!
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