Samurai Banners

Kansuke returns home in Mikawa Domain after 15 years. He brings the decapitated head of the samurai of the Takeda army he killed to save Mitsu—he have planned to show it as a display of his prowess in order to be taken into the service of the Imagawa clan. Coming back, Kansuke finds that his adoptive father now has a natural son. The father who wants the son, not Kansuke, to succeed him steals the head and tenders it to one of the warlords under the Imagawa clan as the son’s achievement. Kansuke decides to rename himself Yamamoto Kansuke, the family name of his real parents, and leaves Mikawa for Suruga, where his was born. In Suruga, Kansuke happens to know his elder brother Sadahisa is involved in a conspiracy against the head of the Imagawa family. For knowing the secret, Kansuke is attacked by a group of assassins directed by Sadahisa. Kansuke has to leave home again.

Kansuke goes back to the Kai domain, where he meets Mitsu. She is expecting a baby, whose father, she insists, is Kansuke. Though he refuses her once, Kansuke gradually becomes attached to the unaffected nature of the villagers and eventually makes up his mind to live there with Mitsu and the baby she is carrying. Meanwhile, the ruler Nobutora and his young son and heir Harunobu are on bad term. Nobutora wages wars one after another, provoking complaints against him among his retainers as well as common people. One day, Nobutora goes hunting to get nothing. Irritated, he shoots an arrow at a human—the woman aimed at is Mitsu.

Mitsu has been shot and killed by Nobutora. Kansuke keeps calm, but hearing Takeda’s retainers impose silence on the villagers about what happened, Kansuke attacks in fury at Nobukata Itagaki, one of Harunobu’s chief retainers. Though Kansuke is defeated, Itagaki gets impressed by his swordsmanship and tells Harunobu about the one-eyed man. Harunobu, who is also shocked by the cruel behavior of Nobutora, wants to see Kansuke. The two meet each other for the first time. Sensing Kansuke’s resentment against Nobutora, Harunobu persuades him to lay aside his grudge and hold ambition. Kansuke goes to Suruga on Itagaki’s order to spy into the Imagawa clan at internal strife. Kansuke informs Tadatane Ihara, his relative who is one of Imagawa’s main retainers, of the conspiracy against the clan leader. Ihara, however, tells Kansuke that the Imagawa leader as well as his brother has died mysteriously on the same day.

Kansuke is introduced to Jukeini, the mother of a potential successor to the late head of the Imagawa clan. Kansuke proposes the woman who has tremendous influence in the clan a plot to dispose of Fukushima, the betrayer who secretly communicates with Takeda Nobutora. Having no way to know that Jukeini’s son is working on amicable settlement with the Takada clan, Kansuke plans to take revenge on Nobutora for Mitsu when the head of the Takeda family comes to help Fukushima. Fukushima takes up arms against the Imagawa family but Takeda’s army does not turn up. Kansuke’s brother Sadahisa, who has been working under Fukushima, kills himself before Kansuke’s eyes.

Fukushima seeks refuge with Takeda’s retainer who introduced Fukushima to the head of the Takeda family. Nobutora kills both of the two. The conflict between Nobutora and his son Harunobu becomes more bitter after this. Meanwhile, Kansuke goes to see Jukeini’s son Yoshimoto, who now is the new head of Imagawa. Despite his achievements in disposing of Fukushima, Kansuke is refused to become a retainer of the clan. Kansuke’s hope to take revenge on Takeda with the help of Imagawa also disappears, as they are now in alliance. Kansuke departs for Sagami, the domain ruled by the Hojo clan, to look for a warlord to serve.

Kansuke is given a chance to talk to Ujiyasu Hojo, the head of the clan. However, Ujiyasu refuses to make Kansuke his retainer, sensing that Kansuke is driven by resentment against Takeda. Kansuke leaves Sagami and heads to Shinano. Meanwhile in Kai, Nobutora decides to conquer Shinano since the alliance with Imagawa enabled him to be off-guard about the southern border. In Shinano, Kansuke happens to meet again Heizo. Heizo is with his current master Sanada Yukitaka, who rules a small area of Shinano. The army of Takada leaves Kai and Harunobu also heads to Shinano for his maiden battle. At the news that Takeda’s troops are advancing on the Unnokuchi castle, Kansuke is sent to the castle as a messenger of Sanada.

The army of the Takeda clan besieges the Unnokuchi castle. Kansuke gives advice to the warlord of the castle and help him defend the castle from the 8000-person army. Harunobu Takeda has come to the battlefield for his maiden battle but cannot participate in the battle being deployed in the rear. After one month of struggle, Takeda Nobutora decides to retreat since his troops are about to run out of provisions and it has started to snow. The warlord of the Unnokuchi castle and his warriors are delighted to see the Takeda army leave. Kansuke advises them to keep vigilant but they start drinking believing that they have won. After a while, Harunobu returns with his 300-person troop.

Harunobu has taken the Unnokuchi castle by surprise. Kansuke appears in front of Harunobu, resigned to being killed. Harunobu puts his sword on Kansuke’s neck but leaves him alive, only declares that he has decapitated Kansuke. Three years later, Takeda allies with Suwa, a ruling clan of Shinano, and Harunobu’s younger sister Nene marries into the Suwa clan. Meanwhile, Nobutora openly shows his intention to expel Harunobu. Harunobu reveals to his right-hand man Itagaki that he is determined to oust the father from Kai.

Itagaki secretly works on persuading major Takeda retainers and the Imagawa clan to support Harunobu. Unaware of the conspiracy against him, Nobutora leaves Kai for Suruga invited by Yoshimoto Imagawa—the head of the Imagawa clan has chosen to side Harunobu and agreed to confine Nobutora in his domain forever. Kansuke, who has been in Suruga still masterless, is sent to bring Nobutora by order of Yoshimoto.

Harunobu declares in front of his retainers and his brother Nobushige that Nobutora is expelled. As the younger brother who was Nobutora’s favorite supports Harunobu’s decision, the retainers are united in aiding Harunobu as the clan’s new leader. Nobutora comes back from Suruga and sees Harunobu’s army is lined on the border. After a vain attempt to reenter Kai Domain, Nobutora realizes that he is expelled. Kansuke comes to take Nobutora to the capital of Suruga. On their way, the malice against Nobutora crosses on Kansuke’s mind. However, Kansuke’s anger dissipates when he sees Nobutora fall from a horse and show miserable senility.