Ryosuke Shimada

Dans le Japon médiéval, Ichi est une jeune orpheline, aveugle de naissance, qui gagne sa vie en jouant de la musique de village en village. Mais derrière ses airs fragiles se cache un tempérament guerrier. La jeune fille possède notamment un talent exceptionnel dans l’art de manier le sabre, arme qu’elle dissimule dans son bâton de marche.

A short film made before the feature adaptation four years later. A group of men are travelling aimlessly, repeating the chaotic behaviour of "stealing what they want and throwing it away when they don't need it". They kidnap a university student in broad daylight on the streets. The university student is taken in without knowing why, and although he is frightened at first, he gradually becomes fascinated by the pace of the three men, who are somewhat unlikeable. Then, one of the university students accidentally shoots and kills someone. The four set off to dump the body, but their car gets caught at a checkpoint...