Koichiro Taki

A mysterious thief called "Yami no Kiba" (Fang of Darkness), who sneaks into the residences of the shogunate one after another and steals the shogun's treasures, has been shaking the public authorities. The identity of the thief is Ichibei, a medicine seller whose father was once killed by the shogunate, and his daughter Oasa. Ichibei had been seeking revenge against the official to avenge the death of his father, Sasajima Hyobu, who was a member of the Kurokuchi clan, the official ninja. He was also plotting to seize the gold orca of the Nagoya Castle keep, aiming at the Owari clan that had slain his father. ......

Ichibei teams up with Chief Jindayo of the Goomune (Japan’s gypsies’) in order to steal the shogunate’s solid gold statue of Ieyasu which might bankrupt the central government and complete his revenge against the Tokugawa by toppling them from the seat of power. Meanwhile a mysterious swordsman has entered the area while trying to keep his true identity secret. Will his bloody blade help or hinder Ichibei’s quest for retribution? Will their actions change the course of Japanese history?

Account magistrate Wakisaka Bizen Mamoru asks Yoshibei, the chief priest of Iriya and Myohoji Temple to explore the Sado Gold Mine. They suspect that large amounts of money are being diverted to somewhere else. Yoshibei, a former official secret-head accepts the job and recruits three skilled Karadogumi… Nanikiri, Hayashi, and Kumonryo. In Sado, where the four infiltrate, the magistrate Okubo Hitachi Mamoru who plans to overthrow the shogunate is trying to buy a large number of firearms from Russia.