In the year 1882, Sanshirou travels to Tokyo in search of a qualified martial arts instructor. There, he encounters Yano, a judo expert who defeats 39 jujitsu practitioners on his own. Sanshirou is so fascinated by his ability that he decides to become his pupil. Later, Sanshirou falls in love with Sayo Murai, a girl whose father is a martial arts instructor at the local police department, and he must also deal with Higaki Gennosuke, a superb jujitsu fighter and his main adversary. Based on Tsuneo Tomita's novel, which was made into a 1943 film by a young Akira Kurosawa.