This manga combines the storylines of Zatoichi's Vengeance by Tokuzo Tanaka and Zatoichi's Pilgrimage by Kazuo Ikehiro.
In The Ballad of Zatoichi, the blind swordsman enacts a dying man's final wish to deliver money to his son, "Taichi." Along his journey, he meets a blind monk who challenges his violent tendencies and defends a town threatened by gangsters. Zatoichi must choose between protecting the town or continuing his journey.
Meanwhile, in Zatoichi's Pilgrimage, Zatoichi is forced to kill a young man during an ambush in a village. He later encounters Okichi, the sister of his victim, and despite her initial anger towards him, the two fall in love.
