Kanichiro Yoshimura has escaped a famine in northern Japan and found himself work as a guardian in the Imperial Capital. At first scorned by his fellow Samurai, because his first concern is his starving family rather than his duty, Kanichiro nonetheless excels at his job, a peerless swordsman, he shows no fear in the face of battle, and it is not long before his fellow warriors start to understand the true nature of his honour. When The Last Sword Is Drawn is a sumptuous and epic sweep of the end of an era and the last defiant stand of the Samurai code, and justifiable winner of best film at the Japanese film awards in 2003.