
No. 2 in the series. The actor Matsumoto Kōshirō V (1764–1838) is presented as the chivalrous townsman Banzui Chōbei. We see him after arriving in his palanquin (a small boxlike carriage carried by attendants) at the execution ground near Shinagawa, where the handsome murderer Shirai Gonpachi is being attacked by a band of robbers. After Gonpachi defeats the robbers with his elegant swordsmanship, Chōbei approaches Gonpachi and the two men become friends.