The Hakkenden is a sprawling samurai epic with supernatural elements. During the civil wars of the 15th century, Lord Satomi offers his daughter's hand to whomever brings him the head of a rival lord. His dog Yatsufusa appears with the head, and Princess Fuse insists on honouring the bargain. Their unnatural union bears fruit, but when they are both killed, the eight unborn pups are reincarnated as the eight Dog Warriors - The Hakkenden. These disparate ronin are linked to eight crystal beads from Fuse's shattered Buddhist rosary, each of which is inscribed with one of the traditional Confucian virtues: Brotherly Affection, Filial Piety, Faith, Loyalty, Wisdom, Proper Form, Duty, Sympathy. Although the Dog Warriors share a common destiny, they usually act in twos and threes, rather than as a group, when they battle corrupt and drunken lords, ghost-soldiers, a cat-demon, and the spell cast by an enchanted flute. The tangled story line offers the requisite duels, battles, tearful separations, reunions, and defiant stances, plus a number of otherworldly visions, including a mysterious figure with a scarlet parasol, magic beads, crimson pinwheels, and a blizzard of symbolic cherry blossom petals.