Japanilaisia satuja

In an age when forests still whispered of elves, giants, and dragons, a bold young warrior set out to find adventure beyond his familiar lands. After days of wandering he stumbles upon a desolate mountain peak, where a crumbling temple offers shelter for the night. In the dead of night the silence shatters with the eerie chant of phantom cats performing a macabre dance, warning that Shippeitaro must not be heard. The next morning the villagers reveal a grim tradition: each year a mountain spirit demands a maiden’s sacrifice, to be placed in the ruined sanctuary at dusk.

Determined to defy fate, the warrior asks about Shippeitaro and learns it is a magnificent, loyal dog owned by a nearby lord. After a tense negotiation the lord reluctantly entrusts the hero with the canine for a single night, hoping it will aid his quest. With the dog at his side, the warrior hurries back to the village, preparing a plan to protect the innocent girl before darkness falls.