Tadanage Tokugawa is a grandson of the first Tokugawa shogun Ieyasu Tokugawa. While in power as the the daimyo of Suruga he sets up a sword tournament in which the two main characters have to face each other. Unconventional about this contest is that real swords are used by the contestants as opposed to wooden swords.

The story begins in 1629 Shizuoka during Tokugawa Tadanaga's rule. The daimyo staged a tournament where the participants fought with real steel Japanese swords rather than bokken, against his vassals' strong objection. The story revolves around the first match between the one-armed swordsman Fujiki Gennosuke and the blind samurai Irako Seigen and deals with the circumstances that led the two to participate in Tokugawa's tournament. 
(Source: Wikipedia)

Two damaged warriors wear the scars of a twisted and violent past. Bitter rivals for the secrets of their master's sword and the right to his daughter, these samurai inflict wounds on each other that would destroy lesser men. The final chapter of their saga unfolds within a brutal samurai tournament, a gruesome contest arranged to satisfy the bloodlust of a cruel tyrant overlord. 
 
The disfigured legends of the blade must summon the strength for one last battle - a final lesson in the artistry of violence where nothing is more beautiful than the kill. 
 
(Source: Funimation)

Tadanaga Tokugawa