Zatoichi sekisho yaburi (1964)

Director:

Kimiyoshi Yasuda

Writers:

Shozaburo Asai (writer)
Kan Shimosawa (story)

Release Date:

30 December 1964 (Japan)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Drama

Plot:

Blind swordsman/masseuse Zatoichi befriends a young woman looking for her father, a village leader who has disappeared...

Plot Keywords:

Zatoichi | Katana | Samurai | Sword | Daruma Doll

Cast

Shintarô Katsu	...	Zatoichi
Miwa Takada	...	Saki
Eiko Taki	...	Sen
Kichijiro Ueda	...	Boss Jinbei
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Daimaru	...	Zany Entertainer
Mikijiro Hira	...	Gounosuke
Gen Kimura	...	Yakuza dice thrower
Akitake Kôno	...	Intendant Gorota Kajima
Koichi Mizuhara	...	Kamazo
Ikuko Môri	...	Hanokama
Rocket Nakata	...	Zany Entertainer
Teruko Omi	...	Daruma maker's wife

Also Known As:

Adventures of Zatoichi (USA)
Adventures of a Blind Man
Blind Swordsman: The Adventures of Zatoichi

Runtime:

86 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Company:

Daiei Studios

Goofs:

Continuity: Throughout the film, Zatoichi's hair length and the darkness around his eyes changes from scene to scene or sometimes within the same scene.

Movie Connections:

Follows Zatoichi kyojo tabi (1963)

one of the best Zatoichi films

I love the Zatoichi movies, though I have found that because they made so many and the plots tended to blend together so often, it is hard to distinguish them apart. I would give all of them about the same score of a 7 or an 8--with a few exceptions (the return of the original in 1989 was a TERRIBLE and depressing movie, while the new Zatoichi movie starring Beat Takeshi is probably the best of any Zatoichi movies).

Of the original Zatoichi films, this is probably my second favorite film. The two women he helps and the interconnectedness of their stories make this a much better than average blind swordsman movie. Give it a watch.