The Tale of Zatoichi
is a 1962 Japanese chanbara film directed by Kenji Misumi and based on the 1948 essay of the same name by Kan Shimozawa. It is the first installment in a long-running jidaigeki film series starring Shintaro Katsu as the blind swordsman Zatoichi.
Plot
The blind masseur Zatoichi is hired as muscle for the yakuza Sukegoro (Eijiro Yanagi) as he thinks that war is inevitable with his rival Shigezo (Ryuzo Shimada). Zatoichi has a distinguished reputation as a swordsman and Sukegoro thinks that purchasing his services is money well spent. Shigezo responds by hiring a ronin of similar repute, Miki Hirate (Shigeru Amachi).
More details
author | Kan Shimozawa |
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director | Kenji Misumi |
editor | Kanji Suganuma |
genre | adventure |
keywords | disillusion feudal japan fight gamble load massage masseur rōnin tanegashima tuberculosis underestimated |
musicBy | Akira Ifukube |
producer | Ikuo Kubodera |
productionCompany | Daiei Film |
publisher | Daiei Film |
theme | japanese jidaigeki yakuza |