Synopsis:
Cowritten by star Shintaro Katsu, this adventure pits Zatoichi against one of his most diabolical foes: a blind yakuza boss whose reign of terror and exploitation has made him nearly mythic. Guest starring the legendary Tatsuya Nakadai as a ronin haunted by a traumatic past, and featuring an unforgettable nude swordfight in a bathhouse, this twenty-first entry in the series is a fan favorite.Read More »
Martial Arts
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Kenji Misumi – Zatôichi abare-himatsuri AKA Zatoichi Goes to the Fire Festival (1970)
1961-1970ActionJapanKenji MisumiMartial Arts -
Kazuo Mori – Zatôichi goyô-tabi AKA Zatoichi at Large (1972)
1971-1980ActionJapanKazuo MoriMartial ArtsSynopsis:
Blind masseur and master swordsman Zatoichi finds a robbed and fatally wounded pregnant woman, whose baby he delivers before she dies. He takes the baby in search of its father and finds the child’s aunt, who is about to be forced into prostitution for want of a payment the dead mother was bringing. Zatoichi determines to save the woman from her fate.Read More » -
Yôjirô Takita – Mibu gishi den AKA When the Last Sword Is Drawn (2002)
2001-2010DramaJapanMartial ArtsYôjirô TakitaKanichiro Yoshimura is a Samurai and Family man who can no longer support his wife and children on the the low pay he receives from his small town clan, he is forced by the love for his family to leave for the city in search of higher pay to support them. In his search he joins a notorious clan, known as the Shinsengumi where he does as much as possible to get money. Looked at as a money grubber,Yoshimura proves his strength physically and mentally by being loyal to his honor. During the dramatic period, with the rise of the Emperor and the fall of the Shogun. Yoshimura shows us the struggle of life in a personal way, by changing the lives of the people he meets and the way life is looked at.Read More »
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Shintarô Katsu – Shin Zatôichi monogatari: Oreta tsue AKA Zatoichi in Desperation (1972)
1971-1980ActionJapanMartial ArtsShintarô KatsuSynopsis:
When the legendary blind swordsman attempts to make up for his role in the death of an elderly woman by rescuing her daughter from a life of prostitution, he soon finds himself beset by deadly foes on all sides in this entry in the long-running swordplay series directed by Zatoichi himself, Shintaro Katsu. Upon arriving in a small town in search of the old woman’s daughter, Nishikigi, Zatoichi discovers that the beautiful young woman is the most popular prostitute in the brothel. In a desperate bid to collect the money needed to steer the sinful Nishikigi from a life between the sheets, Zatoichi hustles a local Yakuza gang who don’t take kindly to his profitable ruse. Now facing the wrath of the local Yakuza boss, a deadly swordsman, and Nishikigi’s jealous lover, Zatoichi faces the fight of his life.Read More » -
Kimiyoshi Yasuda – Zatôichi hatashi-jô AKA Zatoichi and the Fugitives (1968)
1961-1970ActionJapanKimiyoshi YasudaMartial ArtsSynopsis:
Blind masseur and master swordsman Zatoichi becomes involved with a gang of bandits hiding out in a small village. While they hide in the attic of a silk mill, they manipulate the corrupt chief official of the town. Simultaneously Zatoichi tries to rescue a young woman from the sweatshop conditions of the mill. Eventually he must confront not only the leaders of the town but the outlaw gang in battle.Read More » -
Kenji Misumi – Zatoichi Jigoku tabi AKA Zatoichi and the Chess Expert (1965)
1961-1970ActionJapanKenji MisumiMartial ArtsSynopsis:
Zatoichi makes friends with a dangerous chess player, while fending off angry yakuza and bloodthirsty relatives out for revenge, and trying to save a sick child. Meanwhile, his luck with dice is turning…Read More » -
Tokuzô Tanaka – Zatoichi no uta ga Kikoeru AKA Zatoichi’s Vengeance (1966)
1961-1970ActionJapanMartial ArtsTokuzô TanakaSynopsis:
Zatoichi comes upon a dying man who asks him to give a bag of money to “Taichi”. Zatoichi has no idea who this is but when he comes upon a small town harassed by gangsters, he finds that “Taichi” was the man’s young son. Along his travels he also met a blind monk who makes Zatoichi question his murderous lifestyle. In trying to help the town, Zatoichi kills some gangsters and becomes a hero to the boy. He must make a choice of whether to use non-violence and set a good example, or violence and set the boy on the wrong path in life.Read More » -
Kazuo Mori – Zatoichi sakate giri AKA Zatoichi and the Doomed Man (1965)
1961-1970ActionJapanKazuo MoriMartial ArtsSynopsis:
Blind swordsman Zatoichi, jailed briefly, is implored by another prisoner to aid him in proving his innocence of a crime for which he is sentenced to death. Zatoichi is reluctant to get involved, because he knows how often such involvement has led to trouble in the past. But events conspire to thrust him repeatedly into involvement, and gradually he comes to believe in the man’s innocence and determines to free him.Read More » -
Kenji Misumi – Zatôichi kesshô-tabi AKA Fight, Zatoichi, Fight (1964)
1961-1970AdventureJapanKenji MisumiMartial ArtsSynopsis:
Fight, Zatoichi, Fight finds our favorite masseur and swordsman once again on the run. This time, he’s being pursued by a ruthless band of samurai who have been hired to kill him. Thinking they’ve got Zatoichi cornered, they instead kill a young woman, who is returning to her husband with her infant son. Ichi, feeling responsible for the woman’s death, resolves to deliver the child safely into the arms of its father.Read More »