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Zatô-Ichi
Samurai Films Series
 | people |
"Zatô-Ichi, The Blind Swordsman" is one of the longest-running series in Japanese cinema history, spanning
26 movies [1962-89], 100 TV episodes [1974-79], and the recent revisionist version by Beat Takeshi.
The character Zatô-Ichi is a 19th century blind nomad who makes his living as a gambler and as a masseur,
and fends off ruffians & evil officials with his very special samurai skills.
Zato-Ichi listings on Internet Movie Database
search videos/DVDs for Zato-Ichi at Amazon.com
Japanese-language Zato-Ichi posters at AllPosters.com
People
actor-producer-director Shintarô Katsu
[real name Okumura Toshio; 1931-97]
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IMDb listing •
Wikipedia
Shintarô Katsu at the Japanese Movie Database
director Kazuo Ikehiro
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IMDb listing •
no entry at Wikipedia
director Akira Inoue
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IMDb listing • no entry at Wikipedia
{Shintarô Katsu's son} actor Takanori Jinnai
IMDb listing
author-performer-director Takeshi 'Beat' Kitano
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browse books •
IMDb listing •
Wikipedia
 |
"Beat Takeshi vs. Takeshi Kitano" [2002] by Casio Abe, translated by William O. Gardner & Takeo Hori Muae/Kaya Press 7½x6 pb [1/2005] for $17.55 |
director Kenjo Misumi [1921-75]
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IMDb listing • no entry at Wikipedia
director Kazuo Mori [1911-89]
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director Kihachi Okamoto [1923-2005]
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IMDb listing •
Wikipedia
director Tokuzo Tanaka
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IMDb listing • no entry at Wikipedia
{Shintarô Katsu's brother} actor Tomisaburo Wakayama [1929-92]
IMDb listing •
Wikipedia
co-starred in Zatoichi # 2 and #6; starred in the 'Lone Wolf & Cub' Samurai Film Series
director Satsuo Yamamoto [1910-83]
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IMDb listing • no entry at Wikipedia
director Kimiyoshi Yasuda
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IMDb listing • no entry at Wikipedia
'Zatôichi, The Blind Swordsman' Series
Based on novels & stories by Kan Shimozawa {not available on Amazon.com 1/2009}
search videos/DVDs for Zatoichi at Amazon
 | "Zatôichi, The Blind Swordsman DVD Collector's Edition Box Set" [2005]
AnimEigo subtitled color DVD box set [3/2005] 7 disks for $88.49 includes "Zatoichi #16: The Outlaw" [1967]; "Zatoichi #20: Meets Yojimbo" [1970] co-starring Toshirô Mifune; "Zatoichi #21: The Festival of Fire" [1970]; "Zatoichi #22: Meets The One-Armed Swordsman" [1971]; "Zatoichi #23: At Large" [1972]; "Zatoichi #24: In Desperation" [1972] directed by Shintarô Katsu; and "Zatoichi #25: Conspiracy" [1973] |
 | "Zatôichi, The Blind Swordsman, 1-4" DVD Box Set [2007] Homevision widescreen b&w DVD [6/2007] 4 disks - out of prodn/used includes "The Tale of Zatoichi" [#1 1962]; "The Tale of Zatoichi Continues" [#2 1962]; "New Tale of Zatoichi" [#3 1963]; and "Zatoichi The Fugitive" [#4 1963] |
 | "Zatôichi, The Blind Swordsman, 5-8" DVD Box Set [2008]
Image Ent. widescreen b&w DVD [12/2008] 4 disks - out of prodn/used includes "Zatoichi On The Road" [#5 1968], "Zatoichi and The Chest of Gold" [#6 1964], "Zatoichi's Flashing Sword" [#7 1964], and "Fight, Zatoichi, Fight" [#8 1964] |
#1 "The Tale of Zatoichi"
aka "Zatôichi Monogatari" [Daiei Japan April 1962]
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A gang leader hires Ichi to fight the consumptive samurai of a rival gang; the two opponents meet while fishing and become friends, but nonetheless are destined to fight to the death.
Directed by Kenji Misumi; script by Minoru Inuzuka; b&w cinematography by Chishi Makiura; martial arts directed by Shohei Miyauchi; starring Shintarô Katsu, Ryuzo Shimada, Shigeru Amachi, Eijirô Yanagi, Masayo Banri, Michio Minami, Manabu Morita & Hajime Mitamura Home Vision widescreen b&w subtitled DVD [5/2002] for $17.99 full credits from IMDb |
#2 "The Tale of Zatoichi Continues"
aka "The Return of Zatoichi"
or "Zoku Zatôichi Monogatari"
[Daiei Japan Oct 1962, USA Oct 1979]
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Pursued by henchmen of a lord with a secret weakness known to Ichi, he takes refuge in the same village as movie #1, where he meets a new rival – his brother.
Directed by Kazuo Mori; script by Minoru Inuzuka; b&w cinematography by Shozo Honda; martial arts directed by Shohei Miyauchi; starring Shintarô Katsu, Yoshie Mizutani, Masayo Banri, Tomisaburo Wakayama, Eijirô Yanagi, Yutaka Nakamura & Sonosuke Sawamura
Home Vision widescreen b&w dubbed DVD [5/2002] for $17.99 full credits from IMDb |
#3 "New Tale of Zatoichi"
aka "Zatoichi Enters Again"
or "Shin Zatôichi Monogatari"
[Daiei March 1963]
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Ichi returns to his home village to rest, but is pursued by the brother a crook that he killed, gets tangled with his teacher's plot to kidnap a wealthy man's son, and then realizes that he and his teacher's soon-to-wed sister are in love.
Directed by Tokuzo Tanaka; script by Minoru Inuzuka; color cinematography by Chishi Makiura; starring Shintarô Katsu, Mikiko Tsubouchi, Chitose Maki, Mieko Kondo & Seizaburô Kawazu
Home Vision widescreen color subtitled DVD [10/2002] for $17.99 Chambara letterboxed color VHS [10/94] out of prodn/used full credits from IMDb |
#4 "Zatoichi The Fugitive"
aka "Zatoichi's Flashing Sword" or "Zatôichi Kyojo Tabi"
[Daiei Aug 1963]
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Ichi defeats several small-town yakuza in a wrestling match; the gang decides to seek revenge, and the insecure heir to the gang is chosen to fight Ichi; Ichi also discovers that his long-lost love is romantically involved with a gang member.
Directed by Tokuzo Tanaka; script by Seiji Hoshikawa; cinematography by Chishi Makiura; starring Shintarô Katsu, Miwa Takada, Masayo Banri, Junichiro Narita & Katsuhiko Kobayashi
Home Vision widescreen color subtitled DVD [10/2002] for $17.99 Chambara letterboxed color VHS [4/98] out of prodn/used full credits from IMDb |
#5 "Zatoichi On The Road"
aka "Zatoichi's Fighting Journey" or "Zatôichi Kenka-tabi"
[Daiei Nov 1963; USA June 1968]
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A dying man asks Ichi to deliver a girl to her family, but two rival gangs plan to kidnap her for ransom.
Directed by Kimiyoshi Yasuda; script by Minoru Inuzuka; cinematography by Shozo Honda; fight choreography by Shohei Miyauchi; starring Shintarô Katsu, Shiho Fujimura, Ryuzo Shimada , Reiko Fujiwara, Matasaburo Niwa, Yoshio Yoshida, Sonosuke Sawamura, Shôsaku Sugiyama & Yutaka Nakamura
Home Vision widescreen color subtitled DVD [10/2002] for $17.99 Chambara letterboxed color VHS [10/94] out of prodn/used full credits from IMDb |
#6 "Zatoichi and The Chest of Gold"
aka "Zatôichi Senryô-kubi" [Daiei Japan March 1964]
 |
A chest containing the tax payment of a village is stolen, and Ichi and a respected gang boss are accused.
Directed by Kazuo Ikehiro; script by Shozaburo Asai & Akikazu Ota; starring Shintarô Katsu, Shogo Shimada, Mikiko Tsubouchi, Machiko Hasegawa & Tomisaburo Wakayama
Home Vision widescreen color subtitled DVD [4/2003] for $17.99 full credits from IMDb |
#7 "Zatoichi's Flashing Sword"
aka "Zatôichi Abare Tako" [Daiei Japan July 1964]
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A gangster shoots Ichi in the back, and the assassin's sister nurses Ichi back to health; when her father's business is attacked by a rival gang, Ichi repays his debt to her.
Directed by Kazuo Ikehiro; script by Shozaburo Asai & Minoru Inuzuka; cinematography by Yasukazu Takemura; starring Shintarô Katsu, Tatsuo Endo, Takashi Etajima, Ryutaro Gomi, Bokuzen Hidari, Naoko Kubo, Mayumi Nagisa, Yutaka Nakamura & Koh Sugita
Home Vision widescreen color subtitled DVD [4/2003] for $17.99 full credits from IMDb |
#8 "Fight, Zatoichi, Fight"
aka "Zatôichi Kesshô-tabi" [Daiei Japan Oct 1964]
 |
Ichi befriends a woman with a baby, and gangsters mistakenly kill her; Ichi and a young pickpocket journey to deliver the baby to its father.
Directed by Kenji Misumi; script by Seiji Hoshikawa & Tetsuro Yoshida; cinematography by Chishi Makiura; starring Shintarô Katsu, Nobuo Kaneko & Hizuru Takachiho
Home Vision widescreen color subtitled DVD [4/2003] for $17.99 full credits from IMDb |
#9 "Adventures of Zatoichi"
aka "Zatôichi Sekisho-yaburi" [Daiei Japan Dec 1964]
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Ichi befriends a woman looking for her father and a woman looking for her brother accused of murder; the two men were last seen at the same place and time.
Directed by Kimiyoshi Yasuda; script by Shozaburo Asai; cinematography by Shozo Honda; starring Shintarô Katsu, Miwa Takada, Eiko Taki, Kichijiro Ueda, Daimaru, Mikijiro Hira, Akitake Kôno & Rocket Nakata
Home Vision widescreen color subtitled DVD [8/2003] for $17.99 Chambara letterboxed color VHS [10/2000] out of prodn/used full credits from IMDb |
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alternate title "Breaking The Gate" 16"x20" poster from Amazon for $41.99 11"x17" poster from Amazon for $36.99 |
#10 "Zatoichi's Revenge"
aka "Zatôichi Nidan-giri" [Daiei Japan April 1965]
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Ichi goes home to visit his teacher and finds the man was robbed & murdered, and his virginal daughter imprisoned in a brothel; he teams with a local dice-thrower to fight the corrupt local governor and his henchmen.
Directed by Akira Inoue; script by Minoru Inuzuka; cinematography by Fujio Morita; starring Shintarô Katsu, Norihei Miki, Mikiko Tsubouchi, Takeshi Katô, Fujio Harumoto & San'emon Arashi
Home Vision widescreen color subtitled DVD [8/2003] for $17.99 Chambara letterboxed color VHS [10/2000] out of prodn/used full credits from IMDb |
#11 "Zatoichi and The Doomed Man"
aka "Zatôichi Sakate-giri" [Daiei Japan Sept 1965]
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Ichi is jailed briefly, where another prisoner asks for help in proving his innocence of a crime for which he is sentenced to death.
Directed by Kazuo Mori; script by Shozaburo Asai; cinema- tography by Hiroshi Imai; starring Shintarô Katsu, Kanbi Fujiyama, Eiko Taki, Masako Myojo, Kenjiro Ishiyama, Ryuzo Shimada & Koichi Mizuhara
Home Vision widescreen color subtitled DVD [8/2003] for $17.99 full credits from IMDb |
#12 "Zatoichi and The Chess Expert"
aka "Zatôichi Jigoku-tabi" [Daiei Japan Dec 1965]
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During a trip to Honshu, Ichi and a chess-loving samurai help a girl accidentally wounded in a brutal sword fight.
Directed by Kenji Misumi; script by Daisuke Itô; cinematography by Chishi Makiura; starring Shintarô Katsu, Mikio Narita, Chizu Hayashi, Kaneko Iwasaki & Gaku Yamamoto
Home Vision widescreen color subtitled DVD [5/2004] for $17.99 Chambara letterboxed color VHS [4/98] out of prodn/used full credits from IMDb • for more chess-related films, click here |
#13 "Zatoichi's Vengeance"
aka "Zatôichi No Uta Ga Kikoeru"
[Daiei Japan May 1966]
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A dying man asks Ichi to give a bag of money to 'Taichi'; Ichi finds the man's young son in the next town, which is controlled by gangsters.
Directed by Tokuzo Tanaka; script by Hajime Takaiwa; cinematography by Kazuo Miyagawa; starring Shintarô Katsu, Shigeru Amachi, Jun Hamamura, Gen Kimura, Kanae Kobayashi, Koichi Mizuhara, Mayumi Ogawa & Kei Sato
Home Vision widescreen color subtitled DVD [5/2004] for $17.99 Chambara letterboxed color VHS [5/95] out of prodn/used full credits from IMDb |
#14 "Zatoichi's Pilgrimage"
aka "Zatôichi Umi o Wataru" [Daiei Japan Aug 1966]
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While on a pilgrimage to 88 shrines to somehow find the meaning of death, Ichi follows a horse into an oppressed village.
Directed by Kazuo Ikehiro; script by Kaneto Shindô; cinematography by Senkichiro Takeda; starring Shintarô Katsu, Michiyo Ookusu, Kunie Tanaka, Hisashi Igawa, Masao Mishima, Jotaro Senba, Ryutaro Gomi, Isao Yamagata & Saburo Date
Region 1 video/DVD not available; full credits from IMDb |
#15 "Zatoichi's Cane Sword"
aka "Zatôichi Tekka-tabi"
[Daiei Japan Jan 1967, USA Aug 1971]
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Ichi wins big in the rigged gambling game, and thugs attempt to get the money back; the town's blacksmith informs Ichi that his sword cane will likely break when next used.
Directed by Kimiyoshi Yasuda; script by Ryozo Kasahara; cinematography by Senkichiro Takeda;
starring Shintarô Katsu, Shiho Fujimura, Yoshihiko Aoyama, Makoto Fujita, Kiyoko Suizenji, Eijirô Tono, Masumi Harukawa, Masako Aboshi, Junichiro Yamashita, Ryutaro Gomi, Fujio Suga, Tatsuo Endo, Ryuji Kita, Eigoro Onoe, Yûsaku Terajima, Gen Kimura & Sachio Horikita
Home Vision widescreen color subtitled DVD [5/2004] for $17.99 full credits from IMDb |
#16 "Zatoichi The Outlaw"
aka "Zatôichi Rôyaburi" or "Zatôichi Breaks Jail"
[Daiei Japan Aug 1967]
 |
The farmers of a village have a benevolent boss, a philosopher-samurai runs a market co-op, and both are beseiged by a gang wanting to take over the land. Ichi removes the gang of thugs, but when he returns a year later, the good boss has gone bad.
Directed by Satsuo Yamamoto; cinema- tography by Kazuo Miyagawa; starring Shintarô Katsu, Rentaro Mikuni, Kô Nishimura, Yuko Hamada, Toshiyuki Hosokawa, Takuya Fujioka, Kenjiro Ishiyama, Saburo Date & Tatsuo Endo
Animeigo widescreen color subtitled DVD [3/2004] for $17.99 Chambara letterboxed color VHS [10/2000] out of prodn/used full credits from IMDb |
#17 "Zatoichi Challenged"
aka "Zatôichi Chikemuri-kaido"
[Daiei Japan Dec 1967, USA April 1970]
 |
A fellow guest dying at an inn asks Ichi to take her son to his father in a nearby town; Ichi finds that the man is an artist forced by the local boss to create illegal pornography to pay off gambling depts.
Directed by Kenji Misumi; script by Ryozo Kasahara; cinematography by Chishi Makiura; starring Shintarô Katsu & Joshiro Konoe
Home Vision widescreen color subtitled DVD [8/2004] for $17.99 Chambara letterboxed color VHS [8/97] out of prodn/used full credits from IMDb |
#18 "Zatoichi and The Fugitives"
aka "Zatôichi Hatashijô" [Daiei Japan Aug 1968]
 |
A gang of sadistic bandits hiding out in the attic of a silk mill manipulate the corrupt chief official of a town; Ichi tries to rescue a young woman from the sweatshop conditions of the mill, and eventually battles both the leaders of the town and the outlaw gang.
Directed by Kimiyoshi Yasuda; script by Kinga Naoi; cinematography by Kazuo Miyagawa; starring Shintarô Katsu, Kayo Mikimoto, Kyosuke Mashida & Takashi Shimura
Home Vision widescreen color subtitled DVD [8/2004] for $17.99 Chambara letterboxed color VHS [10/94] out of prodn/used full credits from IMDb |
#19 "Samaritan Zatoichi"
aka "Zatôichi Kenka-daiko" [Daiei Japan Dec 1968]
 |
Zatoichi is forced to kill a young samurai who owes a debt to a yakuza boss; moments later, the lad's sister arrives with the money. The boss then tries to grab the girl and the money; Ichi realizes his grievous error and protects the girl from the gang.
Directed by Kenji Misumi; script by Kiyokata Saruwaka, Hisashi Sugiura & Tetsuro Yoshida; cinematography by Fujio Morita; starring Shintarô Katsu, Yoshiko Mita, Kô Nishimura & Makoto Satô
Home Vision widescreen color subtitled DVD [8/2004] for $17.99 Chambara letterboxed color VHS [12/98] out of prodn/used full credits from IMDb |
#20 "Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo"
aka "Zatôichi To Yôjinbô"
[Daiei Japan Jan 1970, Toho USA July 1970]
 |
Ichi returns to a favorite village to hide out; the town has been taken over by a merchant & his son rumored to have stolen gold from the shogunate. The boss has hired an enforcer, Yojimbo [Mifune], who is a spy for the shogunate and also in love with the merchant's unwilling mistress. Ichi hires on as the merchant's masseur and buys the woman's freedom with his employer's own money, then finds the stolen gold and sets up a final set of confrontations.
Produced by & starring Shintarô Katsu; directed by Kihachi Okamoto; script by Kihachi Okamoto & Tetsuro Yoshida; cinematography by Kazuo Miyagawa; also starring Toshirô Mifune, Ayako Wakao, Osamu Takizawa, Masakane Yonekura, Shin Kishida, Kanjuro Arashi, Toshiyuki Hosokawa & Shigeru Kôyama
Animeigo widescreen color subtitled DVD [8/2003] for $17.99 Animeigo letterboxed color VHS [11/99] out of prodn/used full credits from IMDb |
#21 "Zatoichi: The Festival of Fire"
aka "Zatôichi Abare-himatsuri" [Daiei Japan Aug 1970]
 |
Ichi rescues one of the women sold at a geisha auction, but she is murdered by a deranged and dangerous rônin, her former husband who now thinks that Ichi slept with her. Ichi also makes an enemy of the local boss, mentors a young pimp wannabee, and falls in love.
Co-produced & written by and starring Shintarô Katsu; directed by Kenji Misumi; cinematography by Kazuo Miyagawa; also starring Tatsuya Nakadai, Reiko Ohara, 'Peter', Masayuki Mori & Kô Nishimura
Animeigo widescreen color subtitled DVD [4/2004] for $17.99 full credits from IMDb |
#22 "Zatoichi Meets The One-Armed Swordsman"
aka "Zatôichi Yabure! Tojin-ken" [Daiei Japan Jan 1971]
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A one-armed swordsman from China arrives in Japan to live at a temple and chances upon a family of Chinese entertainers. A procession of the shogun's samurai orders everyone off the road, but the little Chinese boy runs after a kite and is set upon by a sword swinging samurai; the mother protects her child but she and the father are killed. The one-armed swordsman jumps in and kills a number of them, while the boy runs away. Ichi comes upon the frightened child and decides to take care of him ...
Co-produced by & starring Shintarô Katsu; co-written & directed by Kimiyoshi Yasuda; co-written by Takayuki Yamada; cinematography by Chishi Makiura & Fujio Morita; also starring Yu Wang, Watako Hamaki, Michie Terada, Koji Nambara, Koji Minawara & Toru Abe
Animeigo widescreen color subtitled DVD [7/2004] for $17.99 full credits from IMDb |
#23 "Zatoichi At Large"
aka "Zatôichi Goyô-tabi" [Toho Japan Jan 1972]
 |
Ichi helps an injured woman give birth, but she then dies of her wounds; he takes the child to its father and finds himself in a town controlled by ruthless yakuza.
Co-produced by & starring Shintarô Katsu; directed by Kazuo Mori; written by Kinga Naoi;
cinematography by Fujio Morita; also starring Rentaro Mikuni, Hisaya Morishige, Etsushi Takahashi, Naoko Otani & Osamu Sakai
Animeigo widescreen color subtitled DVD [6/2004] for $17.99 full credits from IMDb |
#24 "Zatoichi In Desperation"
aka "Zatôichi Oreta Tsue"
[Toho Japan Sept 1972, USA Feb 1973]
 |
Dark visuals, dark attitude: Ichi meets a woman on a bridge, who then tragically falls to her death; he finds her daughter to break the news and decides to pay the debt of 50 ryo that keeps the girl bound as a geisha to the local boss.
Co-produced & directed by and starring Shintarô Katsu; script by Minoru Inuzuka; cinematography by Fujio Morita; also starring Kiwako Taichi, Kyoko Yoshizawa, Yasuhiro Koume, Katsuo Nakamura, Asao Koike, Joji Takagi & Masumi Harukawa
Animeigo widescreen color subtitled DVD [8/2004] for $17.99 full credits from IMDb |
#25 "Zatoichi's Conspiracy"
aka "Zatoichi At The Blood Fest"
or "Zatôichi Kasama No Chimatsuri"
[Toho Japan April 1973, USA April 1974]
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Ichi returns to his hometown after a 23-year absence and meets a 'sister', a fellow orphan raised by the same old woman who raised him. At the same time, a childhood friend returns to the village with a nefarious plot to pay off the town's tax debt and then take over the village quarry, the only source of income besides farming.
Co-produced by and starring Shintarô Katsu; directed by Kimiyoshi Yasuda; script by Yoshi Hattori; cinematography by Chishi Makiura; also starring Takashi Shimura, Yukiyo Toake, Eiji Okada, Kei Sato, Yoshio Tsuchiya, Shirô Kishibe, Eri Yokoyama & Tatsuo Endo
Animeigo widescreen color subtitled DVD [8/2004] for $17.99 full credits from IMDb |
#26 "Shintaro Katsu's Zatoichi"
aka "Zatoichi: Darkness Is His Ally"
[Shochiku Japan Feb 1989]
 |
Wandering Ichi befriends a destitute artist samurai who seeks the bounty on Ichi's head and encounters old friends, along with several broad subplots involving the usual evil gang boss, a scarfaced upstart rival gang boss, cheating gamblers, an imprisoned rebel, and a young mother with a huge brood of kids, and a hot-tub seduction by a naked & tattooed young yakuza babe.
Co-produced, co-written & directed by and starring Shintarô Katsu; cinematography by Mutsuo Naganuma; also
starring Kanako Higuchi, Takanori Jinnai, Ryuutarô Gan, Yuya Uchida, Toyomi Kusano, Tsurutaro Kataoka, Miho Nakayama, Ken Ogata & Norihei Miki
Tokyo Shock widescreen color subtitled DVD [2/2004] for $17.99 full credits from IMDb |
Other Films
"Tales of Zatô-Ichi" TV series
[100 episodes; 1974-79]
Produced & directed by and starring Shintarô Katsu
list of episodes at Wikipedia •
series credits at IMDb
 |
Volume 1: episodes 1-5 [1974] on 2 disks
Tokyo Shock subtitled color DVD [11/2005] for $26.99 Volume 2: episodes 6-9 [1974] on 2 disks Tokyo Shock subtitled color DVD [1/2006] for $26.99 Volume 3: episodes 10-13 [1974] on 2 disks Tokyo Shock subtitled color DVD [3/2006] for $26.99 Volume 4: episodes 14-17 [1974] on 2 disks Tokyo Shock subtitled color DVD [6/2006] $26.99 Volume 5: episodes 18-21 [1974] on 2 disks Tokyo Shock subtitled color DVD [8/2006] for $26.99 Volume 6: episodes 21-26 [1974] on 2 disks Tokyo Shock subtitled color DVD [1/2007] $24.99 |
 | "Tales of Zatô-Ichi TV Series Collection" DVD Box Sets [2008-2009] repackaged versions of above, at roughly 50% less than combined price Collection One: 13 episodes on six disks [2008] Tokyo Shock color DVD set [3/2008] for $35.99 Collection Two: 13 episodes (14-26) on six disks [2008] Tokyo Shock color DVD set [5/2008] 6 disks for $35.99 Complete First Season [1974]: 26 episodes on 12 disks [2009] 
Tokyo Shock color DVD set [6/2009] 12 disks {price not known} |
"The Blind Swordsman" documentary [1978
video/DVD not available; credits at IMDb
"Zatôichi: The Blind Swordsman"
[Asahi/Shochiku Japan Sept 2003, Miramax USA June 2004]
 | Script by, directed by & starring Takeshi Kitano; co-starring Tadanobu Asano, Michiyo Ookusu, Yui Natsukawa, Daigoro Tachibana, Yuuko Daike, Gadarukanaru Taka, Ittoku Kishibe, Saburo Ishikura & Kohji Miura; won 5 of 9 nominations for Japanese Academy Award; won Kinema Junpo People's Choice Best Film Award; at end of 2011, holds Japan #22 box office ranking, at $30,874,550 worldwide gross
Miramax Films widescreen color subtitled Blu-ray [9/2009] out of prodn/used P.I.D. import soundtrack CD [5/2006] for $25.28 available for Region 1 only on the double feature DVD with "Sonatine" [1993] Miramax color DVD [11/2004] 2 disks - out of prodn/used full credits at IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia • official movie website white 27"x40" poster from Amazon via third party for $17.99 |
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red 11"x17" poster from Amazon via third party for $8.49 wide black 40"x27" poster no longer available from Amazon wide black 14"x11" poster no longer available from Amazon brown 11"x17" poster no longer available from Amazon |
"Ichi" aka "The Blind Swordswoman"
[Shochiku Japan Oct 2008, USA release not scheduled]
 | A young blind girl who earns her living playing the samisen protects herself with extraordinary sword-fighting skills. Directed by Fumihiko Sori; starring Haruka Ayase, Shido Nakamura, Yôsuke Kubozuka & Takao Osawa
Funimation Prodns widescreen color Blu-ray [12/2009] for $12.99 Funimation Prodns widescreen color DVD [12/2009] for $13.99 full credits at IMDb • Wikipedia entry for actress Haruka Ayase official movie site {in Japanese} • official movie site {in English} |
Books & Audio
The Zatô-Ichi movies are based on novels & stories by Kan Shimozawa
{ not available on Amazon.com, 4/2011 }
 | "Silver Screen Samurai: The Best of Japan's Samurai Movie Posters" [2004] by Cocoro Books of Japan D.H. Publng 10¼x8 pb [2/2004] for $15.56 |
 | "The Samurai Film" [1984] by Alain Silver
Overlook 10x6¾ pb [6/86] for $11.01 Overlook 10x7¾ pb [10/2006] for $20.40 Overlook hardcover [3/84] for $23.95 Overlook 10x8 hardcover [11/2005] for $34.00 |
"Zatoichi's Musical Journey" (CDs of the original film music) Volumes 1, 2 & 3
{ not available at Amazon.com, 7/2007}
L i n k s
fansite about Zatoichi movies 1-16
Japanese-language Zato-Ichi posters at AllPosters.com
Momii Company's Zatoichi fansite
back to Samurai Films Page
Samurai / Period Drama Films entry at Wikipedia
samurai posters catalog at AllPosters.com
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