Director: Akira Inoue
Writers: Minoru Inuzuka, Kan Shimosawa (story)
Stars: Shintarô Katsu, Norihei Miki and Mikiko Tsubouchi
Genre: Action | Adventure | Drama
Origin: Japan
Plot:
Itinerant masseur and master swordsman, the blind Zatoichi, is near the village of his teacher, Hikonoichi, so he decides to visit. He learns of Hikonoichi's recent robbery and murder and the imprisonment of his virginal daughter, Osayo, in a brothel. Through friendship with Denroku, a local dice thrower and devoted father, Ichi uncovers an unholy alliance between the governor and the area strongman: among their scams is falsifying tax records to put farmers in debt, then forcing their daughters into prostitution at the boss's brothel. With help from Denroku's daughter, Otsuru, Ichi comforts Osayo until he can provoke showdowns with the villains and their henchmen.
Director: Kimiyoshi Yasuda
Writers: Shozaburo Asai, Kan Shimosawa (story)
Stars: Shintarô Katsu, Miwa Takada and Eiko Taki
Genre: Action | Adventure | Drama
Origin: Japan
Plot:
Blind swordsman/masseuse Zatoichi befriends a young woman looking for her father, a village leader who has disappeared. As he helps her investigate the disappearance, Zatoichi also becomes involved with another young woman who is trying to help her brother, who has murdered someone at about the same time and place as the missing man was last seen.
Director: Kenji Misumi
Writers: Seiji Hoshikawa, Kan Shimosawa (stories)
Stars: Shintarô Katsu, Nobuo Kaneko and Gen Kimura
Genre: Action | Adventure | Drama
Origin: Japan
Plot:
Blind swordsman/masseuse Zatoichi befriends a young woman returning home with her baby. When gangsters mistake her for Zatoichi and kill her, Zatoichi determines to escort the baby to its father. He gains the reluctant help of a young pick pocket and together they travel to find the baby's father. But they do not reckon on the father's reaction to their arrival, nor on their own growing feelings for the child.
Director: Kazuo Ikehiro
Writers: Shozaburo Asai, Minoru Inuzuka
Stars: Shintarô Katsu, Tatsuo Endô and Takashi Etajima
Genre: Action | Adventure | Drama
Origin: Japan
Plot:
Blind masseur Zatoichi is nursed back to health by a young woman after he is shot by a gang member. Zatoichi, who had come to the village to repay a debt, now feels further indebted. He commits himself to use his amazing sword skills to help the young woman's father, whose river-crossing service is under attack by the same gang responsible for Zatoichi's wounds.
Director: Kazuo Ikehiro
Writers: Shozaburo Asai, Akikazu Ota, and 1 more credit »
Stars: Shintarô Katsu, Shôgo Shimada and Mikiko Tsubouchi
Genre: Action | Drama
Origin: Japan
Plot:
Zatoichi is mistaken for a thief. To clear his name he must find and defeat the real villain.
Director: Kimiyoshi Yasuda
Writers: Minoru Inuzuka, Kan Shimosawa (story)
Stars: Shintarô Katsu, Shiho Fujimura and Ryuzo Shimada
Genre: Action | Adventure | Drama
Origin: Japan
Plot:
Blind swordsman/masseuer Ichi (or "Zatoichi") is asked by a dying man to deliver the maiden Mitsu (or "Omitsu") to her family in Edo, and Zatoichi feels honor-bound to do so. But rival gangs each have an interest in kidnapping the girl for ransom. Zatoichi joins with one of the gangs when the other gang captures Mitsu, but he then finds that to rescue her, he must fight both gangs.
Director: Tokuzô Tanaka
Writers: Seiji Hoshikawa, Kan Shimosawa (story)
Stars: Shintarô Katsu, Miwa Takada and Masayo Banri
Genre: Drama | Adventure | Action
Origin: Japan
Plot:
Blind swordsman/masseur Ichi (known as Zatoichi, or "Masseur Ichi") angers a local yakuza gang when he defeats several of them in a wrestling match. When he finds that his long lost love Tane is nearby and romantically involved with a tough samurai in the employ of the gang, he remains in the village. Meanwhile, the young heir to the leadership is forced to confront his own fear and weakness when the gang insists he fight Ichi.
Director: Tokuzô Tanaka
Writers: Minoru Inuzuka, Kan Shimosawa (story)
Stars: Shintarô Katsu, Mikiko Tsubouchi and Seizaburô Kawazu
Genre: Action | Drama
Origin: Japan
Plot:
Blind masseur and master swordsman, Zatoichi, is tired of killing. He journeys to his old village looking for peace, but is pursued by the brother of Boss Kanbei, a man he's killed. Back home, Ichi connects with Banno, his teacher, who seeks prestige and has arranged for his younger sister, Yayoi, to marry into a wealthy samurai family. Ichi and Yayoi realize they are in love, but Ichi's request for her hand meets with Banno's derision. Ichi is also drawn into Banno's plot to kidnap the son of a wealthy man, ostensibly to aid the Mito Goblins, a gang of thieves on the run; but Banno wants to keep the ransom. Ichi wants harmony and love, but can he escape a destiny of violence?
Director: Kazuo Mori
Writers: Minoru Inuzuka, Kan Shimosawa (story)
Stars: Shintarô Katsu, Yaeko Mizutani and Masayo Banri
Genre: Action | Adventure
Origin: Japan
Plot:
Blind swordsman/masseur Zatoichi is pursued by the retainers of a lord who fear that he will reveal a secret weakness of their master. Returning to the village where a year before he had killed Hirate, a much-admired opponent, Zatoichi encounters another swordsman and former rival in love: his own brother. He must face in combat not only the pursuing retainers but his own flesh-and-blood.
Director: Kenji Misumi
Writers: Minoru Inuzuka (screenplay), Kan Shimosawa (short story)
Stars: Shintarô Katsu, Masayo Banri and Ryuzo Shimada
Genre: Action | Adventure | Drama
Original title: Zatôichi monogatari (1962)
Origin: Japan
Plot:
The adventures of a blind, gambling masseur who also happens to be a master swordsman.
