User Reviews

For all the new Zatoichi fans that were introduced to the story by Beat Takeshi's 2003 adaptation, do yourselves a favor and see the original!

I really wish I could read the movie reviews of this film in Japan in 1962. The story is compelling in many ways and must have been a big surprise to many in Japan. There are two main stories that are poignant and sad in a typical Japanese fashion. The consumptive samurai (Hirate Mike) has fled Edo and is eking out a living as a yojimbo for a rural yakuza boss. Hirate craves an honorable death and only finds solace in the sake bottle. Zaotichi has taken up the sword because he was treated with scorn as a blind masseur. The only lighter moments come in the love interest between Zatoichi and Tane.

I have watched this film numerous times. In the latest viewing i couldn't get over what a scum-ball Tate (Tane's brother) is. He has zero scruples, and at one point practically tells his yakuza elder to rape his sister! Thankfully Tate gets his just desserts in the last scene.

As others have mentioned, Zatoichi's cane sword doesn't see any real action until the fifty- second minute. This is a great film to learn more about Zatoichi's character. In one scene Zatoichi explains why he took up sword training.

This is a great film. The HVE Entertainment DVD is a great way to add this film to your personal film library.

This Zatoichi movie was the first in the long series. As I had seen MOST of the movies before I saw this film, I think my expectations were a bit too high. This is not to say that this is a bad movie--it certainly is not. However, it seems only average when compared with the others. Also, a few scenes were later repeated and so there weren't that many surprises. One scene in particular, where he is gambling and "accidentally" drops the dice OUTSIDE the cup when he is gambling (i.e., every seeing person there sees whether or not the dice are odds or evens before they bet--so it's an apparent "sure thing") has been used at least three times in his movies. Plus, this isn't exactly one of the better scenes, because it makes Ichi look like a cheater and not the defender of the friendless (as he's usually portrayed). Still, it's a solid film throughout.

FYI--if you pay attention, you'll notice that in many scenes Ichi has a shaved head, while in others he has very substantial stubble. Due to editing errors, his hair length goes back and forth during the course of the movie!

From 1962 until 1989, 26 film series and a 100 Japanese television series, some in black and white, were produced.

Similar themes run through the stories yet each seems refreshingly dramatized. The later movies began to use special effects (blood) rather more seriously during sword fights - something I personally think was unauthentic and therefore, unconvincing. But, I still love the stories of the fictional character, Zatoichi.

Subtitles for us who do not understand Japanese is helpful but sometimes simplistic, and often get in the way of appreciating visual story nuance and acting. The solution I could not avoid is to watch the films as often as needed to later watch with minimal or no subtitle help. This is recommended.

So, simplistic subtitles is a good thing because as you watch again, virtually ignoring the easy English, your mind easily sophisticates nuance, subtext, very subtle humor, and your eye can take in the vistas of the Japanese island, the modes of dress, and the differences between classes of people which are story-driving themes.

The culture of the era is easily understood because, for example, women walk like 21st century women models walk: toe first and then foot in front of next foot. However, the action is observed in a way that causes one to think it a cultural standard of the Edo era and not of this century.

Every detail is authentic including the desired sharpness and blink-of-eye swiftness of sword blade that cuts so clean and fast, there is no blood residue on the blade. So when you see a scene and think, "Aw; there's no blood on the blade," with some exceptions, that's how sharp an Edo era swordsman kept the blade – life and death depended on its reliable swift surprise. And so, that is why the use of special effects blood is not authentic. The only exception known to me is when battles lasted for hours because the blade against flesh and bone would dull allowing blood and residue to adhere, somewhat, to the blade. Sharpness of blade was as culturally significant as the mode of a woman's walk.

Returning to benefits of repetition, I've discovered there seem to always be, as part of the story's spine, small but integral roles for children, animals, and music which reveal characters' character, mores, and preferences. Subtle themes transition viewers to subtle/not so subtle humor and events that rally reasons why swordsmen attack Zatoichi.

Zatoichi is a lone Hero living during the Japanese Edo period of 1630 until 1868. Am surmising Zatoichi roamed Japan during the 1820s, 30s, or 40s. This is based on historical accuracies of the films' well-established inns and places to eat along well-marked roads walked by many of the characters behind which is set beautiful Japanese landscapes.

The roadways were vital for communication, to farmers, and others getting goods to markets; roadway paths provided the same purpose as America's Interstate System. The Japanese system included wooden directional sign posts firmly positioned into the ground. Though some directions and names were painted, important city and village directions were carved into the wooden posts.

During the Edo period, politics and peasants were at extreme opposing ends of the spectrums of power and money which always flowed to political coffers by way of taxation, over-taxation, graft, theft, gambling, and debauchery.

The vacuum in the middle created "middle men" who became nationally known as Yakusa: organized criminals who skimmed people's wages, taxes, anything, and took advantage of those who could not defend against their Samurai skills.

Once honorable, but now without a master, they were in need of employment, shelter, and food. Political stability caused changes such that, Samurai, instrumental in stabilizing Japan, were now not needed.

Most were laid off and were known as Ronin. Many became unsavory types who joined or formed a Yakusa. Many held long, lingering anger because of losing the high social status of Samurai.

They were no longer able to live as Samurai or honorable men. Having lost honorable employment, shelter, food, and the brotherhood of honor, they felt unfairly treated and took resent on people unable to resist. At least now, money was available, they were able to eat and sleep somewhere, and serve a Yakusa Boss.

They angrily and unhappily survived the loss of social stature. They began to survive eating their insides out with hatred and jealousy toward anyone better than they, or anyone whom they perceived as acting or even thinking were better than they. Why they did this: they only knew weaponry, martial arts, and war fighting. Their knowledge was more an instinct to survive than it was a will to live. They knew nothing of kindness except through their small window of the Samurai Code which they hypocritically enforced on people who lived as farmers. Once many were honorable Samurai, then Ronin, and now, thugs.

Enter Zatoichi, living amongst the anguish of people in the middle who, lose their lively hoods, lives, happiness, and hopes to antagonistic, evil men.

Zatoichi is blind. An exquisite swordsman. Honorable. Gambler. Traveling masseuse. Regrets his necessary Yakusa relationships but finds hospitality from a few Yakusa Bosses who are also honorable.

He dreams of a peaceful existence, means no harm to anyone, is not mean spirited, is often set upon by rivals who seek his death. He is brought into people lives because of his compassion to help people in need of relief from oppression. He's a sucker for doing the right thing, kids, some animals make him uncertain and he likes to sing and play the shamisen, a musical instrument of 3 stings played with a large plectrum.

And the sword fights! All I can say is, don't mess Zatoichi !! Enjoy these films. I don't know anywhere else to see the TV series except on YouTube; all seem excellent tales. Many are black & white; all I've seen are subtitled.

'The Tale Of Zatoichi (1962)' kicks off a series of twenty-six samurai films, twenty-five of which were made in a timespan of just eleven years. Thankfully, though, it doesn't feel full of set-up; in fact, it feels completely self-contained. That's probably because it was only after the flick's success that its follow-ups were conceived. It's a meditative experience, loosely based on a short story written in 1948, that really takes its time to develop its central character. Shintarô Katsu portrays the blind swordsman with restraint and, when necessary, quick-moving confidence. The narrative takes him from hustling a dice game to denouncing his 'Yakuza' status, dealing with themes of honour and - perhaps surprisingly - friendship along the way. It's these elements, as well as a pseudo romance, that really make their mark, as they're consistently believable and crescendo in a fantastically tragic finale. Of course, the more-infrequent-than-expected sword battles are handled with a realistic speed and definitive finality, too. Basically, they always mean something. The overall experience is an entertaining and affecting one. It is slightly baggy and, even, slow in its mid-section, but it's an enjoyable and uniquely subtle samurai tale nevertheless. Hopefully, it marks the start of a fantastic franchise. 7/10.

Zatoichi is a blind masseur swordsman-yakuza created by novelist Kan Shimozawa, whose written works spawned a film series of 20+ films and few reboots, as well as a TV series. Played by Shintaro Katsu (from Lone Wolf and Cub and Tenchu!), the principal character Ichi ("zato" is a title, signifying a lower-ranking blind man) holds the entire chanbara series on his back. This particular movie was directed by cult chanbara director Kenji Misumi.

The Tale of Zatoichi, although propagated as an action hack-and-slash film, is more of a meditative, talky character-driven jidaigeki gangster drama which reveals a bit of Ichi's past and deals with his sense of justice and hatred of the ruthless gangster underworld to which he belongs himself. He befriends a sick swordsman from the neighboring yakuza clan, but as the tensions between the two clans mount he's forced to fight his friend. There's also a subplot about this asshole who discarded his pregnant lover, leading to her suicide. This guy also has a sister who falls in love with Ichi, but their romance doesn't last long because of his unsteady lifestyle.

This movie is pretty entertaining and has an easy enough plot to follow. The characters are well-written and there's no unnecessary scenes; short, sweet and to the point. It also sports an interesting soundtrack in which traditional music and orchestral pieces collide.

Two things I disliked about it are the dim lighting which makes it hard to distinguish what's going on in several scenes, and uninspired action scenes which pop up at the end. It's just random gangsters going all-out on each other, each time obviously missing each other with their katanas.

The first two films in the series are B&W, so we'll see how the second movie compares. The highlight so far is Ichi cutting a thrown candle vertically in two equal pieces, without extinguishing it.