Zatoichi the Fugitive (1963)
"Zatôichi kyôjô-tabi" (original title)

A yakuza gang targets the blind masseur Zatoichi after he defeats their group in a wrestling match. Meanwhile a long lost love of Zatoichi's returns to his life.

Director:

Tokuzô Tanaka

Writers:

Seiji Hoshikawa, Kan Shimosawa (story)

Stars:

Shintarô Katsu, Miwa Takada, Masayo Banri

Cast

Credited cast:
Shintarô Katsu	...	Zatoichi
Miwa Takada	...	Nobu
Masayo Banri	...	Tane
Jun'ichirô Narita
Katsuhiko Kobayashi
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Tôru Abe	...	Boss Yagiri Tokyuro
San'emon Arashi
Yuuji Hamada	...	(as Yûji Hamada)
Jutarô Hojo
Sumao Ishihara
Jun Katsumura	...	Wrestling yakuza
Koichi Mizuhara	...	Boss Unosuke
Yasuhiro Mizukami	...	Boss Tamamura
Sachiko Murase	...	Maki
Hiroshi Nawa

Storyline

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.

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Plot Keywords:

samurai | zatoichi | katana | sequel | sword fight | 

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Genres:

Drama | Adventure | Action

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Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

10 August 1963 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Zatoichi the Fugitive

Company Credits

Production Co:

Daiei Studios

Technical Specs

Runtime:

86 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Followed by Zatoichi the Outlaw (1967)

User Reviews

MASSEUR ICHI, THE FUGITIVE - Slow and stately early Zatoichi

MASSEUR ICHI, THE FUGITIVE (1963) is the fourth in the series of Japanese swordplay films devoted to the exploits of Zatoichi, the blind swordsman whose super-hearing and sensitivity enabled him to perform impressive feats of derring-do. This entry is somewhat slower-paced and less action-packed than would become the norm in later Zatoichi films (which would continue to be produced through 1973). There is only one major swordfight, near the very end, but at least it's a spectacular one, with Zatoichi (Shintaro Katsu) slashing opponents right, left, front and back, although the spurting bloodshed which would soon become a distinct feature of samurai films is noticeably absent here. Zatoichi himself is also considerably less superhuman than he appears in later films.

Instead, the emphasis is Zatoichi's role as mediator in a conflict between gang bosses in a town he is visiting solely to pay respects to the mother of a gang member he'd killed who'd been seeking the ten gold coin bounty on Zatoichi's head. The complex interrelationships among the characters center chiefly around two young women, one of them a former lover of Zatoichi's who is now the wife of a sword-for-hire seeking to sell his services to one of the wily bosses. Zatoichi sides with the underdog, Sakichi, who'd reluctantly inherited his father's territory but would rather marry the other young woman, Onobu (Miwa Takada), the pretty young daughter of the innkeeper, a once-powerful gang boss bearing a powerful grudge because he'd lost his territory to Sakichi's father. The gang bosses pressure the vulnerable Sakichi to use Zatoichi's trust to set a trap for him. The stage is then set for a series of confrontations that culminate in the final battle.

It may be slow going for most action and swordplay buffs, but it has a formal beauty that later films in the series dispensed with in favor of more visceral thrills. The polished camerawork, largely on location, gives us stately compositions focused on the characters and their relationships. A sparing score by venerated composer Akira Ifukube adds a touch of class. Samurai films of the time routinely boasted such visual and aural elegance long before the audience demanded more bloodshed and a more excessive approach in later films (see, especially, the "Lone Wolf and Cub" series).