Zatôichi senryô-kubi (1964)

Director:

Kazuo Ikehiro

Writers:

Shozaburo Asai (writer)
Akikazu Ota (writer)

Release Date:

14 March 1964 (Japan)

Genre:

Action | Drama

Plot:

Zatoichi is mistaken for a thief. To clear his name he must find and defeat the real villain. Spiffy.

Plot Keywords:

Gold | Horse | Lantern | Samurai | Swordsmen

Cast

Shintarô Katsu	...	Zatoichi
Shogo Shimada
Mikiko Tsubouchi
Machiko Hasegawa
Tomisaburo Wakayama	...	Jushiro (as Jo Kenzaburo)
Tatsuya Ishiguro
Shinjirô Asano
Saburo Date
Hikosaburo Kataoka
Matasaburo Tamba
Toranosuke Tennoji
Koichi Mizuhara
Hiroshi Hayashi
Yûsaku Terajima
Ichirô Takakura

Also Known As:

Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi and the Chest of Gold
Masseur Ichi and the Chest of Gold
Zatôichi 6 (Japan) (informal title)
Zatoichi and the Chest of Gold
Zatoichi's Thousand-Ryo Neck (informal English title)
Zatoichi: A Wanted Criminal for Stealing 1,000 Ryo (literal English title)

Runtime:

83 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Company:

Daiei Motion Picture Company

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in Zato Duling: The Cross-Eyed Swordsman (1969)

Outstanding!

I think this stunning film ranks among the great action films of all time but could be hung as stills in any art museum. Hokusai & Hiroshige influences abound.

Yet best of all is the unforgettable character Zatoichi himself. Shintaro Katsu created an everyman/superhero who had no equal, at least in western culture. A squat, homely, bandy-legged self-deprecating blind man full of humor & humility & an abundance of spirituality. And could he make that sword dance.

These movies have no equal. Each one is as perfectly made as any movie can be. I used to go see them when they first appeared in the theaters of San Francisco & Los Angeles Japanese neighborhoods. I still love them every bit as much now.