Zatoichi's Vengeance (1966) Zatoichi no uta ga kikoeru (original title)

Director:

Tokuzô Tanaka

Writers:

Kan Shimosawa (story)
Hajime Takaiwa (scenario)

Release Date:

3 May 1966 (Japan)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Promising to make a delivery for a dying man, the blind swordsman Zatoichi comes across the usual crime gangs but also meets a blind monk who brings into question his use of violence.

Plot Keywords:

Zatoichi | Thirteenth Part | Sequel | Katana | Sword Fight

Cast

Shintarô Katsu	...	Zatoichi
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Shigeru Amachi	...	Genpachiro Kuroda
Jun Hamamura	...	Blind Biwa Priest
Gen Kimura	...	Tamekichi
Kanae Kobayashi	...	Tamekichi's mother
Koichi Mizuhara	...	Joshuya
Mayumi Ogawa	...	Cho / Shino
Kei Satô	...	Boss Gonzo

Directed by
Tokuzô Tanaka

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Kan Shimosawa		story
Hajime Takaiwa		scenario

Original Music by
Akira Ifukube

Cinematography by
Kazuo Miyagawa

Film Editing by
Kanji Suganuma

Production Design by
Yoshinobu Nishioka

Production Companies

• Daiei Studios

Distributors

• Daiei International Films (1966) (USA) (subtitled)
• Home Vision Entertainment (HVE) (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Janus Films (USA) (subtitled)
• Nihon Eiga Satellite Broadcasting (2007) (Japan) (TV)

Also Known As:

"Zatoichi no uta ga kikoeru" - Japan (original title)
"Zatoichi #13: Zatoichi's Vengeance" - USA (DVD title)

Runtime:

83 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Company:

Daiei Studios

Movie Connections:

Followed by Zatoichi Meets the One-Armed Swordsman (1971)

Zatoichi soul searching

This entry in the series begins with a hilarious scene wherein a Zatoichi suffering from a cold is surrounded by a gang of thugs. The usual occurs and the coup de grâce is delivered with a sneeze!

But the most interesting character in the film is the traveling, blind, pipa-playing priest. The priest is uncommonly wise and quickly takes the measure of Zatoichi. Zatoichi is pronounced to be a 'chuto hampa', belonging neither to common folk who look down upon him as a cripple, nor to the blind community because of his extraordinary abilities. This explains Zatoichi's loneliness, which is a common theme throughout the series. The priest extols Zatoichi to put away the sword. And Zatoichi does at one point, enjoying a meal in the forest with the blind priest, carrying a normal cane. Zatoichi's samurai rival draws near, and Zatoichi confesses that he is afraid.

True, in the end there is no catharsis. The film concludes with the normal string of confrontations with gang members and a showdown with the samurai. Still, there is a level of feeling and introspection in this film that continues on into the next film in the series. This compelling blend of humor, human struggle, and violence is sure to please a wide audience.