IMDb > The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi (2003)
Zatôichi
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The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi (2003) More at IMDbPro »Zatôichi (original title)

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Overview

User Rating:
7.6/10   31,240 votes »
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Director:
Writers:
Takeshi Kitano (screenplay)
Kan Shimosawa (novels)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
6 September 2003 (Japan) See more »
Genre:
Tagline:
His Sword Made Him a Hero... His Courage Made Him a Legend. This Summer, Justice is Blind.
Plot:
The blind masseur/swordsman comes to a town in control of warring gangs, and while bunking with a farming family, he meets two women with their own agenda. Full summary » | Add synopsis »
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
21 wins & 10 nominations See more »
User Reviews:
A magnificent film See more (176 total) »

Cast

  (in credits order)

Takeshi Kitano ... Zatôichi / Ichi (as Beat Takeshi)

Tadanobu Asano ... Hattori Genosuke
Michiyo Ohkusu ... Aunt Oume
Gadarukanaru Taka ... Shinkichi
Daigorô Tachibana ... Geisha Seitaro 'Osei' Naruto

Yûko Daike ... Geisha Okinu Naruto
Yui Natsukawa ... O-Shino, Hattori's Wife
Ittoku Kishibe ... Boss Inosuke Ginzo
Saburô Ishikura ... Boss Tashichi Ogi
Akira Emoto ... Tavern Owner Pops
Ben Hiura ... Tavern Gramps
Kohji Miura ... Lord Sakai
Hideboh ... Dancing Farmer (as The Stripes)
Ron II ... Dancing Farmer (as The Stripes)
Suji ... Dancing Farmer (as The Stripes)
Noriyasu ... Dancing Farmer (as The Stripes)
Makoto Ashikawa ... Carpenter
Tsumami Edamame ... Carpenter
Kosuke Ohta ... Carpenter
Yoshiyuki Morishita ... Carpenter
Naomasa Musaka ... Yakuza Boss on the Country Road
Shoken Kunimoto ... Rival Swordsman
Daigaku Sekine ... Ginzo's Henchman I
Koji Koike ... Boss Funahachi
Koji Kiryu ... Dice Dealer at Funahachi's Joint
Taigi Kobayashi ... Funahachi's Bodyguard
Ayano Yoshida ... Young O-Kinu
Taichi Saotome ... Young O-Sei (Seitaro)
Kanji Tsuda ... Playboy at Home
Ikki Goto ... Kuchinawa Underling 1
Yoshio Nakamura ... Kuchinawa Underling 3
Hiroaki Noguchi ... Kuchinawa Underling 5
Shinichi Nakatsu ... Kuchinawa Underling 2
Toru Yonezu ... Kuchinawa Underling 4
P. Man ... Tavern Customer 4
Al Kitago ... Farmer Boy 1
Omiya no Matsu ... Farmer Boy 2
Tsutomu Takeshige ... Farmer Boy 4
Gambino Kobayashi ... Farmer Boy 5
Sammy Moremore Jr. ... Farmer Boy 6
Muhomatsu ... Farmer Boy with a Spear
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Yasushi Higuchi
Ryûki Kitaoka
Isao Ogura
Masayoshi Ohzeki
Kenji Takechi ... Yakuza
Yôji Tanaka
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Directed by
Takeshi Kitano 
 
Writing credits
Takeshi Kitano (screenplay)

Kan Shimosawa (novels)

Produced by
Shinji Komiya .... line producer
Jack Maeby .... producer (English language version)
Masayuki Mori .... producer: Office Kitano
Chieko Saitô .... planner
Tsunehisa Saitô .... producer: Saitô Entertainment
Masanori Sanada .... co-producer
Takio Yoshida .... co-producer
 
Original Music by
Keiichi Suzuki 
 
Cinematography by
Katsumi Yanagijima 
 
Film Editing by
Takeshi Kitano 
Yoshinori Ohta 
 
Casting by
Takefumi Yoshikawa 
 
Production Design by
Norihiro Isoda 
 
Costume Design by
Yohji Yamamoto 
 
Makeup Department
Kakusei Fujiwara .... special makeup effects artist
 
Production Management
Kensei Mori .... production manager
 
Sound Department
Senji Horiuchi .... sound designer
Akira Nakano .... sound recordist
Kenji Shibazaki .... sound effects
 
Camera and Electrical Department
Hitoshi Takaya .... lighting director
Toshio Watanabe .... still photographer
 
Costume and Wardrobe Department
Kazuko Kurosawa .... costume supervisor
 
Other crew
Marc Handler .... voice director: English version
Marc Handler .... writer: English version
Hideboh .... choreographer: tap dancing (as The Stripes)
Richard Lormand .... publicist: international
Noriyasu .... choreographer: tap dancing (as The Stripes)
Ron II .... choreographer: tap dancing (as The Stripes)
Haru Shôbara .... script supervisor
Suji .... choreographer: tap dancing (as The Stripes)
 

Production CompaniesDistributorsSpecial EffectsOther Companies
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
"Zatôichi" - Japan (original title)
"Takeshi Kitano's Zatoichi" - International (English title) (informal title)
"Zatoichi" - International (English title)
See more »
MPAA:
Rated R for strong stylized bloody violence
Runtime:
116 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 See more »
Sound Mix:

Did You Know?

Trivia:
"Zatô" was the lowest of the four official ranks (kan'i) within the Tôdô-za - the Kyôto-based guild for the blind established early in the Muromachi Period (1336-1573), and abolished in 1871 (the fourth year of the Meiji Restoration). The three other ranks, in ascending order, were "kôtô", "bettô", and "kengyô" - as in Agent Shiranui (1960).See more »
Quotes:
Shinkichi:Aren't you betting?
Zatôichi:I'll just watch for now.
Shinkichi:Watch? But you're blind!
See more »
Movie Connections:

FAQ

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10 out of 10 people found the following review useful.
A magnificent film, 10 May 2010
Author: cjwright79 from Canada

What more is there to say? Zatoichi is a class act, all the way. Time and time again Takeshi Kitano proves himself an honorable, direct, and honest filmmaker. There is no whiff of pretense, nonsense, or any other kind of malodorous sense emanating from this film. All is well when you enter into one of Beat Takeshi's film worlds. It puts all of Western cinema to deep shame, for its trite, condescending, and totally vapid worldviews. That Beat Takeshi is so well-regarded in France and Italy speaks well of cultural refinement of these nations. And to find so few reviews of Takeshi's work in the Western media exposures a gaping void in everybody's understanding of the Eastern hemisphere. The sensible, sane, and helpful ideals of Confucianism permeate this film to its very core. Overall, Zatoichi is essential viewing for anyone who would like to consider themselves even remotely human.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi (2003)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Aunte Oume............ LastAvailableUsername
How would you kill Zatoichi? TheCrowFan84
Showdown between Ronin + Zatoichi an anticlimax alex_barley
Did somebody noticed in the dance scene....... simonasidorin
Name top 5 samurai flicks you've seen LoneWolf6
Shintaro Katsu is rolling around in his grave hooligan17
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