The Tale of Zatoichi
1962 · 96 min · ★ 7.3 · Adventure , Action , Drama
The adventures of a blind, gambling masseur and master swordsman. Zatoichi targets a yakuza-controlled village, because war with a neighbouring town's smaller gang is brewing.
Directed by Kenji Misumi · Written by Minoru Inuzuka
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Provider data from JustWatch via TMDB →Cast
-
Shintarō Katsu Zatôichi -
Masayo Banri Otane -
Ryūzō Shimada Shigezô - H Hajime Mitamura Hanji
-
Shigeru Amachi Miki Hirate -
Michirō Minami Tatekichi -
Eijirō Yanagi Sukegorô - T Toshio Chiba Masakichi
-
Manabu Morita Seisuke - Y Yoshito Yamaji Yahei
- Y Yoichi Funaki Yogoro
-
Eigorō Onoe Rihei
Trailers & Videos
Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman Collection
The Tale of Zatoichi Continues · 1962The Tale of Zatoichi Continues
★ 7.01962
MovieAdventureAction
Returning to the village where a year before he had killed Hirate, a much-admired opponent, Zatoichi encounters another swordsman and former rival in love.
Zatoichi the Fugitive · 1963Zatoichi the Fugitive
★ 6.91963
MovieAdventureAction
After arriving in the town of Shimonita, Ichi finds that a price has been put on his head by a local yakuza boss. He's drawn into a trap, but after hearing of the slaying of a former love, Ichi furiously fights his way through the entire clan to face the killer, a hired ronin.
Zatoichi on the Road · 1963Zatoichi on the Road
★ 6.91963
MovieAdventureAction
Zatoichi is sworn to protect the life of a young girl and without any real allies finds himself in the middle of a bloody turf war.
New Tale of Zatoichi · 1963New Tale of Zatoichi
★ 7.01963
MovieActionDrama
Wishing to find peace, Zatoichi travels to his old village but only finds trouble when he ends up in a love triangle and finds old scores have followed him home.
Zatoichi and the Chest of Gold · 1964Zatoichi and the Chest of Gold
★ 6.91964
MovieActionDrama
Ichi travels to the village of Itakura to pay his respects at the grave of Kichizo, a man he killed two years ago. When some tax money is stolen while in transit to the governor he is accused and sets out to find the money and clear his name.
Zatoichi's Flashing Sword · 1964Zatoichi's Flashing Sword
★ 6.91964
MovieActionDrama
Blind masseur Zatoichi is nursed back to health by a young woman after he is shot by a gang member. Zatoichi, who had come to the village to repay a debt, now feels further indebted. He commits himself to use his amazing sword skills to help the young woman's father, whose river-crossing service is under attack by the same gang responsible for Zatoichi's wounds.
Fight, Zatoichi, Fight · 1964Fight, Zatoichi, Fight
★ 6.81964
MovieAdventureAction
Blind swordsman/masseuse Zatoichi befriends a young woman returning home with her baby. When gangsters mistake her for Zatoichi and kill her, Zatoichi determines to escort the baby to its father. He gains the reluctant help of a young pick pocket and together they travel to find the baby's father. But they do not reckon on the father's reaction to their arrival, nor on their own growing feelings for the child.
Adventures of Zatoichi · 1964Adventures of Zatoichi
★ 6.71964
MovieAdventureAction
Blind swordsman/masseuse Zatoichi befriends a young woman looking for her father, a village leader who has disappeared. As he helps her investigate the disappearance, Zatoichi also becomes involved with another young woman who is trying to help her brother, who has murdered someone at about the same time and place as the missing man was last seen.
Zatoichi and the Chess Expert · 1965Zatoichi and the Chess Expert
★ 6.71965
MovieAdventureAction
Zatoichi makes friends with a dangerous chess player, while fending off angry yakuza and bloodthirsty relatives out for revenge, and trying to save a sick child. Meanwhile, his luck with dice is turning.
Zatoichi and the Doomed Man · 1965Zatoichi and the Doomed Man
★ 6.91965
MovieAdventureAction
Blind swordsman Zatoichi, jailed briefly, is implored by another prisoner to aid him in proving his innocence of a crime for which he is sentenced to death. Zatoichi is reluctant to get involved, because he knows how often such involvement has led to trouble in the past. But events conspire to thrust him repeatedly into involvement, and gradually he comes to believe in the man's innocence and determines to free him.
Zatoichi's Revenge · 1965Zatoichi's Revenge
★ 6.61965
MovieAdventureAction
Itinerant masseur and master swordsman, the blind Zatoichi, is near the village of his teacher, Hikonoichi, so he decides to visit. He learns of Hikonoichi's recent robbery and murder and the imprisonment of his virginal daughter, Osayo, in a brothel. Through friendship with Denroku, a local dice thrower and devoted father, Ichi uncovers an unholy alliance between the governor and the area strongman: among their scams is falsifying tax records to put farmers in debt, then forcing their daughters into prostitution at the boss's brothel. With help from Denroku's daughter, Otsuru, Ichi comforts Osayo until he can provoke showdowns with the villains and their henchmen.
Zatoichi's Vengeance · 1966Zatoichi's Vengeance
★ 6.91966
MovieActionDrama
Zatoichi comes upon a dying man who asks him to give a bag of money to "Taichi". Zatoichi has no idea who this is but when he comes upon a small town harassed by gangsters, he finds that "Taichi" was the man's young son. Along his travels he also met a blind monk who makes Zatoichi question his murderous lifestyle. In trying to help the town, Zatoichi kills some gangsters and becomes a hero to the boy. He must make a choice of whether to use non-violence and set a good example, or violence and set the boy on the wrong path in life.
Zatoichi's Pilgrimage · 1966Zatoichi's Pilgrimage
★ 7.11966
MovieDramaAction
Zatoichi's trek through 88 temples to atone for his violent past is interrupted as he stumbles into a village terrorized by a violent yakuza boss.
Zatoichi Challenged · 1967Zatoichi Challenged
★ 7.01967
MovieAdventureAction
Ichi is staying at an inn when a woman dies. Her dying wish is that Ichi take her son to his father, an artist living in a nearby town. After arriving in the town, Ichi finds out that the father has been forced by a local boss to create illegal pornography to pay off his gambling debts. Ichi makes it his mission to save the man and reunite the family, even though it brings him into conflict with a samurai he sort of befriended on his way to the town.
Zatoichi the Outlaw · 1967Zatoichi the Outlaw
★ 6.71967
MovieAdventureAction
When a local gambling house kidnaps some peasants because they failed to pay their debts, a rival gambling house pays their debts and sets them free.
Zatoichi's Cane Sword · 1967Zatoichi's Cane Sword
★ 7.41967
MovieAdventureAction
Zatoichi comes upon the town of Tonda, overrun by gangsters. Using one of his favorite techniques, Zatoichi proceeds to win 8 ryo in a rigged gambling game. Of course, the local gangsters attempt to kill him, and the adventure begins. It turns out a blacksmith named Senzo examines Zatoichi's cane sword, and discovers it to be forged by his old mentor. Senzo discovers the sword is at the end of its usefulness and will break when it is used next.
Zatoichi and the Fugitives · 1968Zatoichi and the Fugitives
★ 7.01968
MovieAdventureAction
Zatoichi runs afoul of some evil fugitives, working for a corrupt law official.
Samaritan Zatoichi · 1968Samaritan Zatoichi
★ 6.81968
MovieAdventureAction
Zatoichi is forced to kill a young man who owes a debt to a yakuza boss. Moments later, his sister Osode arrives with the money she earned (prostituting herself) to pay his debts. The bosses true motives are revealed and he attempts to steal Osode even though the debt is paid. Zatoichi realizes his grievous error and protects the girl from the gang. Osode and Zatoichi are caught in a dilemma as she must rely on her brother's killer for protection and Zatoichi wrestles with the injustice he has caused.
Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo · 1970Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo
★ 6.81970
MovieAdventureAction
Zatoichi treks to a village that has always been a favorite spot of his, only to discover that it’s become a living hell, plagued by feuding father and son yakuza as well as the younger crime boss’s bodyguard, scruffy, smart-mouthed, cash-hungry Yojimbo of legend.
Zatoichi Goes to the Fire Festival · 1970Zatoichi Goes to the Fire Festival
★ 6.81970
MovieAdventureAction
The blind masseuse is targeted by the leader of a powerful yakuza group while also fending off a jealous husband bent on revenge. Zatoichi tours Edo's underground via a rousing onsen fight scene, gambling houses and the gender-bending character of Umeji, before a final, flame-filled conflagration.
Zatoichi Meets the One-Armed Swordsman · 1971Zatoichi Meets the One-Armed Swordsman
★ 6.81971
MovieAdventureAction
Zatoichi is a blind massage therapist and swordsman who finds out that something troubling is taking place on the outskirts of town. After discovering who the guilty parties are -- an accomplished Chinese martial artist named Wang Kang and his youthful attendant -- Zatoichi finds them and discovers that the pair's mixed up with a dangerous bunch of terrorist samurai who murdered the boy's parents. Now, Zatoichi must step in to save the day.
Zatoichi at Large · 1972Zatoichi at Large
★ 6.71972
MovieAdventureAction
Blind masseur and master swordsman Zatoichi finds a robbed and fatally wounded pregnant woman, whose baby he delivers before she dies. He takes the baby in search of its father and finds the child's aunt, who is about to be forced into prostitution for want of a payment the dead mother was bringing. Zatoichi determines to save the woman from her cruel fate.
Zatoichi in Desperation · 1972Zatoichi in Desperation
★ 6.61972
MovieAdventureAction
After accidentally causing the death of an old lady, Zatoichi tries to do right by buying the lady’s daughter’s freedom from a brothel - but this causes more problems than solves them.
Zatoichi's Conspiracy · 1973Zatoichi's Conspiracy
★ 7.01973
MovieActionDrama
Zatoichi, the famed blind swordsman, returns to his home village for the first time in many years. He is befriended by Omiyo, who had the same wet-nurse as Zatoichi. He also encounters a boyhood friend, Shinbei, who is now wealthy and appears not to remember Zatoichi. Shinbei seems to be interested in repaying the villagers' debts, but is, in reality, manipulating the ownership of a now valuable rock quarry. Zatoichi learns of the subterfuge and confronts his old friend, who has a score of yakuza swordsmen backing his play.
Zatoichi: Darkness Is His Ally · 1989Zatoichi: Darkness Is His Ally
★ 6.41989
MovieActionDrama
Older, wiser but still a wandering loner, the blind, peace-loving masseur Ichi seeks a peaceful life in a rural village. When he's caught in the middle of a power struggle between two rival Yakuza clans, his reputation as a deadly defender of the innocent is put to the ultimate test in a series of sword-slashing showdowns.
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★ 10.01961
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★ 8.21974
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★ 8.01968
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★ 8.01967
Movie
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★ 8.01972
SeriesDramaCrime
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★ 8.01972
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★ 7.71974
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★ 7.41972
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★ 7.41972
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★ 7.21973
MovieActionCrime
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★ 7.11972
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★ 7.01968
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