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Zatōichi (座頭市) is a fictional character featured in a series of Japanese films, and a television series, set in the Edo period. Zatoichi is seemingly only a blind masseur who wanders around the country, however, he is also a highly skilled swordsman, with his sword concealed within his cane (cane-swords were straight, low-quality blades, which stand no comparison with regular katanas). A recurring theme of both the films and television series episodes concerns Zatoichi protecting the innocent from oppressive warring clans.
The character's name is actually Ichi. Zatō is a title, the lowest of the four official ranks within the Tōdō-za, the traditional guild for the blind, which was abolished in 1871. The three other ranks, in ascending order, were kōtō, bettō, and kengyō. Ichi is therefore properly called Zatō-no-Ichi ("Low-Ranking Blind Person Ichi", approximately), or Zatōichi for short. Giving massages was a traditional occupation for the blind.
The original series of films
The original series of 26 films featured Shintaro Katsu as Zatoichi. The first film was made in 1962 in black and white. The third film, in 1963, was the first to be filmed in colour. The twenty-fifth film was made in 1973, and there was a pause of some 16 years before Katsu's last film, in 1989, which he directed himself.
List of original films
- 座頭市物語 (Zatoichi monogatari or The Tale of Zatoichi (1962))
- 続・座頭市物語 (Zoku Zatoichi monogatari or The Tale of Zatoichi Continues (1962))
- 新・座頭市物語 (Shin Zatoichi monogatari or Zatoichi Enters Again (1963))
- 座頭市兇状旅 (Zatoichi kyojo tabi or Zatoichi, Crazy Journey (1963))
- 座頭市喧嘩旅 (Zatoichi kenka-tabi or Zatoichi on the Road (1963))
- 座頭市千両首 (Zatoichi senryo-kubi or Zatoichi and the Chest of Gold (1964))
- 座頭市あばれ凧 (Zatoichi abare tako or Zatoichi's Flashing Sword (1964))
- 座頭市血笑旅 (Zatoichi kessho-tabi or Fight, Zatoichi, Fight (1964))
- 座頭市関所破り (Zatoichi sekisho yaburi or Adventures Of Zatoichi (1964))
- 座頭市二段斬り (Zatoichi nidan-kiri or Zatoichi's Revenge (1965))
- 座頭市逆手斬り (Zatoichi sakate giri or Zatoichi and the Doomed Man (1965))
- 座頭市地獄旅 (Zatoichi jigoku tabi or Zatoichi and the Chess Expert (1965))
- 座頭市の歌が聞える (Zatoichi no uta ga kikoeru or Zatoichi's Vengeance (1966))
- 座頭市海を渡る (Zatoichi umi o wataru or Zatoichi's Pilgrimage (1966))
- 座頭市鉄火旅 (Zatoichi chikemuri kaido or Zatoichi Challenged (1967))
- 座頭市牢破り (Zatoichi royaburi or Zatoichi: The Outlaw (1967))
- 座頭市血煙り街道 (Zatoichi tekka tabi or Zatoichi's Cane-sword (1967))
- 座頭市果し状 (Zatoichi hatashi-jo or Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman and the Fugitives (1968))
- 座頭市喧嘩太鼓 (Zatoichi kenka-daiko or Zatoichi: Fighting Drums (1968))
- 座頭市と用心棒 (Zatoichi to Yojinbo or Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo (1970))
- 座頭市あばれ火祭り (Zatoichi abare-himatsuri or Zatoichi at the Fire Festival (1970))
- 新座頭市・破れ！唐人剣 (Shin Zatoichi: Yabure! Tojin-ken or Zatoichi and the One Armed Swordsman (1971))
- 座頭市御用旅 (Zatoichi goyo-tabi or Zatoichi at Large (1972))
- 新座頭市物語・折れた杖 (Shin Zatoichi monogatari: Oreta tsue or Zatoichi in Desperation (1972))
- 新座頭市物語・笠間の血祭り (Shin Zatoichi monogatari: Kasama no chimatsuri or Zatoichi at the Blood Fest (1973))
- 座頭市 (Zatoichi or Shintaro Katsu's Zatoichi (1989))
The television series
The television series of Zatoichi ran for four seasons, with Shintaro Katsu filling the lead role:
- 26 episodes, in 1974
- 29 episodes, in 1976
- 19 episodes, in 1978
- 26 episodes, in 1979
The new film
In 2003, Takeshi Kitano produced a new high-budget Zatoichi film, called Zatoichi (座頭市, retitled "The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi" in the United States). Kitano plays the role of the blind swordsman himself. The film's plot follows a traditional theme, with Zatoichi coming to the defence of townspeople caught up in a local gang war, and being forced to pay excessive amounts of protection money. Zatoichi befriends a local farmer, helping her gambling nephew and two geishas who are seeking revenge for the murder of their parents.
The film features computer-generated blood throughout, which is becoming increasingly popular in Asian cinema, as this is cheaper than using practical special effects. It is also notable for the choreography of tap dance troupe The Stripes throughout.
Cast of the new film
External links
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