Hoping to leave violence behind, the blind masseur wanders to a village, where he… Before the true motives of these bosses are revealed, many lives have been lost and ruined, and the good earth has consume blood yet again. Zatoichi is a sightless masseur (massage was one of the few careers open to the blind in samurai-era Japan) who travels in the lowest levels of Japanese society among the yakuza, or organized crime gangs. Sintaro Katsu was an outrageously individualistic actor who became a living legend playing a blind master swordsman, Zatoichi. I'm extremely flabbergasted by the quality of this DVD. When he escapes their samurai, the clan hires Kanbei, the local yakuza boss, to track Zatoichi down and kill him, and Kanbei enlists the aid of his neighbor Sukegoro, the surviving boss from the first film, who has a score to settle. Everyone should watch at least one Zatoichi film or show, and a great place to start is that 3rd film (New Tale of Zatoichi)as Mr. Ellsworth suggests. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 25, 2016, Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 16, 2018, Met all expectations brilliant as other six zatoichi films. It resembles something that might be recorded in a darkened movie theater with a cheap video non HD recorder. Also zatoichi if we’re going to mention zero supernatural elements. Prime members enjoy FREE Delivery and exclusive access to music, movies, TV shows, original audio series, and Kindle books. Zatoichi, whipsawed between love and fate! The Zatoichi stories are set circa 1840, when over two centuries of stable rule by the Tokugawa Shogunate is finally unraveling. His website is Swashbucklingadventure.net. Reviewed in the United States on April 8, 2012. Born Toshio Okumura (奥村 利夫 Okumura Toshio) on 29 November 1931. $456.00. Blind sword / kung fu master... what's not to like? Zatoichi (Shintaro Katsu), wandering the highways, meets an itinerant musician from his hometown of Kasama and decides to return to his old environs. In contrast to Zatoichi, however, this blind man is a mean-spirited and vile human being not shying away from murder to further his ambitions to become the new head priest of the blind community. The blind masseur Zatoichi (Shintaro Katsu) wanders through Japan looking to ply his trade. After the success of Zatoichi Continues, Daiei Motion Pictures finally realized they had a hit series on their hands and pumped up the budget for New Tale, shooting it in vibrant full color. New Zatoichi Tale: The Kasama Blood Festival) is a 1973 Japanese tokusatsueiga (special effects movie) featuringZatoichi who returns to his hometown. Reviewed in the United States on August 21, 2015. To the failed samurai, whom he senses is a gentle man of honor with a deadly disease, Zatoichi offers unconditional friendship. Part of me always wondered how on earth a blind man could use a sword. Free shipping . We know from the first film that Zatoichi is rueful about his violent life, but now we see that he’s thoughtful and reflective as well. Ellsworth’s secret identity is game designer LAWRENCE SCHICK, who’s been designing role-playing games since the 1970s. He played the role of blind masseur Zatoichi in a series of films in 25 movies between 1962 and 1973, starred and directed a 26th in 1989 and played the role in four seasons of a spin-off television series. Zatoichi is a fictional character featured in one of Japan's longest-running series of films, as well as a television series. Written and directed by Kazuo Mori, it’s fast and tight and packs a lot of plot into its 72 minutes; many fans consider it even better than the first one. If you’d prefer to skip the two earlier black-and-white entries, you could easily start the Zatoichi series here. And of course, the swordplay. Zatoichi, having been honor bound to protect the man and his family, must now run against the law. Another Cinema of Swords from Lawrence Ellsworth! Shintaro Katsu stars in this classic samurai television series filled with martial arts action. If you like Kung Fu movies you won't regret getting this. Shintaro Katsu as Suginoichi, The Blind Menace I first encountered the actor Shintaro Katsu back in 2002 when I picked up the first two movies in his long, defining series about the blind masseur/master swordsman Zatoichi. We learn as the story plays out: a gang war is imminent between the yakuza of Iioka and those of the neighboring town of Sasagawa, and the Iioka boss wants Zatoichi on his side to balance out the down-on-his-luck samurai Hirate (Shigeru Amachi) who’s been hired by Sasagawa. From Zatoichi’s musings, we learn that what set him on his life of wandering was the loss of the love of his life, a woman named Ochiyo, who was stolen from him by a man they both despised. But the response to The Tale of Zatoichi was so positive that Daiei Motion Pictures rushed out this sequel to take advantage of it before the audience could forget and move on. While Shintaro Katsu has become famous for playing Zatoichi, it was the role of another blind man which established him as a notable character actor. But how can that be? While the peasants starve, one of the Oyabun, Tomizo, forces them to continue to gamble their way into destitution. Full content visible, double tap to read brief content. shipping: + $34.00 shipping . But Banno, down on his luck, plans to marry Yayoi to a wealthy samurai lord and has no patience for her romantic dreams about Ichi. It all ends in the bloody gang war that both Zatoichi and Hirate had hoped to avoid, but destiny decrees otherwise. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Please try again. Top subscription boxes – right to your door, © 1996-2021, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. Katsu Shintaro, known in the West as Shintaro Katsu, is the enormously talented actor who gave Zatoichi life. 1). That said I always liked the Zatoichi series. It was clear that the first film wasn’t intended as the beginning of a series, since at the end Zatoichi gave up the use of his cane sword and had it buried with his friend, the samurai Hirate. The other pivotal character is Otane (Masayo Banri), a spirited young woman whose brother and ex-boyfriend are in the yakuza but who wants to escape the gang life. Filled with admiration for Asagoro and compassion for the impoverished farmers, Zatoichi lends his bloody skills to advance their cause. After being released from jail on charges of petty theft, Ichi finds himself caught between two rival bands of yakuza, one of whom has obtained a cache of guns from crooked policemen. A genuine fencing master, singer, musician (he invented rap music in the mid-1960s), composer, writer, director, producer, he did it all. He switched to acting because he noticed it was better paid. It is by far the worst DVD I have ever seen in terms of the video quality. The twenty-fifth film was made in 1973 followed by a hiatus of 16 years until Katsu's last … Zatoichi The Blind Swordsman was such a hit in Japan with 26 movies from 1962-72 and one more in 1989 that it was eventually turned into a TV series. Zatoichi comes to a town which has faced several years of bad crops. Some samurai, no longer supported by the old social structure, take to crime, competing or collaborating with the yakuza, like the ex-samurai Tengu gang in this tale. Zatoichi is back—and in color! As this iconic figure, the charismatic and earthy Shintaro Katsu became an instant superstar, lending a larger-than-life presence to the thrilling adventures of a man who lives staunchly by a code of honor and delivers justice in every town and village he enters. Shintaro Katsu Zatoichi Wallpapers Zatoichi Wallpaper Zatoichi Hulu Wallpaper Yojimbo Zatoichi Wallpaper Zatoichi Fugitive Wallpaper Zatoichi Wallpaper Anime Zatoichi Wallpaper Black and White. There's a problem loading this menu right now. Olivia de Havilland — First Queen of the Swashbucklers. Shintaro Katsu took his final bow as Zatoichi, the nomadic blind swordsman, in this martial arts action saga from Japan. From the point in the series we see more dismemberment and red gushing sword strikes... That being a minimal distraction in the folds of the luah story telling. I like it. Yokosuka Navy Prison - Shintaro Katsu - 1973 Remastered: Kojiro's Turning Swallow Cut - KATSU Shintaro - 1961 Remastered: Zatoichi TV - Complete Season 4 TV Series - Remastered: The Homeless - Ken Takakura and Shintaro Katsu - 1974 Remastered: Zatoichi TV Series - Season 4 Vol.9 - Remastered: Yakuza Solider #1 - 1965 Remastered Ichi just wants to avoid trouble and find happiness but nearly everyone else has other ideas. His opponent, Asagoro, assumes the position of champion of the peasants, and takes it upon himself to pay off their debts. Nonetheless, he’s a character you’ll never forget. What made this film stand out from its contemporaries? The Outlaw is about a common theme throughout all the Zatoichi films, corruption in ancient Japan. The third film, in 1963, was the first to be filmed in color. Zatoichi (Shintaro Katsu), wandering the highways, meets an itinerant musician from his hometown of Kasama and decides to return to his old environs. And then his blind man’s cane pulls apart to reveal the straight sword blade hidden inside, and Zatoichi’s preternaturally sharp senses enable him to dodge blows and slay attackers with blindingly quick short slashes. The previous installments in the Cinema of Swords are: Olivia de Havilland — First Queen of the SwashbucklersGoofballs in Harem PantsDisney’s Early Swashbucklers‘50s Vikings – Havoc in Horned HelmsLaughing CavaliersCharming and Dangerous: Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.Eleven Samurai: Early Chambara ClassicsBeyond Captain Blood: Three by Sabatini3 Musketeers + 1 Long NoseLouis Hayward, Everyman with a Sword (Part 1 of 2)Days of Technicolor KnightsLouis Hayward, Everyman with a Sword (Part 2 of 2)Laurence Olivier, Swashbuckler?Tony Curtis Goes YondaThe 7th Voyage and Its ChildrenThe Good, the Bad, and MifuneThe First British InvasionWholesome Buccaneers (Pt. Director Tokuzo Tanaka, who’d been an assistant director to Kurosawa, tells this tangled tale with complete clarity and an eye for composition and movement. Reviewed in the United States on August 1, 2011. All rights reserved. The first film was made in 1962 in black and white. It is only 1% of the quality of the animeigo version which I thought I was buying. He makes it as far as neighboring Shimodate where he’s accosted by Yasuhiko (Fujio Suga), brother of that Boss Kanbei whom Zatoichi had slain in the previous installment. Zatoichi The Outlaw was the 16th film in the franchise released in 1967. Comment by John E. Boyle - January 20, 2021 4:43 pm. A wanderer tapping his way with a cane, he arrives in the town of Iioka and goes directly to the town’s yakuza gambling den, where the local tough guys are wagering at dice. Reviewed in the United States on June 23, 2017. Blind masseur with hidden sword cane who has defeated the greatest evil samurai and been admired by the good ones. In the climax of the film, Zatoichi is pitted against an entire gang in the kind of set-piece battle that will become a hallmark of the series, and for the first time his unique fighting style, in which he holds his sword in a reverse grip and moves to get inside his opponents’ sword range, is displayed to its fullest. Brief content visible, double tap to read full content. Birthplace: Fukagawa, Tokyo, Japan Shintaro Katsu was an actor who had a successful Hollywood career. The character, a blind masseur and blademaster, was created by novelist Kan Shimozawa. Rating: *****Origin: Japan, 1963Director: Tokuzo TanakaSource: Criterion DVD. Wednesday, January 20th, 2021 | Posted by Lawrence Ellsworth. Zatoichi's Conspiracy (新座頭市物語・笠間の血祭り, Shin Zatōichi monogatari: Kasama no chimatsuri?, lit. Cheap knockoff of original movie zatoichi outlaw, Reviewed in the United States on November 20, 2012. This collection has six discs and the last thirteen episodes of season 1. Both are set during the late Edo period. Zatoichi 22 - Zatoichi Meets the One Armed Swordsman, Zatoichi the Blind Swordsman, Vol. There is a sense of tragedy in it, since Zatoichi can never seem to escape violence even though he just wants to live peacefully. The sword master takes Zatoichi home where he meets Banno’s younger sister Yayoi (Mikiko Tsubouchi), who has been waiting for Ichi, as she calls him, to return for four years. He was the son of kabuki performer Katsutoji Kineya (Kineya Katsutōji) who was renowned for his nagauta and shamisen skills, and younger brother of actor Tomisaburo Wakayama (Wakayama Tomisaburō). Older, wiser but still a wandering loner, the blind, peace-loving masseur Ichi seeks a peaceful life in a rural village. Karriera. He makes it as far as neighboring Shimodate where he’s accosted by Yasuhiko (Fujio Suga), brother of that Boss Kanbei whom Zatoichi had slain in the previous installment. Alfrex Samurai series 1/6 SHINTARO KATSU Zatoichi Action Figure japan new. This site © 2021 by New Epoch Press. 15 - Zatoichi's Cane Sword, Zatoichi the Blind Swordsman, Vol. I enjoyed it and will enjoy it again and again in the future. Star Shintaro Katsu sits in the director’s chair for this psychedelic and unremittingly bleak entry in the Zatoichi series, which is unlike any other in its grind-house grimness. And in fact, the masseur immediately loses half his coins to the cheating crooks, but then uses sleight of hand to win the next throw and get all his money back, doubled. He also has a showdown with the criminal Yoshiro, and this time there’s a clear set-up for a subsequent film, as Yoshiro reveals a secret dear to Zatoichi’s heart. It also analyzes reviews to verify trustworthiness. And always, when he isn’t sniffing the plum blossoms or guzzling sake, Zatoichi is listening from the shadows. Katsu (pronounced "Katz" was an accomplished master of entertainment. 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