Zatoichi

Zatoichi (座頭市 Zatōichi) is a fictional character featured in one of Japan's longest running series of films and a television series set in the Edo period. The enduring popularity of the character has been likened to that of James Bond in Western countries. However, Zatoichi has become almost synonymous with one actor: Shintaro Katsu. The only other actor to portray Zatoichi on film is Takeshi Kitano, after a hiatus of almost 15 years.

Zatoichi is seemingly only a harmless blind masseur who wanders around the country making his living by gambling, however, he is also highly skilled in swordsmanship, specifically iaijutsu, his sword concealed within his cane. Cane swords were generally straight, lower-quality blades, which stood no comparison with regular katanas, but as revealed in Zatoichi's Cane Sword, his weapon was created by a master swordsmith. 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.

Contents

1 The original series of films 1.1 List of original films 2 The television series 3 Production companies 4 The 2003 film 4.1 Cast of the new film 5 External links

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 color. 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.

The original series of movies features other popular fictional characters of the genre on two occasions: Zatoichi and the One Armed Swordsman (1971) connects with the Shaw Brothers series of Hong Kong produced movies directed by prolific director Chang Cheh. Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo (1970) features Toshiro Mifune reprising his role from the Akira Kurosawa films Yojimbo and Sanjuro.

The series has also had wide spread influences on non-Japanese films. The 1989 film Blind Fury featuring Rutger Hauer as a blind swordsman in contemporary America is based on the screenplay of Zatoichi Challenged (1967) with elements of other films of the series.

Nevertheless, Zatoichi is but one of a surprising number of blind heroes with superhuman fighting skills that have emerged throughout history, and while predated by such characters as the pulp fiction and comic book heroes Black Bat and Doctor Mid-Nite respectively, is followed by the likes of Daredevil. The 1970s television series Kung Fu features a blind Shaolin priest also possessing amazing martial arts skills.

List of original films

No.	Title	Year	Kanji	Romaji
1	The Tale of Zatoichi	1962	座頭市物語	Zatōichi monogatari
2	The Tale of Zatoichi Continues	1962	続・座頭市物語	Zoku Zatōichi monogatari
3	New Tale of Zatoichi	1963	新・座頭市物語	Shin Zatōichi monogatari
4	The Fugitive	1963	座頭市兇状旅	Zatōichi kyojo tabi
5	On The Road	1963	座頭市喧嘩旅	Zatōichi kenka-tabi
6	Zatoichi and the Chest of Gold	1964	座頭市千両首	Zatōichi senryō-kubi
7	Zatoichi's Flashing Sword	1964	座頭市あばれ凧	Zatōichi abare tako
8	Fight, Zatoichi, Fight	1964	座頭市血笑旅	Zatōichi kesshō-tabi
9	Adventures of Zatoich	1964	座頭市関所破り	Zatōichi sekisho yaburi
10	Zatoichi's Revenge	1965	座頭市二段斬り	Zatōichi nidan-kiri
11	Zatoichi and the Doomed Man	1965	座頭市逆手斬り	Zatōichi sakate giri
12	Zatoichi and the Chess Expert	1965	座頭市地獄旅	Zatōichi Jigoku tabi
13	Zatoichi's Vengeance	1966	座頭市の歌が聞える	Zatōichi no uta ga kikoeru
14	Zatoichi's Pilgrimage	1966	座頭市海を渡る	Zatōichi umi o wataru
15	Zatoichi's Cane Sword	1967	座頭市血煙り街道	Zatōichi tekka tabi
16	Zatoichi the Outlaw	1967	座頭市牢破り	Zatōichi rōyaburi
17	Zatoichi Challenged	1967	座頭市鉄火旅	Zatōichi chikemuri kaido
18	Zatoichi and the Fugitives	1968	座頭市果し状	Zatōichi hatashi-jō
19	Samaritan Zatoichi	1968	座頭市喧嘩太鼓	Zatōichi kenka-daiko
20	Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo	1970	座頭市と用心棒	Zatōichi to Yōjinbō
21	Zatoichi at the Fire Festival	1970	座頭市あばれ火祭り	Zatōichi abare-himatsuri
22	Zatoichi Meets the One Armed Swordsman	1971	新座頭市・破れ！唐人剣	Shin Zatōichi: Yabure! Tojin-ken
23	Zatoichi at Large	1972	座頭市御用旅	Zatōichi goyō-tabi
24	Zatoichi in Desperation	1972	新座頭市物語・折れた杖	Shin Zatōichi monogatari: Oreta tsue
25	Zatoichi at the Blood Fest	1973	新座頭市物語・笠間の血祭り	Shin Zatōichi monogatari: Kasama no chimatsuri
26	Shintaro Katsu's Zatoichi	1989	座頭市	Zatōichi

Note: The English title is not necessarily a direct translation of the Japanese title.

The television series

The television series of Zatoichi ran for four seasons, with Shintaro Katsu in the lead role:

1. 26 episodes, in 1974
2. 29 episodes, in 1976
3. 19 episodes, in 1978
4. 26 episodes, in 1979

Production companies

The majority of the films were produced by Daiei Motion Picture Company: from the first film, The Tale of Zatoichi, to the 22nd film, Zatoichi Meets the One Armed Swordsman, released in 1971 when Daiei went bankrupt. However, starting with Zatoichi the Outlaw in 1967, Shintaro Katsu's own company, Katsu Productions, coproduced the films (as well as producing the TV series and his last Zatoichi film). After Daiei was out of commission, Toho Company took over the films in 1972 starting with Zatoichi at Large, the 23rd film, until Zatoichi at the Blood Fest in 1973, the 25th (and the last "old school") film. Shochiku distributed Katsu's last Zatoichi film in 1989, as well as the new 2003 Zatoichi film starring Takeshi Kitano.

The 2003 film

In 2003, Takeshi Kitano produced a new high-budget Zatoichi film, called Zatoichi (座頭市 Zatōichi). Kitano plays the role of the blind swordsman himself. The film's plot follows a traditional theme, with Zatoichi coming to the defense 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

• Takeshi Kitano as Zatoichi
• Tadanobu Asano as the ronin Hattori
• Michiyo Ogusu as O-Ume, the farmer
• Yui Natsukawa as O-Shino, Hattori's wife

External links

• Template:Imdb title
• Official UK website for Kitano's Zatoichi (http://www.zatoichi.co.uk/)
• Zatoichi's Musical Journey (CDs of the original film music) - Volumes 1 (http://www.godzillamonstermusic.com/zatoichi1.htm) 2 (http://www.godzillamonstermusic.com/zatoichi2.htm) and 3 (http://www.godzillamonstermusic.com/zatoichi3.htm)de:Zatōichi

fr:Zatoichi it:Zatôichi ja:座頭市 sv:Zatoichi zh:座頭市