ZATOICHI #9
Directed by Kimiyoshi Yasuda • 1964 • Japan
The blind swordsman wanders into a town to celebrate the New Year. There, he befriends a young woman whose father has gone missing; as he tries to help her find him, he becomes entangled in a web of corruption and a series of tragic twists of fate. Returning director Kimiyoshi Yasuda and screenwriter Shozaburo Asai masterfully weave together a variety of narrative threads and tonal registers, all while playfully tweaking the conventions and motifs of the series.
Up Next in Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman
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Zatoichi’s Revenge
ZATOICHI #10
Directed by Akira Inoue • 1965 • JapanNearing the village of his sensei, Zatoichi decides to pay the teacher a visit, only to learn that he has been murdered and his daughter forced into prostitution. Ichi’s investigation into these injustices uncovers a corrupt alliance between go...
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Zatoichi and the Doomed Man
ZATOICHI #11
Directed by Kazuo Mori • 1965 • JapanAn elderly prisoner accused of murder begs Zatoichi to find evidence of his innocence. The blind swordsman, for the first time, chooses not to help, but fate has other plans for him. Director Issei Mori, who played a significant role in getting ...
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Zatoichi and the Chess Expert
ZATOICHI #12
Directed by Kenji Misumi • 1965 • JapanKenji Misumi, who directed the first installment of the ZATOICHI series, returns with this tale in which the blind swordsman once again finds himself the protector of a child: a little girl pursued by both devious family members and bloodthirs...
