New Tale of Zatoichi

1963 1h 31m JA

👍

7.0

SOLID

⭐

7.3

IMDB

★7.0TMDB · 78★7.3IMDB · 2,504

ActionDramaAdventure

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

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.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Shintarō Katsu
Zatoichi
Mikiko Tsubouchi
Yayoi
Seizaburō Kawazu
Banno
Fujio Suga
Yasuhiko
Mieko Kondō
Inn keeper's wife
Tatsuo Endō
Inn keeper
Gen Kimura
Yakuza member with mark on his face
Chitose Maki
Tame's wife

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Tokuzō Tanaka
Writers: Kan Shimozawa, Minoru Inuzuka, Kikuo Umebayashi
Languages: Japanese
Countries: Japan

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

63 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Tokuzō Tanaka, shot by Chikashi Makiura. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Akira Ifukube. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Hiroshi Yamada shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Shintarō Katsu and Mikiko Tsubouchi and Seizaburō Kawazu carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0057503 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Tokuzō Tanaka directs. Chikashi Makiura behind the camera. Akira Ifukube scores. Hiroshi Yamada cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

163 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Part of the "Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by Tokuzō Tanaka, shot by Chikashi Makiura. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Akira Ifukube. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Hiroshi Yamada shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Shintarō Katsu and Mikiko Tsubouchi and Seizaburō Kawazu carry the top of the cast.
8IMDB entry: tt0057503 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 78 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Chikashi Makiura
Original score: Akira Ifukube
Editing: Hiroshi Yamada
Runtime: 91 min · 1h 31m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: JA
Certification (US): 12
IMDB: New Tale of Zatoichi (1963)
IMDB rating: 7.3/10 · 2,504 votes
MPAA: Not Rated

Awards

1 nomination total

Part of

Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman Collection

The colossally popular Zatoichi films make up the longest-running action series in Japanese history and created one of the screen’s great heroes: an itinerant blind masseur who also happens to be a lightning-fast swordsman. 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.