Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo

1970 1h 55m JA

👍

6.8

SOLID

★6.8TMDB · 85

AdventureActionDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Zatoichi treks to a village that has always been a favorite spot of his, only to discover that it’s become a living hell, plagued by feuding father and son yakuza as well as the younger crime boss’s bodyguard, scruffy, smart-mouthed, cash-hungry Yojimbo of legend.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Where to watch · US

Criterion ChannelSubscription

Cast

Shintarō Katsu
Zatoichi
Toshirō Mifune
Yojimbo/Sasa
Ayako Wakao
Umeno
Osamu Takizawa
Yasuke Eboshiya
Masakane Yonekura
Boss Masagoro
Shin Kishida
Kuzuryu
Kanjūrō Arashi
Hyoroku
Toshiyuki Hosokawa
Sanaemon Goto

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Kihachi Okamoto
Writers: Kihachi Okamoto, Kan Shimozawa, Tetsurō Yoshida
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

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $0.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

56 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Kihachi Okamoto, shot by Kazuo Miyagawa. 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 Toshio Taniguchi 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 Toshirō Mifune and Ayako Wakao carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0066603 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Kihachi Okamoto directs. Kazuo Miyagawa behind the camera. Akira Ifukube scores. Toshio Taniguchi cuts. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $0.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
256 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Part of the "Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Directed by Kihachi Okamoto, shot by Kazuo Miyagawa. 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 Toshio Taniguchi shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Shintarō Katsu and Toshirō Mifune and Ayako Wakao carry the top of the cast.
8IMDB entry: tt0066603 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 85 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
10Classified under 8 themes, including "gold", "japan", "samurai", "spy".

The technical file

Cinematography: Kazuo Miyagawa
Original score: Akira Ifukube
Editing: Toshio Taniguchi
Runtime: 115 min · 1h 55m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $116
Original language: JA
IMDB: Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo (1970)

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.