Adventures of Zatoichi

1964 1h 26m JA

👍

6.7

SOLID

★6.7TMDB · 52

AdventureActionDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Blind swordsman/masseuse Zatoichi befriends a young woman looking for her father, a village leader who has disappeared. As he helps her investigate the disappearance, Zatoichi also becomes involved with another young woman who is trying to help her brother, who has murdered someone at about the same time and place as the missing man was last seen.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Shintarō Katsu
Zatoichi
Miwa Takada
Saki
Eiko Taki
Osen
Kichijirō Ueda
Boss Jinbei
Daimaru Nakata
Zany Entertainer
Mikijiro Hira
Gounosuke
Gen Kimura
Yakuza dice thrower
Akitake Kōno
Intendant Gorota Kajima

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Kimiyoshi Yasuda
Writers: Shozaburo Asai, Kan Shimozawa
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

RUNTIME

Did you know

86 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

62 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

ERA

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Kimiyoshi Yasuda, shot by Shozo Honda. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 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#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Shintarō Katsu and Miwa Takada and Eiko Taki carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Kimiyoshi Yasuda directs. Shozo Honda behind the camera. Taichiro Kosugi scores. Hiroshi Yamada cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

186 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
262 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Part of the "Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
5Directed by Kimiyoshi Yasuda, shot by Shozo Honda. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Taichiro Kosugi. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Hiroshi Yamada shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Shintarō Katsu and Miwa Takada and Eiko Taki carry the top of the cast.
9IMDB entry: tt0164984 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 52 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Shozo Honda
Original score: Taichiro Kosugi
Editing: Hiroshi Yamada
Runtime: 86 min · 1h 26m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: JA
IMDB: Adventures of Zatoichi (1964)

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.