Zatoichi at Large

1972 1h 28m JA

👍

6.6

SOLID

★6.6TMDB · 39

AdventureActionDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Blind masseur and master swordsman Zatoichi finds a robbed and fatally wounded pregnant woman, whose baby he delivers before she dies. He takes the baby in search of its father and finds the child's aunt, who is about to be forced into prostitution for want of a payment the dead mother was bringing. Zatoichi determines to save the woman from her cruel fate.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Shintarō Katsu
Zatoichi
Rentaro Mikuni
Boss Tetsugoro
Hisaya Morishige
Constable Tobei
Etsushi Takahashi
Denjuro
Naoko Ohtani
Oyae
Osamu Sakai
Seiji
Renji Ishibashi
Gonroku
Katsutoshi Akiyama

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Kazuo Mori
Writers: Kan Shimozawa, Kinya Naoi
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

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

54 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 Kazuo Mori, shot by Fujio Morita. 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 Kunihiko Murai. 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 Rentaro Mikuni and Hisaya Morishige carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0202153 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Kazuo Mori directs. Fujio Morita behind the camera. Kunihiko Murai scores. Toshio Taniguchi cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

188 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
254 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 Kazuo Mori, shot by Fujio Morita. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Kunihiko Murai. 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 Rentaro Mikuni and Hisaya Morishige carry the top of the cast.
8IMDB entry: tt0202153 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 39 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Fujio Morita
Original score: Kunihiko Murai
Editing: Toshio Taniguchi
Runtime: 88 min · 1h 28m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: JA
IMDB: Zatoichi at Large (1972)

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.