Tokuzo Tanaka

New Tale of Zatoichi

New Tale of Zatoichi

Zatoichi is back—and in color! Hoping to leave violence behind, the blind masseur wanders to a village, where he meets an old friend fallen on hard times. With a corrupt clan leader squeezing citizens dry and the brother of a past nemesis out for payback, Zatoichi finds that he cannot abandon his true calling.

Film Info

  • Japan
  • 1963
  • 91 minutes
  • Color
  • 2.35:1
  • Japanese

Available In

Collector's Set

Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman

Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman

Blu-ray Box Set

9 Discs

$159.96

New Tale of Zatoichi
Cast
Shintaro Katsu
Zatoichi
Mikiko Tsubouchi
Yayoi
Seizaburo Kawazu
Banno
Fujio Suga
Yasuhiko
Tatsuo Endo
Innkeeper
Mieko Kondo
Innkeeper's wife
Yutaka Nakamura
Yasuhiko’s brother
Credits
Director
Tokuzo Tanaka
Produced by
Ikuo Kubodera
Original story by
Kan Shimozawa
Screenplay
Minoru Inuzuka
Screenplay
Kikuo Umebayashi
Cinematography
Chikashi Makiura
Edited by
Hiroshi Yamada
Original music
Akira Ifukube
Art direction
Seiichi Ota

Current

Tony Rayns on the Meaning of Zatoichi
Tony Rayns on the Meaning of Zatoichi

Asian-cinema expert Tony Rayns unpacks the significance of Zatoichi’s name and the strict social hierarchy that the character so gleefully upends.

On the Road with Zatoichi
On the Road with Zatoichi

He massages, he gambles, and he’s great with a blade. Who is this blind swordsman, anyway?

By Geoffrey O'Brien