is a 1965 Japanese

chambara , also commonly spelled "''chambara''", meaning "sword fighting" films,Hill (2002). denotes the Japanese film genre called samurai cinema in English and is roughly equivalent to Western and swashbuckler films. ''Chanbara'' is a sub-category of '' ...

film directed by Akira Inoue and starring

Shintaro Katsu was a Japanese actor, singer, and filmmaker. He is known for starring in the ''Akumyo'' series, the ''Hoodlum Soldier'' series, and the ''Zatoichi'' series. Life and career Born Toshio Okumura (奥村利夫 ''Okumura Toshio'') on 29 Novemb ...

as the blind masseur

Zatoichi is a fictional character created by Japanese novelist Kan Shimozawa. He is an itinerant blind masseur and swordsman of Japan's late Edo period (1830s and 1840s). He first appeared in the 1948 essay , part of Shimozawa's ''Futokoro Techō'' se ...

. It was originally released by the

Daiei Motion Picture Company Daiei Film Co. Ltd. (Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ''Daiei Eiga Kabushiki Kaisha'') was a Japanese film studio. Founded in 1942 as Dai Nippon Film Co., Ltd., it was one of the major studios during the postwar Golden Age of Japanese cinema, producing n ...

(later acquired by

Kadokawa Pictures Kadokawa Daiei Studio, formerly is the film division of the Japanese company the Kadokawa Corporation. It is one of the four members of the Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan (MPPAJ), and is therefore one of Japan's Big Four film studi ...

). ''Zatoichi's Revenge'' is the tenth episode in the 26-part film series devoted to the character of Zatoichi.

Plot

Zatoichi's travels have finally brought him back to the village where he was trained in the arts of the

masseur Massage is the manipulation of the body's soft tissues. Massage techniques are commonly applied with hands, fingers, elbows, knees, forearms, feet or a device. The purpose of massage is generally for the treatment of body stress or pain. In Eu ...

, nearly ten years ago by his old sensei, Master Hikonoichi. His proximity to his former teacher compels him to pay a visit, only to learn that Hikonoichi was recently killed while traveling, and his daughter Sayo has been sold into prostitution to repay the money lent to her father by local business man Tatsugoro. Zatoichi sets out to free Sayo, only to discover that the entire village is suffering—victims of a scheme that has either forced their daughters into prostitution, or into doing the bidding of Tatsugoro, who is working for the corrupt Intendant, Isoda. Sayo provides him with the toggle of a medicine pouch, recovered from her father's hand. While intentionally baiting Hikonoichi's killer by jingling the toggle, Ichi befriends the local Dice Dealer Denroku (''the Weasel'') and his daughter, Tsuru. The girl's cheerful and idealistic nature reminds him of Sayo. The following day, while Ichi enjoys a profitable run of dice in the gambling house, a

Rōnin A ''rōnin'' ( ; ja, 浪人, , meaning 'drifter' or 'wanderer') was a samurai without a lord or master during the feudal period of Japan (1185–1868). A samurai became masterless upon the death of his master or after the loss of his master ...

that had been observing him since his arrival bets 100

Ryō The was a gold currency unit in the shakkanhō system in pre- Meiji Japan. It was eventually replaced with a system based on the '' yen''. Origins The ''ryō'' was originally a unit of weight from China, the ''tael.'' It came into use in Jap ...

against Ichi's cane (which he knows to be a sword). When Denroku attempts to cheat, Ichi exposes his sleight of hand—revealing that his own bet won. The Rōnin calmly departs, with a warning that the two of them are not finished. Tatsugoro's men try to balk on paying, but Zatoichi easily overpowers them and takes his winnings from their chest, then tosses a single Ryō coin to the dealer—a "tip", to shame him—and leaves. The men confront Ichi to reclaim the 100 Ryō, but five are killed by Ichi and the survivors flee. Denroku apologizes, explaining that he was instructed to switch the dice, though Zatoichi reveals that he bears him no ill-will, remarking on his own past dealings with

Yakuza , also known as , are members of transnational organized crime syndicates originating in Japan. The Japanese police and media, by request of the police, call them , while the ''yakuza'' call themselves . The English equivalent for the ter ...

. Grateful, Denroku explains that the Rōnin is Koheita Kadokura—Tatsugoro's chief enforcer. Zatoichi tells Denroku to "take good care" of his daughter, then leaves—with the man performing his dice flourish as a gesture of respect to him. Tatsugoro is outraged at the incident and confronts Kadokura over it. The swordsman reveals Zatoichi's identity to him, theorizing that he's close to tracing Hikonoichi's murder back to them because of the medicine toggle. The arrival of Tax Inspector Jingo Odate panics Tatsugoro and Isoda, who plans to bribe him with 100 Ryō. Kadokura knows Odate—a respectable Samurai—and remarks that he cannot be bribed for ''any'' sum, then offers to kill both Odate and Zatoichi in exchange for the sum. He intercepts Odate while on horseback to confront Isoda over his fraud and waylays him. He next confronts Zatoichi while drinking sake at the inn, and offers him a drink before demanding he set the time for their battle. Ichi allows him to choose, and Kadokura declares they'll fight at dusk at Utsune Bridge—where he killed Hikonoichi. Tatsugoro uses the losses at the dice hall to extort Denroku—demanding that he steal Zatoichi's sword, or hand Tsuru over to him, to be used in the brothel (unaware that she overheard them). Isoda instructs Tatsugoro to rally their men in order to launch a mass attack on Zatoichi, further declaring that they'll frame him for the murder of Odate. Kadokura attacks Zatoichi at the bridge, where he reveals that Intendant Isoda ordered Hikonoichi's death. When he doesn't rise to his feet, Kadokura moves to finish him off, but Zatoichi gets up and wounds him. The swordsman attempts to continue the fight, but is quickly dispatched by Zatoichi. In the village, Tsuru steals Zatoichi's sword and brings it to her father. Denroku, depressed at seeing ''his'' influence in the act, gets drunk and staggers about the village in search of Tatsugoro. He arrives at a '' noodle stand,'' where he orders more sake and drunkenly bemoans his predicament—that the loss of his only child is the same as the loss of a blind man's cane. Zatoichi then reveals himself, in place of the stand's proprietor, and compels Denroku to lead an honest life for Tsuru's sake. With his sword reclaimed, Zatoichi then moves to confront both Tatsugoro and Isoda at the Intendant's home and takes them hostage. With Denroku's help, he destroys the legal bonds used to control the people and redistributes their money to them. Tatsugoro's and Isoda's men ambush Zatoichi and a fight ensues, resulting in dozens of them slain by Ichi. During the confusion, Denroku picks up a discarded sword and—thanks to his years of perfecting his dice skills—surprises himself with his skill in fighting with a ''

katana A is a Japanese sword characterized by a curved, single-edged blade with a circular or squared guard and long grip to accommodate two hands. Developed later than the '' tachi'', it was used by samurai in feudal Japan and worn with the edge f ...

.'' Both Tatsugoro and Isoda are killed at the entrance of the brothel, in front of the very women they'd exploited. The next morning, Sayo, Denroku, and Tsuru all meet at Hikonoichi's grave marker, where they discover that Zatoichi has already visited ...

Cast

as Zatoichi * Norihei Miki as Denroku *

Mikiko Tsubouchi Mikiko (written: 幹子, 美樹子, 美起子, 美紀子, 美希子 or みきこ in hiragana) is a feminine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese weightlifter *, Japanese voice actress *, Japanese women's basketbal ...

as Osayo * Takeshi Kato as Koheita Kadokura * Fujio Harumoto as Isoda *

Sachiko Kobayashi , born in Niigata, Japan, is a female Japanese enka singer and occasional voice actress and voice provider of VOCALOID 4 Sachiko developed by YAMAHA co. She previously worked alongside the Pokémon Company, under the alias " Garura Kobayashi". ...

as Tsuru * Sonosuke Sawamura as Boss Tatsugoro * Gen Kimura as Jingo Odate

Production

Yoshinobu Nishioka was a Japanese jidaigeki production designer, art director, producer, and set decorater from Asuka, Nara Prefecture who won three Japan Academy Film Prize for Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction. Nishioka joined Daiei Kyoto film in 1948. ...

- Art director

Reception

Critical response

Brian McKay, writing for eFilmCritic.com, gave ''Zatoichi's Revenge'' five out of five stars and said that it "is one of the best in the long-running series to date, mixing in a bit of

social commentary Social commentary is the act of using rhetorical means to provide commentary on social, cultural, political, or economic issues in a society. This is often done with the idea of implementing or promoting change by informing the general populace ab ...

with the usual staples of swordplay, humor, and pathos. Plus, it shows him felling whoremongers (I couldn't resist one more) like a weed-whacker —what more could you ask for?"

References

External links

* *
"Zatoichi the Blind Swordsman, Vol. 10 - ''Zatoichi's Revenge''"
review by J. Doyle Wallis for Home Vision Entertainment (25 August 2003)
Review: ''Zatoichi's Revenge'' (1965)
" by Thomas Raven for freakengine (2011) {{DEFAULTSORT:Zatoichi's Revenge 1965 films 1965 adventure films 1960s Japanese films Japanese adventure films Zatoichi films Daiei Film films Films scored by Akira Ifukube Films set in Japan Films shot in Japan Films about prostitution in Japan Forced prostitution