, also known as ''Zatoichi: Darkness Is His Ally'', ''Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman'' and ''Shintaro Katsu's Zatoichi'', is a 1989 Japanese ''Chambara'' film directed by 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 ...

, who also produced and co-wrote the screenplay. It is the twenty-sixth entry in a series of films featuring the blind swordsman

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'' serie ...

, released 16 years after the twenty-fifth film in the series '' Zatoichi's Conspiracy'' (1973). The main character is based on a fictional character, a blind masseur and swordmaster created by novelist

Kan Shimozawa was a Japanese novelist and historical writer. He was born February 1, 1892, in Atsuta, Hokkaido, and died July 19, 1968. Sometimes his name is spelled ''Kan Shimosawa'' (in ''New Tale of Zatoichi'', ''Zatoichi the Fugitive''). His real name was U ...

and set during the late

Edo period The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional '' daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was characteriz ...

. ''Zatoichi'' is the last film in the original classic saga of Zatoichi (1962–1989). It is also the second time Shintaro Katsu directed a Zatoichi film, and the last time Katsu played the title character on screen.

Synopsis

After being released from a brief captivity in prison, an older Ichi continues his life of wandering. He befriends 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's ...

(a masterless

samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They h ...

), and later decides to live in a village, which happens to be doomed and besieged by the unholy alliance of the Yakuza lord Boss Goemon with the mad and corrupt Inspector Hasshuu. After learning of the ominous fate of the villagers, Zatoichi throws himself once again into a fierce battle, facing both Goemon's army and the unnamed Ronin, who has been hired by Goemon to eliminate Zatoichi.

Cast

... Zatôichi/Ichi, a zatô in the Tôdô-za *

Ken Ogata , better known by his stage name , was a Japanese actor. Life Ogata was born in Tokyo, Japan. Ogata is well known for his roles in Peter Greenaway's ''The Pillow Book'', Paul Schrader's '' Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters'' and Shohei Imamura's ...

... Rônin/Masterless samurai *

Kanako Higuchi (born December 13, 1958) is a Japanese actress. Her credits include film, television, and radio dramas, stage, commercials, and voice roles. Born in Kamo, Niigata, she played her first lead at age 20 in the television drama ''Kōrogi-bashi.'' ...

... Boss Han Bosatsu/Ohan of the Bosatsu *

Takanori Jinnai is a Japanese actor, film director, and singer. He was born August 12, 1958 in Okawa, Fukuoka. He made his directorial debut with '' Rockers'' (ロッカーズ or ''Rokkazu''), a 2003 film based on his years as vocalist for the punk rock band T ...

... Inspector Hasshuu/Hanshu *

Tsurutaro Kataoka is a Japanese television personality, actor, artist, and former professional boxer. For his role in the 1988 film ''The Discarnates'', he won the award for best supporting actor at the 31st Blue Ribbon Awards, at the 13th Hochi Film Award, and at ...

... Tsuru * Toyomi Kusano ... Ume * Ryûtarô Gan ... Boss Goemon (billed as Takehiro Okumura) *

Keizō Kanie was a Japanese actor. He won the award for best supporting actor at the 1st Yokohama Film Festival for '' Angel Guts: Red Classroom'' and '' Jūkyūsai no Chizu'' and at the 12th Yokohama Film Festival for '' Ware ni utsu yoi ari'' and ''Boku to ...

Joe Yamanaka , better known as , was a Japanese singer and actor. He is known for both his work with Flower Travellin' Band and as a solo musician; singing at a vocal range of three octaves. As an actor, he appeared in many television shows and movies, such ...

Rikiya Yasuoka was a Japanese actor and singer of mixed Italian and Japanese descent. Biography Born in Tokyo, he appeared in his first film, ''Jitensha dorobo'', in 1964. He was diagnosed with Guillain–Barré syndrome Guillain–Barré syndrome (GBS) ...

* Norihei Miki ... Zatoichi's friend * Yuya Uchida ... Boss Akabei

Production

The film was shot in a village (eiga-mura) located in the mountains of Kanami.

Controversy

On the morning of Monday 26 December 1988, Ryûtarô Gan (the eldest son of Shintarô Katsu), who played Boss Goemon, while on set shooting the film, stabbed and killed actor Yukio Katô in a tragic accident. Gan (who was 24 at the time) struck Katô (age 34) in the neck 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 fa ...

long sword, which was supposed to be a prop, while performing an action scene.Wild Realm Reviews: Zatoichi 26
Wild Realm Reviews (The Zatoichi Series) Kato was taken unconscious to the Okayama University Hospital (Okayama Daigaku Igakubu Fuzoku-byôin), where he died as a result of massive blood loss from the neck wound. Hiroshima Prefectural Police determined that the incident was one of professional negligence causing death (gyômujô-kashitsu chishi). Ryûtarô Gan was accused of professional negligence and would later state in court that he did not know that the sword he used was a real one. A police investigation established the cause of death as "professional negligence".

Home media

Blu-ray The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of sto ...

disc was released on August 28, 2018 by

Tokyo Shock Media Blasters, sometimes abbreviated as MB, is an American entertainment corporation that was founded by John Sirabella in 1997 and is based in New York City. It is in the business of licensing, translating, and releasing to the North American ...

Media Blasters Media Blasters, sometimes abbreviated as MB, is an American entertainment corporation that was founded by John Sirabella in 1997 and is based in New York City. It is in the business of licensing, translating, and releasing to the North American ...

.Zatoichi: Darkness Is His Ally (aka Zatoichi 1989) (BLU-RAY REVIEW), by Bill Hunt
September 11, 2018, The Digital Bits The A/V quality release is presented in its proper 1.85:1 theatrical aspect ratio, while the audio is Japanese 2.0 LPCM stereo (48 kHz/16 bit), with optional English subtitles are available. The only extras on the disc are both in low quality SD: they include the original video release trailer for the film and also "The Zatoichi Gallery: Video History of a Legend", which is an 11-minute video gallery of Japanese and international poster images, production stills, pressbooks, record covers, and the like spanning the entire history of the character. Both of these are carried over from the previous Media Blasters DVD release.

Legacy

''Shintaro Katsu’s Zatoichi'' did not exactly resurrect its star's career, but it did redeem an almost lost decade for the actor and filmmaker.Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman, by Tom Mes
08-09-2013, Midnight Eye Katsu went on to co-star in

Kazuo Kuroki was a Japanese film director who was particularly known for his films on World War II and the question of personal guilt. Career While Kuroki was often listed as being born in Miyazaki Prefecture, he was actually born in Matsusaka, Mie. He atten ...

’s mud-caked remake of the silent classic ''

Roningai , also known as ''Samurai Town: Story 1, Story 2 and Story 3'', are respectively 1928 and 1929 black and white Japanese silent films directed by Masahiro Makino. Serving as parts of a 4-part series, the first and second installments are represen ...

'' in 1990, which received a fair amount of critical notice and international festival exposure. Katsu's performance as the fading, overweight and inebriated ruffian Goemon the Bull was to be his final screen appearance before dying of

throat cancer Head and neck cancer develops from tissues in the lip and oral cavity (mouth), larynx (throat), salivary glands, nose, sinuses or the skin of the face. The most common types of head and neck cancers occur in the lip, mouth, and larynx. Symptoms ...

in 1997. In his review for the 2018 Blu-ray release for The Digital Bits, Bill Hunt gave an overall positive assessment, also stating: "''Zatoichi'' (1989) certainly isn't the best film in this series, as it repeats or echoes many scenes found in earlier films, the editing can be a little disjointed, and the story occasionally feels too much like a vanity project for Katsu. But the film does have its charms. In between episodes of carnage, Katsu's final turn as the Blind Swordsman offers moments of his characteristic humor, a bit of reflection, and his usual humanity".

References

Sources

External links

* {{Zatoichi 1989 drama films 1989 films Films directed by Shintaro Katsu Japanese drama films 1980s Japanese films