is a 1967 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

Kenji Misumi (2 March 1921 – 24 September 1975) was a Japanese film director. He created film series such as ''Lone Wolf and Cub'' and the initial film in the long-running ''Zatoichi'' series, and also directed ''Hanzo the Razor: Sword of Justice'', starri ...

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'' serie ...

. 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 Challenged'' is the seventeenth episode in the 26-part film series devoted to the character of Zatoichi.

Synopsis

Zatoichi (Katsu) checks into an inn where he shares a room with an ill woman and her young son named Ryota. Before the woman dies, she requests that Zatoichi take her son to his father, an artist living in the nearby town of Maebara. As they travel together, they hitch a ride with a traveling

performance A performance is an act of staging or presenting a play, concert, or other form of entertainment. It is also defined as the action or process of carrying out or accomplishing an action, task, or function. Management science In the work place ...

troupe. The final scene of the movie features Ichi fighting his old samurai friend during snowfall in order to protect the young boy. Although having won the fight fairly by seriously wounding his friend Ichi sacrifices himself by throwing his sword at an approaching servant that is given orders to kill the boy's father thus becoming un-armed. His old samurai friend is unable to strike the now defenseless Ichi with his sword, admits defeat and departs mortally wounded leaving a trail of blood in the snow.

Cast

as ''Zatoichi'' * Jushiro Konoe as ''Akazuka'' *

Miwa Takada is a Japanese film, TV and stage actress. She has starred in several Japanese movies that are today considered classics (especially in the '' Zatoichi saga'', and the ''Daimajin'' trilogy). Takada also worked as a singer, and the duet she reco ...

as ''Omitsu'' *

Yukiji Asaoka was a Japanese singer and an actress from Chūō, Tokyo. She was the daughter of a famous Japanese painter of shin hanga style prints, Shinsui Itō, and her second husband was actor Masahiko Tsugawa. Asaoka was in the Takarazuka Revue from 1952 ...

as ''Tomoe'' *

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 ''Osen'' *

Mie Nakao Mie Nakao (Japanese: 中尾ミエ ; born 6 June 1946 in Kokura) is a Japanese actress and singer. With Yukari Ito and Mari Sono she co-starred in the hit 1963 teen movie ''Hai, Hai Sannin Musume'' ("Yes, Yes, The Three Girls"). The three actre ...

as ''Miyuki'' * Takao Ito as ''Shokichi'' * Midori Isomura as ''Omine'' *

Eitaro Ozawa , also credited as Sakae Ozawa (小沢栄), was a Japanese actor. He appeared in more than 200 films between 1935 and 1988, directed by notable filmmakers such as Kenji Mizoguchi, Mikio Naruse, Keisuke Kinoshita and Kaneto Shindō. Selected fi ...

as ''Torikoshi'' *

Asao Koike was a Japanese actor. He is most famous for playing yakuza roles. He is also known as voice actor. In 1950, he joined the Bungakuza Theatre Company. In 1963, he left the Bungakuza Theatre Company and established the Kumo Theatre Company. He appe ...

as ''Boss Gonzo''

Reception

Critical response

J. Doyle Wallis, in a review for

DVD Talk DVD Talk is a home video news and review website launched in 1999 by Geoffrey Kleinman. History Kleinman founded the site in January 1999 in Beaverton, Oregon. Besides news and reviews, it features information on hidden DVD features known as ...

, wrote that " ile it had the great

, one of

samurai cinema , 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 '' ...

's greats and a personal favorite director of mine, behind the camera, not every film in such a long film cycle can be perfect. Unfortunately this is one of the weaker films. Misumi's direction is still quite good and his signature perfect framing is as fantastic as it ever was, particularly in the great finale which features one of Ichi's longest

duel A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two people, with matched weapons, in accordance with agreed-upon Code duello, rules. During the 17th and 18th centuries (and earlier), duels were mostly single combats fought with swords (the r ...

s. Katsu is also, as he always was, great. The man could act with any part of his body and he displays some of the finest ear and foot acting you're likely to see. But, while entertaining enough for Katsu and Misum's inherent skill, the film suffers from a slapdash script and that damn annoying kid factor. The series' one major fault was its lack of development and reliance on formula. While usually that formula is a winner, here it just feels a tad tired."

Adaptation

The 1989 American samurai-action film ''

Blind Fury ''Blind Fury'' is a 1989 American action comedy film directed by Phillip Noyce and starring Rutger Hauer, Brandon Call, Terry O'Quinn, Lisa Blount, Randall "Tex" Cobb, and Noble Willingham. The screenplay by Charles Robert Carner is a loosely ba ...

'' (starring

Rutger Hauer Rutger Oelsen Hauer (; 23 January 1944 – 19 July 2019) was a Dutch actor. In 1999, he was named by the Dutch public as the Best Dutch Actor of the Century. Hauer's career began in 1969 with the title role in the Dutch television series ' ...

) is a loose modernization of ''Zatoichi Challenged''.

References

External links

* * *
''Zatoichi Challenged'' (1967)
review by D. Trull for Lard Biscuit Enterprises

review by Steve Kopian for Unseen Films (19 February 2014)
Review: ''Zatoichi Challenged'' (1967)
by Thomas Raven for Freakengine.com (March 2012)
''Zatoichi Challenged''
review by Andrew Pragasam for The Spinning Image

review by Paghat the Ratgirl for Wild Realm Reviews {{DEFAULTSORT:Zatoichi Challenged Japanese adventure films 1967 films Zatoichi films Daiei Film films Films set in Japan Films shot in Japan Films directed by Kenji Misumi Films scored by Akira Ifukube 1960s Japanese films