Fictional character (blind swordsman) created by Kan Shimozawa
Fictional character
Zatoichi
(
Japanese
:
座頭市
,
Hepburn
:
Zat?ichi
)
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
Zatoichi Monogatari
(
座頭市物語
)
, part of Shimozawa's
Futokoro Tech?
series that was serialized in the magazine
Sh?setsu to Yomimono
.
This originally minor character was drastically altered and developed for the screen by
Daiei Film
and actor
Shintaro Katsu
, becoming the subject of one of Japan's longest-running film series. A total of 26 films were made between 1962 and 1989. From 1974 to 1979, a television series was produced, starring Katsu and some of the same actors that appear in the films. Produced by Katsu Productions, 100 episodes were aired before the
Zatoichi
television series was cancelled.
[1]
The
seventeenth film
of the
Zatoichi
series was remade in the US in 1989 by
TriStar Pictures
as
Blind Fury
, starring
Rutger Hauer
. A
2003 film
was directed by
Takeshi Kitano
, who also starred as the title character. It was awarded the
Venice Film Festival
's
Silver Lion for Best Direction
. A stage adaptation of
Zatoichi
directed by
Takashi Miike
and starring
Show Aikawa
was filmed in 2007 and later released
on home video
.
Zatoichi: The Last
is a 2010 film directed by
Junji Sakamoto
and starring
Shingo Katori
.
Character
[
edit
]
Zatoichi at first comes across as a harmless
blind
anma
(masseur) and
bakuto
(gambler) who wanders the land, making his living by
ch?-han
(playing dice) as well as giving massages, performing
acupuncture
and even, on occasion, singing and playing music. Secretly, however, he is very highly skilled in
swordsmanship
, specifically Muraku-school
kenjutsu
and
iaido
along with the more general sword skills of Japan, as well as
sumo wrestling
and
kyujutsu
.
Little of his past is revealed, other than that he lost his sight as a child through illness. His father disappeared for undisclosed reasons when Zatoichi was about five years old. He is described by his swordsmanship instructor as having practiced constantly and with extreme devotion when he was a pupil in order to develop his incredible skills. Zatoichi says of himself that he became a
yakuza
(gangster) during those three years he spent training (which immediately precede the original
The Tale of Zatoichi
) and killed many people, something he later came to deeply regret. This is reflected in his willingness to involve himself in the affairs of others?chiefly, those suffering from oppression and exploitation, or some form of corruption. Despite that moral re-assessment and his new perspective and remorse (and most often because of them), he usually has a bounty (sometimes quite large) on his head from one source or another throughout the movies and series. However, because of his earnestness, wit, and natural sense of empathy, many people who encounter him during his travels grow to respect and even care for him.
Unlike a
bushi
, he does not carry a traditional
katana
. Instead, he uses a well-made
shikomi-zue
(仕?み杖, lit. "prepared cane" or
cane sword
), as the use or possession of true fighting blades was formally outlawed for non-
samurai
during the Edo period.
[
citation needed
]
The decree was virtually impossible to enforce, however, as evidenced by the yakuza enforcers being shown wielding katanas throughout the films. The blades of
Shikomi-zue
were generally straight-edged, of lower-quality, unfolded steel, which could not compare with even a low-end
katana
. As a result, the blade in Ichi's cane sword is broken during the climactic battle in
Zatoichi the Fugitive
(the fourth film). The sword has a new blade by the next film, which he wields until the fifteenth film
Zatoichi's Cane Sword
. The blade (which breaks during the film) and the blade that replaces it were specially forged at great expense and with far more than the usual care by master
bladesmiths
and were both of exceptional quality, superior to the swords of even most
samurai
. At the beginning of
Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo
, his swordblade (presumably the same) inexplicably breaks and is sold to a blacksmith along with its hilt and scabbard. Its replacement is not a
shikomi-zue
, but a
jot?
(杖刀 lit. a "staff sword") of unrevealed origin that resembles a short, thick
bo staff
, which also soon breaks. In the next film,
Zatoichi: The Festival of Fire
, he is once again using his trademark cane sword, outfitted with a new blade of unknown origin and quality.
The principal recurring thematic formula of these films and the television series is that of the ever-wandering and sentimental drifter who protects the innocent and the helpless from oppressive or warring
yakuza
gangs, stops the worst of general injustice or predation and aids the unfortunate, and often, through no fault of his own, is set upon by ruffians or stumbles into harm's way.
[
citation needed
]
Zatoichi's saga is essentially one of an earthy but basically good and wise man almost always trying to do the decent thing, to somehow redeem himself and perhaps atone for past failings. Nevertheless, he believes himself instead to be a stained, corrupted and evil man, irredeemable and undeserving of the love and respect that some show and rightly have for him. This self-described "god of calamities" is routinely a magnet for troubles of one sort or another. Death is his only constant companion, as he pragmatically does not allow other people, especially those he loves or thinks highly of, to get close and stay there for long; such would lead to eventual tragedy. Death does seem, like a shadow, actually to follow an often reluctant Zatoichi almost everywhere he goes, and despite his mostly compassionate nature, killing appears to come entirely naturally to him.
His lightning-fast fighting skill is incredible, with his sword held in a reverse grip; this, combined with his unflappable steel-nerved wits in a fight, his keen ears, sense of smell and
proprioception
, all render him a formidable adversary. He is also quite capable with a traditional
katana
, as seen in
Zatoichi's Vengeance
and the bathhouse scene in
Zatoichi and the Festival of Fire
. Similarly, he displays considerable skill using two swords simultaneously, in Musashi-like
Nit? Ichi
style in
Zatoichi and the Doomed Man
. Almost preternaturally dangerous with blades, he is fully capable (whether standing, sitting or lying down) of fighting and swiftly defeating multiple skilled opponents simultaneously. Some, however, have come close to besting him in combat, in particular during the final duel in
Zatoichi Challenged
, where extenuating circumstances played a role.
A number of other standard scenarios are also repeated through the series: Zatoichi's winning of large amounts at gambling via his ability to hear whether the dice have fallen on even or odd is a common theme, as is his catching loaded or substituted dice by the difference in their sound. This frequently culminates in another set piece, Zatoichi's cutting the candles lighting the room and reducing it to pitch blackness, commonly accompanied by his tagline "Kurayami nara kotchi no mon da" (暗闇ならこっちのもんだ; roughly meaning "Darkness is my ally" or "Now we are all blind").
The character's name is actually
Ichi
.
Zat?
is a title, the lowest of the four official ranks within the
T?d?za
, the historical guild for blind men (thus,
zato
also designates a blind person in Japanese slang).
[
citation needed
]
Ichi is therefore properly called
Zat?-no-Ichi
("Low-Ranking Blind Person Ichi", approximately), or
Zat?ichi
for short. Massage was a traditional occupation for the blind (as their lack of sight removed the issue of gender), as was playing the
biwa
or, for blind women (
goze
), the
shamisen
.
[
citation needed
]
Being lesser
hinin
(lit. "
non-people
"), blind people and masseurs were regarded as among the very lowest of the low in social class, other than
eta
or outright criminals; they were generally considered wretches, beneath notice, no better than beggars or even the insane?especially during the Edo period?and it was also commonly thought that the blind were accursed, despicable, severely mentally disabled, deaf and sexually dangerous.
Original film series
[
edit
]
The original series of 26 films featured
Shintaro Katsu
as Zatoichi. The first film was made in 1962 in
black and white
. The third film, in 1963, was the first to be filmed in color. The 25th film was made in 1973, followed by a hiatus of 16 years until Katsu's last film, which he wrote and directed himself in 1989.
The original series of movies features other popular fictional characters of the genre on two occasions.
Zatoichi Meets the One-Armed Swordsman
(1971) connects with the
Shaw Brothers
series of
Hong Kong
-produced movies directed by prolific director
Chang Cheh
; and
Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo
(1970) features
Toshiro Mifune
as Imperial Shogunate Secret Agent Daisaku Sasa. This character resembles the title character of
Akira Kurosawa
's films
Yojimbo
and
Sanjuro
. The earlier films, in which Mifune's character used the pseudonym Sanjuro (30-year-old), are alluded to when Sassa is jokingly called Shijuro (40-year-old).
List of films
[
edit
]
- Note
: The English titles shown are the common commercially used titles, thus they are not direct translations of the original Japanese titles.
Directors
[
edit
]
Many directors directed multiple Zatoichi movies. The directors are (in order of number of movies they directed):
- Kenji Misumi: 6
- Kimiyoshi Yasuda: 6
- Kazuo Mori: 3
- Tokuz? Tanaka: 3
- Kazuo Ikehiro: 3
- Shintaro Katsu: 2
- Akira Inoue: 1
- Satsuo Yamamoto: 1
- Kihachi Okamoto: 1
Television series
[
edit
]
The television series
Zatoichi
ran for four seasons?a total of 100 episodes?with Shintaro Katsu in the lead role:
- 26 episodes, in 1974
- 29 episodes, in 1976
- 19 episodes, in 1978
- 26 episodes, in 1979
Most of the stories in the television series are original dramas, but some are essentially redacted remakes of the full-length Zatoichi films of the previous decade such as Season One, Episode 14, "Fighting Journey with Baby in Tow" (corresponds to the 8th film "Fight, Zatoichi, Fight" 座頭市血笑旅 Zat?ichi kessh?-tabi); Season One, Episode 16, "The Winds From Mt. Akagi".
The first season of television shows has been released with English subtitles from
Media Blasters
/ Tokyo Shock.
Production companies
[
edit
]
The first 20 films were produced and distributed by
Daiei Film
(except for the 16th film
Zatoichi the Outlaw
and the 20th film
Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo
which were produced by Shintaro Katsu's own company, Katsu Productions, and distributed theatrically by Daiei).
The last 6 films (and the TV series) were also produced by Katsu Productions. Distribution of these films was done by Dainichi Eihai (
Zatoichi Goes to the Fire Festival
,
Zatoichi Meets the One-Armed Swordsman
), Toho (
Zatoichi at Large
which Toho also co-produced with Katsu Productions,
Zatoichi in Desperation
, and
Zatoichi at the Blood Fest
), and
Shochiku
which released Katsu's last Zatoichi film in 1989. It was re-released (and retitled
Darkness Is His Ally
) in 2004, occasioned by the new 2003 Zatoichi film,
Zatoichi
, starring
Takeshi Kitano
, which Shochiku also released.
Chambara Entertainment/Video Action of Honolulu held the original VHS release rights to the Zatoichi film series numbers 1-20, though it only released some of them. Chambara eventually expired its North American release license. AnimEigo held the remainder of the VHS rights.
[2]
Home Vision Entertainment was granted United States distribution rights to the original Daiei films (except for the 14th and the 16th (the second of which was still in possession of AnimEigo)), and released them on DVD: the films were numbered 1?13, 15, and 17?19.
AnimEigo
released seven of the films:
Zatoichi the Outlaw
(1967),
Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo
(1970),
Zatoichi at the Fire Festival
(1970, as
Zatoichi: The Festival of Fire
),
Zatoichi Meets the One-Armed Swordsman
(1971),
Zatoichi at Large
(1972),
Zatoichi in Desperation
(1972), and
Zatoichi at the Blood Fest
(1973, as
Zatoichi's Conspiracy
).
Media Blasters
(under their Tokyo Shock label) have released both the 1989 film and the first season (26 episodes) of the TV series.
The
Criterion Collection
released the first 25 films as a dual-format Blu-ray and DVD boxed set on November 26, 2013.
[3]
[4]
Remakes and spin-offs
[
edit
]
Blind Fury
[
edit
]
In 1989,
TriStar Pictures
released a remake called
Blind Fury
, starring
Rutger Hauer
as a
Vietnam War
vet who is blinded, then taught to use a cane sword by a local tribe before returning home to America. This film is based on
Zatoichi Challenged
(1967), the 17th film in the original series.
2003 film
[
edit
]
In 2003,
Takeshi Kitano
wrote, directed and appeared in a new high-budget film featuring the character,
Zatoichi
. It premiered on September 3, 2003, at the
Venice Film Festival
, where it won the prestigious
Silver Lion
award, and went on to numerous other awards both at home and abroad. The soundtrack was composed by
Keiichi Suzuki
and the Japanese tap dance troupe
The Stripes
. Zatoichi discovers a small, remote mountain town that has been overtaken by a bullying gang that is extorting money from the townspeople. As Zatoichi seeks to liberate the town, he encounters a
r?nin
seeking employment to pay for his ailing wife's needs, and two
geisha
who are seeking to avenge the murder of their parents, but he soon discovers that they are not what they seem to be.
Stage adaptation
[
edit
]
A stage version of
Zatoichi
directed by
Takashi Miike
starred
Show Aikawa
.
[5]
It was filmed in 2007 and later released
on home video
.
Ichi
[
edit
]
In 2008's
Ichi
, a blind female musician who is rescued (and later trained) by Zatoichi travels through Japan to find her mentor.
[6]
[7]
Zatoichi: The Last
[
edit
]
Toho
released a new Zatoichi film starring
Shingo Katori
titled
Zatoichi: The Last
on May 29, 2010.
[8]
[9]
In other works
[
edit
]
- In 1969, Teruo Sakamaki (
酒?輝男
), a Japanese restaurant owner from
Shinjuku
turned Shintaro Katsu/Zatoichi impersonator, starred in a
Pink film
entitled
Lewd Priest: Forty-Eight Positions Cutting
(好色坊主 四十八手斬り). The film was directed by Kaoru Umezawa and produced by Uematsu Productions which was reportedly sued by Daiei for copyright infringement. Under various aliases including "Shintaro Katsu look-alike (勝新太?ソックリショ?)", "Rintaro Katsu (勝利太?)", and "Sing Lung (勝龍)", Sakamaki continued to imitate Shintaro Katsu as Zatoichi in numerous films in Taiwan including:
The Blind Swordsman's Revenge
(盲劍?血滴子) (1972),
The Blind Swordsman vs White Wolf
(盲俠?白狼) (1972),
Trust and Brotherhood
(義氣傳義氣) (1972),
The Hunchback
(漢駝) (1972),
Inspector Karate
(頭號鐵人) (1973), and
The Devil's Owl
(魔鬼怪鷹) (1977).
[10]
- The
Crimson Bat
film series (1969?1970) and TV series (1971) was an unauthorized variation, with a blind woman named O-Ichi, played by
Yoko Matsuyama
, as the sword-wielding hero.
- Blindman
is a 1971
Spaghetti Western
variation on the Zatoichi formula starring
Tony Anthony
as a blind gunman.
- In the second season of the 1985 animated series
Thundercats
, a character named Lynx-O shares many similarities to Zatoichi. Having been blinded by volcanic gasses during his escape from his dying homeworld of Thundera, Lynx-O develops his other senses to "see" the world around him. He is a formidable fighter, and can use pressure points to disable and defeat his foes.
- The character of Zatoichi finds homage in the character of
Zato-Ino
(also known as "the Blind Swordspig") in
Stan Sakai
's long-running anthropomorphic comic series
Usagi Yojimbo
(1984). This iteration of the character uses his keen sense of smell to find his way and to combat his enemies. Zato-Ino first appeared in
Critters
#7 (Jan 1987), published by
Fantagraphics Books
.
- A TV-movie Western titled
Blind Justice
was released in 1994 from HBO. A blinded civil war veteran protects a baby he is transporting to family beyond a border town besieged by bandits.
- In the 1998 video game series
Guilty Gear
, one of the original characters is named Zato-1, who also happens to be a blind assassin. Although his name is pronounced Zato-one, the Japanese word for one is ichi, hence Zato-ichi.
- In the 2005 episode of
The Boondocks
titled "
Grandad's Fight
," Huey has a dream in which he fights Col. Stinkmeaner - a blind and cruel elderly man who had beaten his grandfather earlier in the episode - as a samurai. Later in the episode, Huey shows his grandfather footage of the animated Zatoichi in action, comparing Stinkmeaner to the blind swordsman.
- In the 2006 movie
Devil's Den
, the main characters, while being trapped in the strip club by female ghouls, have a fantasy scenario of how Zatoichi would deal with the ghouls himself.
- The Italian
heavy metal band
Holy Martyr released a song titled "Zatoichi" on their 2011 album
Invincible
, based on the character. The cover artwork of
Invincible
depicts Zatoichi in combat against two rival warriors.
- In the Shogun Pack update of the 2007 multiplayer first-person shooter
Team Fortress 2
, a katana called "The Half-Zatoichi" was introduced for use by both the Soldier and Demoman, alluding to the fact that the Demoman is missing an eye and is half-blind, while the Soldier's helmet covers his eyes and restricts his vision.
- In the 2007 American
exploitation
horror film
Death Proof
, Jungle Julia calls Stuntman Mike "Zatoichi" sarcastically when he fails to notice a billboard. Mike responds with a wide grin similar to Zatoichi's.
- In the 2013 online co-op game
Warframe
, there is a katana stance called "Blind Justice", which causes the katana to be held in reverse grip. Its first attack combination is called "Zatos' Creed", all of them being references to Zatoichi. As well as this, there is a skin for the "Excalibur" Warframe named "Excalibur Zato".
- In the long-running manga series
One Piece
, the minor character and
marine Admiral Fujitora
is based upon Zatoichi.
- In the music video for Wednesday Campanella's song Inca, singer KOM_I plays a Zatoichi inspired character.
- The character of Zatoichi also finds homage in 2016's
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
,
where Chinese actor
Donnie Yen
appears as Chirrut Imwe, a blind transient wanderer who is secretly a highly skilled warrior who believes in, and has a connection with,
the Force
.
[11]
The Jedi characters Rahm Kota and
Kanan Jarrus
also draw inspiration from the character.
[12]
- In 2017, a short eight-minute fictitious sci-fi film trailer entitled
ZVP - Zatoichi vs Predator
, produced, written and directed by Junya Okabe as a nonprofit fan film starring
Shun Sugata
as Zatoichi was released by Blast Inc. and made available on YouTube.
[13]
A very special team of villains attack and kill a group of samurai comic book style, until a mysterious samurai appears to defeat them. He is revealed to be a Predator and Zatoichi will face him with a
Star Wars
-style Jedi Knight lightsaber. A making-of video was also available.
- In Hou Hsiao-hsien’s debut feature
Cute Girl
, the main character Daigang performs a brief Zatoichi impression.
- Denzel Curry's album
Melt My Eyez See Your Future
features a track titled "Zatoichi", and its accompanying music video includes Curry training under a blind martial artist.
[14]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"Frequently Asked Questions about 'Zatoichi'
"
. The Momii Company
. Retrieved
15 December
2010
.
- ^
"The Momii Company. Lingerie, Zatoichi samurai action videos, self-improvement books, and West Coast Blues CDs"
. Momii.com. 2015-08-19
. Retrieved
2022-06-26
.
- ^
"Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman Blu-ray (Blu-ray + DVD)"
.
- ^
"Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman"
.
- ^
"Sho Aikawa gets first starring stage role in Miike's 'Zatoichi'
"
. Tokyograph. 26 July 2007
. Retrieved
15 December
2010
.
- ^
"Ichi Movie Review (2008) from Channel 4 Film"
. Archived from
the original
on 2009-07-13
. Retrieved
2009-07-21
.
- ^
"Ichi (2008) - IMDb"
.
IMDb
.
- ^
"
"THE LAST"の名も怪しい!? 香取?吾主演の映?『座頭市』が大コケ|サイゾ?ウ?マン"
.
サイゾ?ウ?マン
(in Japanese). June 14, 2010
. Retrieved
October 19,
2017
.
- ^
Schilling, Mark (14 May 2010).
"
'Zatoichi: The Last'
"
.
The Japan Times
. Archived from
the original
on 3 December 2013.
- ^
"Sing Lung (2)"
.
- ^
"How Rogue One's Plot Ties Directly into The Force Awakens"
.
TheWrap
. 2016-12-16
. Retrieved
2016-12-20
.
- ^
@pablohidalgo (2016-03-30).
"See Ya Next Year! on Twitter: "Is Kanan now a reference to Rahm Kota? No, but they both owe a debt to Zatoichi, a character every
SW
fan should know about. #StarWarsRebels"
"
.
Twitter
. Retrieved
2016-12-19
.
- ^
"Zatoichi vs Predator"
. hypebeast.com. 12 December 2017
. Retrieved
28 January
2020
.
- ^
Darville, Jordan (February 24, 2022).
"Denzel Curry trains hard in the video for "Zatoichi" featuring slowthai"
.
The Fader
.
Archived
from the original on March 18, 2022
. Retrieved
September 18,
2023
.
Bibliography
[
edit
]
- Silver, Alain (1983) [1977]. "5. The Alien Hero I. The Blind Swordfighters: Zato Ichi and the Crimson Bat".
The Samurai Film
. Woodstock, New York: The Overlook Press. pp. 76?83.
ISBN
978-0-87951-175-3
.
External links
[
edit
]