ZATOICHI #2
Directed by Kazuo Mori • 1962 • Japan
THE TALE OF ZATOICHI proved so popular that a follow-up went into production the same year. Here, Zatoichi is hired to give a massage to a powerful political official who, he discovers, is mentally ill, a secret that the nobleman’s retinue is determined to keep at any cost. This second ZATOICHI film picks up the pace, featuring bigger action sequences, tighter plotting, and a mysterious one-armed swordsman played by star Shintaro Katsu’s brother Tomisaburo Wakayama (LONE WOLF AND CUB).
Up Next in Samurai
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Vendetta of a Samurai
Directed by Kazuo Mori • 1952 • Japan
Starring Toshiro Mifune, Takashi ShimuraScripted by Akira Kurosawa and directed by period specialist Kazuo Mori, this revisionist samurai tale stars the mighty Toshiro Mifune as legendary swordsman Mataemon Araki, who aids a young man in his quest to avenge...
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Zatoichi the Fugitive
ZATOICHI #4
Directed by Tokuzo Tanaka • 1963 • JapanZatoichi triumphs at a village wrestling match, much to the chagrin of his yakuza opponents. The defeated gang members pay a hotheaded ronin to take out the masseur; unbeknownst to them, the hired assassin is married to a former flame of Zatoi...
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Zatoichi’s Conspiracy
ZATOICHI #25
Directed by Kimiyoshi Yasuda • 1973 • JapanEverything comes full circle when Zatoichi returns to his hometown. Unfortunately, he finds that a childhood friend has become a feared crime lord, keeping the locals in debt and bilking them of their rice. Capping off Zatoichi’s feature f...
