THE TALES OF ZATOICHI — With 25 adventures of Shintaro Katsu’s famed blind, wandering swordsman Zatoichi recently becoming available through both a remarkable Criterion Collection box set, and digitally via Hulu Plus, our team decided it was time to walk down the dusty roads of adventure and watch and discuss the entire legendary chanbara series. Roughly every other week until we are through, We’ll spend up to 300 words covering each film specifically, and then we’ll each get a chance to offer another round of thoughts as well. Each post is going to cover three films, and once we finish covering the core 25 films of the original adventures, we’ll even dive in to some of the remakes and reboots! Wander with us as we marvel at The Tales Of Zatoichi.
THE TALE OF ZATOICHI (1962) Dir. Kenji Misumi
Ed: “It feels like the first time!” I loved everything about watching this first film in the series. I’ve long been a fan, but have never attempted the full series, having seen five or six random titles. I know Zatoichi and his world, and have loved it since 2003 when Takeshi Kitano introduced me to the character with his big, splashy remake. It was right around the time that Netflix entered into my life, gaving me an avenue to explore films like these.
Watching wandering, blind masseur Zatoichi stumble into a town, pull off a hilarious dice gambling con that confounds a whole room full of Yakuza, and then get swept up into a grand adventure where he must prove his swordplay prowess through almost mystical feats, my grin was ear to ear. Like being in on a secret, you find yourself thinking “How could the filmmakers have known this franchise would explode and generate upwards of 30 films?” They couldn’t have. And so watching The Tale Of Zatoichi feels like watching legendary foundations being laid, and the experience is wonderful.
This first adventure sees Ichi staying with yakuza boss Sukegoro, a man who is familiar with Ichi’s skill and hopes to take advantage of it amidst a spat with another local boss named Sasagawa. As Ichi bonds with a wandering samurai named Hirate, whom is in the employ of Sasagawa, their respective bosses conflate their conflict until war is unavoidable. The two men must duel. The film concludes with Ichi wandering away, mourning his victory over Hirate, and escaping in spite of the lovely Otane having declared her love for him. It is wonderfully melodramatic and all of these events will play significantly into the next film, which surprised me as I thought this series was always episodic in nature. (@Ed_Travis)
THE TALE OF ZATOICHI CONTINUES (1962) Dir. Kazuo Mori
Austin: At a brisk 72 minutes, The Tale Of Zatoichi is the shortest in the series, but it’s not lacking in plot or growth. We first met Ichi as a sort of stoic and invincible swordsman, but in this sequel we start to get a more intimate look at the man behind the perpetually closed eyes.
This sequel finds Ichi returning to Iioka, the setting of the first film, to pay his respects to a fallen friend and address some unfinished business. Unbeknownst to him (probably — he’s Zatoichi after all, so you never know), he is followed by a mysterious one-armed man (played by Shintaro Katsu’s real life brother Tomisaburo Wakayama, who would go on to star in the Lone Wolf And Cub series which the pair tag-team produced). As Ichi becomes friendly with some girls at an inn, one of them reminds him of Ochiyo, the woman he once loved, and he tells them how he lost her to another man. It’s the audience’s first glimpse into his past, and it’s also clear from the context that the stranger, Yoshiro, is that man.
At the first film’s close, a local girl named Otane, smitten with Ichi, waited for him on the main road, ready to run away with him. I don’t know if the phrase exists as such in Japan, but he literally took the high road to sidestep her, perhaps to deny her the burden of his difficult existence. Interestingly, we see now that he has loved in the past, and in the coming films we’ll get more insight into his complicated love life.
The contentious relationship between Ichi and Yoshiro is the heartbeat of this film though, and presents major leap forward in humanizing Ichi and starting to fill in his rich and sad history. (@VforVashaw)
NEW TALE OF ZATOICHI (1963) Dir. Tokuzo Tanaka
Liam: New Tale of Zatoichi might be the best, worst-named film I have ever seen. The first of the series in color, this tale is not so much an entirely new tale as it is a continuation of what has been the saga of ramifications Zatoichi faces for his actions. While traveling, our sight-impaired hero runs into some old friends. After helping them get back their stolen money, he runs into the brother of Kanbei, who you may remember he killed in the last film. This, however, turns more towards a sub-plot as Zatoichi reconnects with his former master. Though Zatoichi briefly feels the nostalgia of the past, things are not what they seem in the home of his master. Intrigue and strife seem to follow Zatoichi everywhere, and it is not long before he must make some very difficult decisions.
New Tale continues a theme in these films, that of Zatoichi’s tragic love life. Women love this guy, with his quick hands and “round face”. In this film Zatoichi comes close to happiness yet again, but tragedy and fate step in the way. It is difficult, watching these films so far removed, to feel the tension of some of these plot points. We know there are 26 of these movies. So we know his commitment to put down the sword and become a peaceful man cannot be long lived. Yet the emotional weight of these commitments remains, making each of these films slightly more tragic as Zatoichi must turn his back on more noble or relaxing lives and remain our heroic yet tortured blind swordsman. I was particularly interested in this film how often Zatoichi says “I see…” in reference to understanding something. Is this unintentional, a trick of translation, or a purposeful subversion? I have no idea. I can say that the colors in this film are gorgeous, and the fighting was as exciting, if less epic, than anything in the first two. (@liamrulz)
Ed:
I’m simply ecstatic to be undertaking this massive project. I can’t get over the pure cinematic joy I feel watching these long-beloved films, and the sense of accomplishment of collaborating with fine gentlemen like Austin and Liam to learn more and dig even deeper into these films than I would ever be able to do on my own. I hope you readers are able to join us in watching, reading, and learning. If this column can get just a few folks to watch some or all of this series rather than just buying an amazing Criterion set that always feels too intimidating to crack, then our work will be done.
I love a lot of what Austin and Liam had to say, and probably never would have looked up what Ichi’s sword was called, or ever thought about the deeper meaning behind Ichi’s oft-uttered response of “I See…”
But what I want to talk about in my final words of this first entry in our new series is: ZOMG I love that Lone Wolf And Cub’s Tomisaburo Wakayama and Zatoichi’s Shintaro Katsu are not only the most badass real-life brothers in cinema history, but that they actually starred as brothers together inside of the Zatoichi universe! I’ve long been a massive LW&C fan, and have written extensively about those films at both CHUD and AICN. With 6 films in that beloved series, it is much easier to take in and revisit (which I’ve done a few times). This’ll be my first full trek through the “Ichi-verse”. But due to my LW&C fandom I’ve long known that these two were real life brothers. It was a wonderful surprise to discover their fraternal bond carried into the second Zatoichi film, however, and I may never get over how happy that makes me.
Austin:
Seems we’re all coming in with a surprisingly common experience so far — casual fans who have seen a handful of the films, introduced by the Takeshi Kitano reboot. Looks like all three of us tried to forget our familiarity and treat it as a new, fresh experience.
Early on Ed and I had a bit of discussion about the terminology used for the genre — while commonly referred to as “samurai” cinema, that moniker (literally denoting a soldier or guard) is not accurate to describe the character or series of Zatoichi. A more apt description would be chanbara (swordplay), or more generally, jidaigeki (period piece).
The concept of a blind vagrant (zato is not the character’s name, but rather a designation of his blindness and low caste) who is skilled with a sword is a great setup. Shintaro Katsu, who starred in all of the original series films and the TV series which followed, really sells the execution with some phenomenal acting — especially when you consider that his eyes are always closed, at least when the camera’s on his face. It’s no secret that I love movies with cool swords, and Ichi’s shikomizue, a seemingly ordinary cane which conceals a slender, razor sharp blade inside, is an elegant and iconic weapon.
One theme that struck me in particular is how so many people try to take advantage of Ichi, even those who might seem to be helpful or friendly. He’s acutely aware of it at all times, yet often seems to forgive such instances rather than create a disturbance. Indeed, he’s an extremely humble guy, at least outwardly. Inside it’s all clever machinations. When he does meet someone honorable, like the samurai Hirate, he treasures such friendships. Just like the Cinapse gang. Awww.
Liam:
I should have known you would jump on the LWAC angle here Ed.
I remember seeing the 2003 remake by Takeshi Kitano and feeling curious about the series. I started to dip in to random films in the later catalogue. I found them ridiculous and fun. However, I simply assumed the older movies, besides just being black and white, might be more formal and less over the top. In a sense I was right. The first film in this series is certainly filled with pathos and violence, but seems so much more dignified than some of my first loves in samurai film. That is, of course, save Kurosawa. That is really the thing, isn’t it? When I first came to this series I wanted Shogun Assassin, not Seven Samurai. Tale of Zatoichi may not be quite that, but it is certainly a film that deserves not just love but respect. Yet, throughout these three films, I am drawn in such a strong way to Zatoichi. What is it about Zatoichi that so immediately compels us to care about and for him? Is it the combination of compassion, morals, and a dark past? Is it his humor? His skills? The fact that young women love him despite his obvious handicaps? I believe it is all of these various aspects made real and alive by one of the most compelling actors in cinema. This character steals our hearts as we see him try to survive and be a good man in what appears to be a deeply corrupt world. Each film makes it more difficult, though the second film, I think, does so in the most compelling way. I know these films will slowly devolve into something more campy, but I hope they are just as fun.
Join us next time for the next three films in the series! We hope you can watch along with us and engage with us on this film-watching adventure. Until next time, Cinapsians!
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