Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo

The gentle breeze, the murmur of a babbling brook, the scent of plums. These memories call Zatoichi, the blind swordsman, back to a once-loved village. But memories are deceptive, and he arrives to find things much changed. The former boss Hyoroku has been reduced to a carver of statues of Jizo, the Buddha of Healing, and his daughter Umeno has become a hostess, and, as she describes herself, "one of the bad ones".


Control of the village is split between a former travelling merchant Eboshiya and his son Masagoro. Eboshiya befriends Zatoichi, and seeks his aid against Masagoro's minder, the drunken samurai Yojimbo the "crooked crook". When a masseur is killed, amidst rumours that a large amount of gold has been secreted in the village, the two factions begin to size each other up. It is at this point that Masagoro's younger son suddenly decides his father needs more protection and calls on the services of the contract killer Kuzuryu.

Theatrical International release dates:
Japan: Jan 15, 70

Movie Details

Cast: Koichi Sato, Shintaro Katsu, Watako Hamaki, Koji Nambara, Yuuji Hamada, Ichirô Yamamoto, Toru Abe, Yuutaroo Ban, Seishirô Hara, Shirô Itô, Masato Kagawa, Kanae Kobayashi, Gen Kuroki, Noritake Matsuda, Shoji Mori, Osamu Okawa, Jun Osuji, Mitsuo Totsuka
Running time: 115
DVD Aspect Ratios: 1.85:1

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DVD Features:

Kihachi Okamoto Biography

Shintaro Katsu Biography

Credits

Movie Stills Gallery

Artwork Stills Gallery

Six Previews

Interactive Menu

Scene Access

International rating:

Europe: 12
Australia: PG

DVD International release dates:
North America: Aug 26, 03
Europe: Q1 2002