Kenji Misumi

Zatoichi Challenged

Zatoichi Challenged

A dying woman begs Zatoichi to reunite her son with the father he has never met, but when the blind masseur searches for the man, he discovers that he has been forced by a local yakuza boss to pay off his gambling debts in an unusual way: by painting illegal erotica. Determined to bring father and son together, Zatoichi pits his skills against the gangsters and a ronin who is not entirely what he seems.

Film Info

  • Japan
  • 1967
  • 86 minutes
  • 2.35:1
  • Japanese

Available In

Collector's Set

Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman

Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman

Blu-ray Box Set

9 Discs

$159.96

Zatoichi Challenged
Cast
Shintaro Katsu
Zatoichi
Jushiro Konoe
Akazuka
Miwa Takada
Omitsu
Yukiji Asaoka
Tomoe
Mikiko Tsubouchi
Osen
Mie Nakao
Miyuki
Takao Ito
Shokichi
Midori Isomura
Omine
Eitaro Ozawa
Torikoshi
Asao Koike
Boss Gonzo
Credits
Director
Kenji Misumi
Produced by
Ikuo Kubodera
Original story by
Kan Shimozawa
Screenplay
Ryozo Kasahara
Cinematography
Chikashi Makiura
Edited by
Toshio Taniguchi
Original music
Akira Ifukube
Art direction
Shigenori Shimoishizaka

Current

Tony Rayns on the Meaning of Zatoichi
Tony Rayns on the Meaning of Zatoichi

Asian-cinema expert Tony Rayns unpacks the significance of Zatoichi’s name and the strict social hierarchy that the character so gleefully upends.

On the Road with Zatoichi
On the Road with Zatoichi

He massages, he gambles, and he’s great with a blade. Who is this blind swordsman, anyway?

By Geoffrey O'Brien