
Birthday:
02-01-1892
Deathday:
07-19-1968 (76 years)
Birthplace:
Atsuta-mura, Atsuta-gun, Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan
Their works
- Release swap_vert
- Title swap_vert
- Ratings swap_vert
close
Zatoichi: Darkness Is His Ally
Story
event1989 star_border 6.4
top_panel_open
Older, wiser but still a wandering loner, the blind, peace-loving masseur Ichi seeks a peaceful life in a rural village. When he's caught in the middle of a power struggle between two rival Yakuza clans, his reputation as a deadly defender of the innocent is put to the ultimate test in a series of sword-slashing showdowns.
ICHI
Story
event2008 star_border 6.8
top_panel_open
Ichi is a blind entertainer that travels the countryside with her traditional Japanese guitar and walking stick. She’s in search for the kind man that brought her up as a child, but because of her beauty she encounters problems every step of the way. Fortunately for Ichi, she is also a gifted swordswoman and carries a lethal blade within her walking stick.
Shinsengumi Chronicles
Novel
event1963 star_border 6.5
top_panel_open
As winds of change sweep Japan, an honest man joins the Shinsengumi out of admiration for its leader, and because he wants to live and die as a samurai. However, as his involvement grows, reality and idealism come into deadly conflict.
Zatoichi
Novel
event2003 star_border 7.2
top_panel_open
Blind traveler Zatoichi is a master swordsman and a masseur with a fondness for gambling on dice games. When he arrives in a village torn apart by warring gangs, he sets out to protect the townspeople.
お役者小僧
Original Story
event1953
top_panel_open
The phantom thief, known as the "Actor Kid", who was creating a stir in the Daimyo's mansion, especially in the inner chambers, was called Inaba Goutaro. He was the adopted son of a samurai, Inaba Buemon. An incident occurred where his foster father collided with the palanquin of the lord's concubine. In the subsequent altercation, Goutaro killed one of the attendants. Taking responsibility for the act, his foster father committed seppuku, and Goutaro was hunted down. Facing death, his foster father revealed to Goutaro that after the death of his biological father, Goutaro's real mother and his younger brother were forcibly made to serve a lord. This revelation ignited Goutaro's determination to infiltrate the Daimyo's mansion to meet his birth mother.
お役者小僧 江戸千両幟
Original Story
event1955
top_panel_open
Okazaki Domain samurai Inaba Gotaro accidentally killed a superior while trying to save his beloved geisha, Ko-en. On the run, they were rescued by the actor Nakamura Utaemon, but Ko-en was taken by the Hatamoto, Ono Issai. Gotaro, who fell off a cliff, was saved by the Dutch-trained doctor, Shibarai Ryokai, and his daughter Oume. While traveling to Edo, they met Utaemon in Mishima, who was suffering from a serious eye disease. Ryokai’s treatment saved Utaemon from blindness, and a strong friendship was formed among the three.
The Life of a Chivalrous Man in Suruga: Broken Swords
Original Story
event1964
top_panel_open
The second film in the "Suruga yukyoden" series, in which Shintaro Katsu plays Jirocho Shimizu. The film features Omasa, Komasa, Ocho, who will become Jirocho's wife, as well as other members of his future family. There is a particularly great swordfight near the end where Katsu and cronies attack the rival villainous yakuza clan to rescue their ailing, elderly boss. The action choreography, cinematography and editing of this sequence is quite brilliant, treading a difficult tightrope act between genuinely goofy antics and exhilirating, bloody violence.
Flowery Brothers
Original Story
event1956
top_panel_open
Early film by Kenji Misumi.
Wild Lion
Novel
event1953
top_panel_open
A gripping historical drama that follows the explosive growth of Katsu Kaishu, the hero of the Meiji era, and the interesting human image of his father, Kokichi, who lived for the common people, his neighbors and his children. A film about paternal and maternal love and conjugal love in the creation of mankind, about the healing power of which laughter and tears have. The film that became the last work of the giant star Tsumasaburo Bando.
A Thousand Standards of Stone
Novel
event1950
top_panel_open
A film about the rivalry and friendship between firefighter Chоji and sumo wrestler Sokichi Fudoyama.
Zatoichi Live
Original Series Creator
event2008
top_panel_open
Takashi Miike directs a stage version of Zatoichi, the tale of the blind swordsman.
Fall of the Shogun's Militia
Original Story
event1954 star_border 7
top_panel_open
Kondo Isami, the “Devil” commander of the Shinsengumi was one of Japan’s greatest national heroes and a peerless swordsman who devoted his life to protecting the shogun and fighting on the side of the Tokugawa. This tells the story of the Shinsengumi starting at the moment of their greatest triumph through the final battles as the Tokugawa shogunate was brought down.
紋三郎の秀
Original Story
event1955
top_panel_open
Japanese film.
Yakuza of Ina
Original Story
event1960 star_border 7
top_panel_open
Tossing his hat in the air to pick a direction, Yataro the wanderer sets out on a journey of adventure, not knowing what tomorrow may bring. The son of a Hatamoto, he has left the samurai life and become a yakuza, gambling on life's fortune and ready to risk his life at a moment's notice. Featuring an all-star cast that includes the debonair Azuma Chiyonosuke, this is a tale of excitement and action that brings the best of black and white to the silver screen. An adventure like no other, this is one of Kinnosuke's lost gems. A series of mishaps leads Yataro to watching over the beloved daughter of his close friend.
New Tale of Zatoichi
Original Story
event1963 star_border 6.9
top_panel_open
Wishing to find peace, Zatoichi travels to his old village but only finds trouble when he ends up in a love triangle and finds old scores have followed him home.
Tengu Priest
Original Story
event1962
top_panel_open
Kichizaburo, a samurai keeping peace in Edo, helps a young geisha Kozome avenge her father’s death.
Zatoichi's Flashing Sword
Original Story
event1964 star_border 6.7
top_panel_open
Blind masseur Zatoichi is nursed back to health by a young woman after he is shot by a gang member. Zatoichi, who had come to the village to repay a debt, now feels further indebted. He commits himself to use his amazing sword skills to help the young woman's father, whose river-crossing service is under attack by the same gang responsible for Zatoichi's wounds.
Zatoichi and the Doomed Man
Original Story
event1965 star_border 6.8
top_panel_open
Blind swordsman Zatoichi, jailed briefly, is implored by another prisoner to aid him in proving his innocence of a crime for which he is sentenced to death. Zatoichi is reluctant to get involved, because he knows how often such involvement has led to trouble in the past. But events conspire to thrust him repeatedly into involvement, and gradually he comes to believe in the man's innocence and determines to free him.
Zatoichi's Vengeance
Original Story
event1966 star_border 6.8
top_panel_open
Zatoichi comes upon a dying man who asks him to give a bag of money to "Taichi". Zatoichi has no idea who this is but when he comes upon a small town harassed by gangsters, he finds that "Taichi" was the man's young son. Along his travels he also met a blind monk who makes Zatoichi question his murderous lifestyle. In trying to help the town, Zatoichi kills some gangsters and becomes a hero to the boy. He must make a choice of whether to use non-violence and set a good example, or violence and set the boy on the wrong path in life.
Zatoichi and the Chess Expert
Original Story
event1965 star_border 6.5
top_panel_open
Zatoichi makes friends with a dangerous chess player, while fending off angry yakuza and bloodthirsty relatives out for revenge, and trying to save a sick child. Meanwhile, his luck with dice is turning.
The Tale of Zatoichi
Original Story
event1962 star_border 7.3
top_panel_open
The adventures of a blind, gambling masseur and master swordsman. Zatoichi targets a yakuza-controlled village, because war with a neighbouring town's smaller gang is brewing.
The Tale of Zatoichi Continues
Original Story
event1962 star_border 7
top_panel_open
Returning to the village where a year before he had killed Hirate, a much-admired opponent, Zatoichi encounters another swordsman and former rival in love.
Zatoichi the Fugitive
Original Story
event1963 star_border 6.9
top_panel_open
After arriving in the town of Shimonita, Ichi finds that a price has been put on his head by a local yakuza boss. He's drawn into a trap, but after hearing of the slaying of a former love, Ichi furiously fights his way through the entire clan to face the killer, a hired ronin.
Zatoichi on the Road
Original Story
event1963 star_border 6.9
top_panel_open
Zatoichi is sworn to protect the life of a young girl and without any real allies finds himself in the middle of a bloody turf war.
Zatoichi and the Chest of Gold
Original Story
event1964 star_border 6.9
top_panel_open
Ichi travels to the village of Itakura to pay his respects at the grave of Kichizo, a man he killed two years ago. When some tax money is stolen while in transit to the governor he is accused and sets out to find the money and clear his name.
Fight, Zatoichi, Fight
Original Story
event1964 star_border 6.8
top_panel_open
Blind swordsman/masseuse Zatoichi befriends a young woman returning home with her baby. When gangsters mistake her for Zatoichi and kill her, Zatoichi determines to escort the baby to its father. He gains the reluctant help of a young pick pocket and together they travel to find the baby's father. But they do not reckon on the father's reaction to their arrival, nor on their own growing feelings for the child.
Adventures of Zatoichi
Original Story
event1964 star_border 6.7
top_panel_open
Blind swordsman/masseuse Zatoichi befriends a young woman looking for her father, a village leader who has disappeared. As he helps her investigate the disappearance, Zatoichi also becomes involved with another young woman who is trying to help her brother, who has murdered someone at about the same time and place as the missing man was last seen.
Zatoichi's Revenge
Original Story
event1965 star_border 6.6
top_panel_open
Itinerant masseur and master swordsman, the blind Zatoichi, is near the village of his teacher, Hikonoichi, so he decides to visit. He learns of Hikonoichi's recent robbery and murder and the imprisonment of his virginal daughter, Osayo, in a brothel. Through friendship with Denroku, a local dice thrower and devoted father, Ichi uncovers an unholy alliance between the governor and the area strongman: among their scams is falsifying tax records to put farmers in debt, then forcing their daughters into prostitution at the boss's brothel. With help from Denroku's daughter, Otsuru, Ichi comforts Osayo until he can provoke showdowns with the villains and their henchmen.
Zatoichi's Pilgrimage
Original Story
event1966 star_border 7
top_panel_open
Zatoichi's trek through 88 temples to atone for his violent past is interrupted as he stumbles into a village terrorized by a violent yakuza boss.
Zatoichi's Cane Sword
Original Story
event1967 star_border 7.3
top_panel_open
Zatoichi comes upon the town of Tonda, overrun by gangsters. Using one of his favorite techniques, Zatoichi proceeds to win 8 ryo in a rigged gambling game. Of course, the local gangsters attempt to kill him, and the adventure begins. It turns out a blacksmith named Senzo examines Zatoichi's cane sword, and discovers it to be forged by his old mentor. Senzo discovers the sword is at the end of its usefulness and will break when it is used next.
Zatoichi the Outlaw
Original Story
event1967 star_border 6.5
top_panel_open
When a local gambling house kidnaps some peasants because they failed to pay their debts, a rival gambling house pays their debts and sets them free.
Zatoichi Challenged
Original Story
event1967 star_border 6.7
top_panel_open
Ichi is staying at an inn when a woman dies. Her dying wish is that Ichi take her son to his father, an artist living in a nearby town. After arriving in the town, Ichi finds out that the father has been forced by a local boss to create illegal pornography to pay off his gambling debts. Ichi makes it his mission to save the man and reunite the family, even though it brings him into conflict with a samurai he sort of befriended on his way to the town.
Runway to Hell
Original Story
event1960 star_border 6.5
top_panel_open
When Kaneko Ichinosuke aims to avenge his father who was wrongly accused of embezzlement, the samurai Kochiyama Soshun agrees to assist.
Virtue in Spades
Novel
event1956
top_panel_open
Adaptation of the novel by Kan Shimozawa.
Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo
Original Story
event1970 star_border 6.7
top_panel_open
With a price on his head, Ichi seeks tranquillity in a favorite village. Since his last visit, it has fallen prey to Boss Masagoro, the son of a merchant rumored to have stolen gold from the shogunate. The boss has hired Yojimbo as his hard-drinking enforcer, but Yojimbo is both a spy for the shogunate, trying to find the gold, and in love with the merchant's unwilling mistress, Umeno. Ichi hires on as the merchant's masseur and buys Umeno's freedom with his employer's own money. This embarrasses Yojimbo who withdraws from a pact with Ichi to stir up trouble between father and son and their gangs. As the two sides fight, Ichi finds the gold and sets up a final set of confrontations.
Zatoichi Goes to the Fire Festival
Original Story
event1970 star_border 6.7
top_panel_open
The blind masseuse is targeted by the leader of a powerful yakuza group while also fending off a jealous husband bent on revenge. Zatoichi tours Edo's underground via a rousing onsen fight scene, gambling houses and the gender-bending character of Umeji, before a final, flame-filled conflagration.
Zatoichi and the Fugitives
Original Story
event1968 star_border 6.9
top_panel_open
Zatoichi runs afoul of some evil fugitives, working for a corrupt law official.
Samaritan Zatoichi
Original Story
event1968 star_border 6.6
top_panel_open
Zatoichi is forced to kill a young man who owes a debt to a yakuza boss. Moments later, his sister Osode arrives with the money she earned (prostituting herself) to pay his debts. The bosses true motives are revealed and he attempts to steal Osode even though the debt is paid. Zatoichi realizes his grievous error and protects the girl from the gang. Osode and Zatoichi are caught in a dilemma as she must rely on her brother's killer for protection and Zatoichi wrestles with the injustice he has caused.
Zatoichi Meets the One-Armed Swordsman
Original Story
event1971 star_border 6.7
top_panel_open
Zatoichi is a blind massage therapist and swordsman who finds out that something troubling is taking place on the outskirts of town. After discovering who the guilty parties are -- an accomplished Chinese martial artist named Wang Kang and his youthful attendant -- Zatoichi finds them and discovers that the pair's mixed up with a dangerous bunch of terrorist samurai who murdered the boy's parents. Now, Zatoichi must step in to save the day.
Zatoichi at Large
Original Story
event1972 star_border 6.5
top_panel_open
Blind masseur and master swordsman Zatoichi finds a robbed and fatally wounded pregnant woman, whose baby he delivers before she dies. He takes the baby in search of its father and finds the child's aunt, who is about to be forced into prostitution for want of a payment the dead mother was bringing. Zatoichi determines to save the woman from her cruel fate.
Zatoichi in Desperation
Original Story
event1972 star_border 6.6
top_panel_open
After accidentally causing the death of an old lady, Zatoichi tries to do right by buying the lady’s daughter’s freedom from a brothel - but this causes more problems than solves them.
Zatoichi's Conspiracy
Original Story
event1973 star_border 6.9
top_panel_open
Zatoichi, the famed blind swordsman, returns to his home village for the first time in many years. He is befriended by Omiyo, who had the same wet-nurse as Zatoichi. He also encounters a boyhood friend, Shinbei, who now is wealthy and appears not to remember Zatoichi. Shinbei seems to be interested in repaying the villagers' debts, but is in reality manipulating the ownership of a now-valuable rock quarry. Zatoichi learns of the subterfuge and confronts his old friend, who has a score of yakuza swordsmen backing his play.
The Adventures of Chuji
Original Story
event1957
top_panel_open
Chuji Kunisada runs into strange adventures which tests his skill as a samurai as he untangles intrigue and murder against the backdrop of the majestic Mount Akagi.
Father and Son Hawk
Novel (11 ep.)
event1994
top_panel_open
The life of Katsu Kaishū and his father.
Zatoichi monogatari
Creator (11 ep.)
event1974 star_border 6
top_panel_open
Blind masseur Zatôichi travels from town to town gambling, drinking, and fighting off the local gangs.
Show more expand_more
keyboard_double_arrow_down