La légende de Zatoïchi - La canne-épée

In this new episode of the Zatôichi'a saga, the blind hero regains some of his charisma, in an adventure of gambling, gangsters and katanas of sublime quality.

Only the use of color prevents a complete return to the brightness of the first episode. Not that the cinematography of Senkichirô Takeda, an experienced and competent technician, is bad. The problem is that this Zatôichi is a lonely hero, a gambler and an adventurer who dabbles in the underworld of the Yakuza to settle disputes and protect the underdog. He is a ronin who shines most brightly in the shadows of black and white. As if it were a hybrid of a western and a film noir, transposed to feudal Japan.

The fashion for color has changed Zatôichi. But in this film it is still possible to find traces of the surprising character of the first episode.

After a romantic break, Zatôichi returns to his natural habitat in style. As if Clint Eastwood was temporarily transported by magic to the "western" ronin universe.

The following review is an extract from the book "Shintaro Katsu´s Zatoichi: Complete guide to all movies", which is now available on Amazon. Highly recommended for all Zatoichi fans!

"Ichi tries to help a dying man named Shotaro, who dies soon after due to the seriousness of his wounds. Before he dies, he is able to say that he comes from the city of Ashikaga. A little later, the masseur is picked up in the caravan of a singer, who takes him precisely to the neighboring Ashikaga, where an event is about to take place...

Fifteenth film of the adventures of Zatoichi directed by Kimiyoshi Yasuda, a habitual director of jidaigeki who has already been behind the cameras on other occasions to direct more films of the saga of the blind masseur.

Zato means "masseur" (or rather a specific class of masseurs, that class of vagabonds to which the main character belongs) and Ichi, his first name, is also equivalent to the name for "one". For this reason, throughout the films, many times the people he meets are surprised that he presents himself only as "Ichi", believing that it is the abbreviation of a longer name (such as "Senkichi" or "Tadekichi"...).

Once again we observe that Ichi is tired of leading a life full of violence, and that he must always kill his enemies in spite of himself, because he is pushed to do so by circumstances. If it were up to him, he would simply devote himself to his work as a masseur... without forgetting his passion for the dice game. In any case, belonging to the guild of blind masseurs, he is predestined to wander all over Yamato, wandering from one side to the other, never being able to settle in a fixed place. The women he meets along his journeys as well as the friendships he makes during his constant travels are always ephemeral relationships.

Although we know that Ichi wishes from the depths of his being to abandon the path of blood, it is surprising that he gives his sword so easily to the blacksmith when he tells him that "it will no longer be possible" to repair it... How then will Ichi defend himself from now on, from all the enemies waiting for him?

This entry in the Zatoichi series has been reviewed extensively at IMDb for good reason. If you have grown to admire Zatoichi and enjoyed earlier films in the series, you are sure to love Zatoichi Tekka Tabi. If you are a fan of samurai films with a lot of action and spurting blood, then you will lose patience with this film. Warning for the before-mentioned samurai film fans; Zatoichi doesn't make his first kill until the 77th minute!

All of the most interesting scenes have been described by others. There is a great variety of scenes and Katsu Shintaro is at his best. I do have to mention the Duck Song scene. It is absolutely devastating. It's a short little song and dance performed by Zatoichi that blasts the boss who is hosting the party. Zatoichi finishes his song, waits, and doesn't hear any applause. The audience is stunned by his audacity. The scene continues with fabulous dialog between the boss and Zatoichi. It's pure gold.

The film eventually does take the viewer into familiar territory and by now you should know what to expect. The cinematography of Zatoichi entering the town holding an umbrella under falling snow is one of my favorite images from the series.

If you are looking to add to your Zatoichi DVD collection, this one is a no-brainer. It's terrific stuff served up by Katsu at his best.

This is another fine performance by Shintaro Katsu. First he gets a ride with a group of traveling performers. The woman singing the song had such a beautiful voice, she sounded like a professional singer. Then, he befriends a swordmaker, who tells him that his sword is about to break after another kill. So Zatoichi reluctantly gives him his sword, and has to fight only using a bamboo cane. The best part of the movie is when he does his song and dance routine about the ducks. He looked so goofy wearing that scarf around his head. It made him look like a woman. It was SO funny, I could not stop laughing even after that scene was over.

Master Ichi finds out from a friendly sword-smith that his legendary blade has a weak point and thus, will break upon his next attack. This inspires him to give it up and attempt to live life on the straight and narrow. Of course, with all the evil men lurking about and terrorizing the locals, somebody eventually has to do something. And you know who that somebody is. There's not too much action for the first hour but when it comes, it's classic Zatoichi, meaning some of it must be rewound just to enjoy it a second time. Zatoichi's Cane Sword (#15) is one of the best in the 27-film series (and has some of the best bits of humor from Zatoichi, like the whole "duck dance" scene) and as such, I'd recommend it to both fans and non-fans alike. And in case no one knew, Katsu Shintarô rocks.