Zatôichi umi o wataru

This film is #14 of the Zatoichi series and distinguished itself from the other Zatoichi movies in that it had a lively and interesting storyline and some lessons behind it. This film also has a history of being hard to find in that it was not originally released for the English market in the United States until Criterion provided the complete collection. The screenplay is by Kaneto Shindo who is a well-respected filmmaker in his own right and did Onibaba. The eye-pleasing cinematography continues with a wider scope and panorama that was in #12 of the series Zatoichi and the Chess Expert. There are some beautiful natural scenes shot for the larger movie screen. The color is vibrant and attractive. It is directed by Kazuo Ikehiro who did two other Zatoichi movies and he didn't disappoint with this one as the story breezes along.

The opening action sequence takes place on a boat where Zatoichi deals with a brazen pickpocket who challenges and beats the victim and those who witnessed it after being exposed for his crime. He was about to get away with until Zatoichi brought his own brand of justice. Next, we see Zatoichi climb many steps in order to get to a Shinto temple. There he prays to the Shinto spirits to atone for all the people he killed. He says when he set out he did not mean to kill anyone and to make amends he vows to make a pilgrimage to all 88 Shinto shrines. Zatoichi's introspection follows from the previous two movies and #13 Zatoichi's Vengeance where we see his brand of moral code is revealed.

It's not long before violence meets the peace seeking Zatoichi. Zatoichi even allows himself to be cut by the sister of a man he killed in self-defense. The man Zatoichi killed was trying to kill him for the a bounty placed on his head. The horse the bounty hunter was riding takes him to a village in a curious scene. This is supposed to be the spirits telling him to go there. Zatoichi would have to put his quest for peace and meditation on hold. When one's new friend, Kichi, the sister of the bounty hunter he killed, and the unarmed farmers are being bullied by the bad, then it is time to take military action.

Besides Zatoichi developing his personal code of ethics, he faces a dilemma in taking the side of the farmers in his battle against a powerful country yakuza. If there ever was a vicious tyrant that Zatoichi is to face, Boss Tohachi, played by Isao Yamagata, is the one. Zatoichi wants the farmers to help him fight the well equipped gang, but they decide to hide in their homes and let Zatoichi go at it alone for them. If Zatoichi gets killed, then they figure they can negotiate with Boss Tohachi. Zatoichi faces a moral dilemma between helping his new friend Michiko and helping selfish farmers who won't even stand up and fight to rule their own lands. Kichi, who has fallen in love with Zatoichi, wants him to leave so he won't get hurt or killed. It is one solution to his dilemma if Zatoichi did leave, but he stays to fight by himself. It's part of his code. He stands in the middle of the town road while the country yakuza face him on the opposite side reminiscent of High Noon. The fighting scenes are well choreographed and overall this makes for an interesting addition to the Zatoichi series. The extra money that was put in to hire better writers, directors, and film crew definitely show up in the end product.

Zatoichi's Pilgrimage is the fourteenth episode in the franchise about the skilled gambler, blind masseur and fast swordsman. It's a good average episode with some positive and a few negative points. In the beginning of the film, Zatoichi is on a pilgrimage to visit the eighty-eight shrines on Shikoku. He is on a spiritual journey because he has grown tired of killing people. He makes a prayer to not need to use his sword on his pilgrimage but it seems the deities aren't on his side. Very early on his pilgrimage he gets attacked by an unknown assailant traveling with a horse and Zatoichi is forced to kill him in self-defense. He follows the horse to the home of his attacker and meets his sister. She initially hurts Zatoichi after she realizes what had happened but then tells him that her brother was sent by a local boss who exploits the modest farmers of the village. Zatoichi soon realizes that the cruel boss saw an opponent in the assailant and sent him to attack Zatoichi to get him killed on purpose. As Zatoichi and the dead man's sister grow very fond of each other, they decide to trick the ruthless boss and avenge the assailant's unnecessary death.

There are several positive elements about this film. The landscapes, the score and the fact that many men are riding horses in this film almost make this movie look like a classic western. Instead of guns, there are obviously intense sword fights but the evil boss also uses bow and arrow to kill Zatoichi which is very interesting. Another positive element is the relationship between the assailant's sister and the blind samurai. In the beginning, she hates him and is scared of him but she soon starts respecting his motives and grows so fond of him that a friendship and even a fragile romance blooms between them. Another thing to point out is the selfish behavior of the farmers in the village. They decide to let Zatoichi fight for their cause but won't support him openly. They think if Zatoichi won they could live better lives and if he lost they wouldn't get associated with him and punished for their support. Their cowardice leads to a tragic death and services as a moral lesson in this movie.

Aside all these positive elements, the movie suffers from overlong dialogues which is quite unusual for this franchise since Zatoichi is usually a modest man who hasn't much to say. I think this movie has too many conversations and not enough fighting scenes even though the final fifteen minutes are truly rewarding in that regard. Another problem is the fact that the movie is basically only carried by Zatoichi and the dead assailant's sister. The side characters are quite pale and can't impress. The story is chambara by the numbers and quite similar to other films in the franchise.

In the end, Zatoichi's Pilgrimage is a good average entry in the franchise about the blind yakuza. Collectors and fans of the franchise will appreciate the film even though it fails to stand out. Those who aren't familiar with the franchise could like this film because it's closer to Western cinema and recalls more western elements than most movies in the franchise.

Master Ichi (Shintaro Katsu), the blind masseur, expert gambler, and master swordsman, goes on a pilgrimage to visit 88 shrines to atone for all the people that he's killed in the previous 13 movies. But wouldn't you know it, not long after visiting the first temple he gets caught up in a small village's drama, as they are being menaced by gangster and horse trader Tohachi (Isao Yamagata) and his cronies.

Ichi also begins a chaste romance with local girl Kichi (Michiyo Yasuda). Also featuring Masao Mishima, and Hisashi Igawa.

I liked that the script (co-written by Kaneto Shindo & Kan Shimozawa) addresses the mental toll that Ichi's character deals with as a good guy driven to violent resolutions. I was impressed with Yasuda as the plucky Kichi, who refuses to back down from the villains. I've read that she was a big star in Japan in the latter half of the decade, so I'd be interested in tracking down more of her work. This film's finale is also noteworthy, as it shows Ichi struggling a bit, which is quite a contrast to some of the earlier films that show him as an unstoppable force of nature.

The general standard for Zatoichi films is fairly high - though you can expect the same motifs and themes from one movie to the next. Zatoichi's Pilgrimage brings the series to a new level. Our blind swordsman (Kintaro Katsu) is troubled by his violent past, and vows to visit a circuit of shrines until the gods give him an answer to his spiritual quest. This quest brings him into contact with a group of brigands who all but rule the area, and he's left with little choice but to reassess his spiritual quest.

The screenplay is especially intriguing. Zatoichi's pilgrimage begins as a sea voyage, and the water theme repeatedly makes its way into the plot. In the hope of realizing his quest, a rider- less horse follows the blind swordsman to where he's most needed - suggesting that Zatoichi may have already found his destiny. An assured storytelling makes this one of the more satisfying of the long series.

There is an indelible connection between this saga of the samurai masseur Zatoichi, blind but invincible and avenger of injustice, and spaghetti westerns, at their best, such as the work of Sergio Leone.

Kurosawa set the tone, with masterpieces such as Seven Samurai (1954) or Yojimbo (1961), both adapted into westerns, the second by Leone in A Fistful of Dollars (1964) and the first by John Sturges in The Magnificent Seven (1960), this one with several sequels.

Also Zatoichi, debuted in cinema in 1962, based on a literary character created by novelist Kan Shimozawa in 1928, is a direct heir of Yojimbo, Kambei Shimada and his North American disciples, played by Yul Brynner and Clint Eastwood, among others. And it originated 26 films and a 100-episode television series, with a North American remake of the seventeenth film in the series, Zatoichi Challenged, under the name Blind Fury (1989), directed by Philip Noyce.

We are thus faced with an institution of Japanese cinema and television, which I cannot help but see as an extension of these classics, of Kurosawa and Sergio Leone's solitary hero-villains.

This episode, Zatoichi's Pilgrimage, the thirteenth in the series, is particularly evocative of Yojimbo and, therefore, of Toshiro Mifune and Clint Eastwood, at their best. And Shintarô Katsu, the man who embodied Zatoichi, during 26 films and 100 television episodes, between 1962 and 1979 (with a final film in 1989 which he also directed), is certainly not behind them, in terms of the charisma and talent with which he enriches the character.

Out of curiosity, it appears that Miramax purchased the rights to this film, allegedly to make a remake, directed by Quentin Tarantino.