Tokuzo Tanaka

Zatoichi the Fugitive

Zatoichi the Fugitive

Zatoichi triumphs at a village wrestling match, much to the chagrin of his yakuza opponents. The defeated gang members pay a hotheaded ronin to take out the masseur; unbeknownst to them, the hired assassin is married to a former flame of Zatoichi’s, further complicating matters.

Film Info

  • Japan
  • 1963
  • 86 minutes
  • Color
  • 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 the Fugitive
Cast
Shintaro Katsu
Zatoichi
Miwa Takada
Onobu
Masayo Banri
Otane
Koichi Mizuhara
Boss Unosuke
Toru Abe
Boss Tokyuro Yagiri
Yasuhiro Mizukami
Boss Tanamura
Jutaro Hojo
Tanakura
Sachiko Murase
Maki
Junichiro Narita
Sakichi
Credits
Director
Tokuzo Tanaka
Produced by
Ikuo Kubodera
Original story by
Kan Shimozawa
Screenplay
Seiji Hoshikawa
Cinematography
Chikashi Makiura
Edited by
Hiroshi Yamada
Original music
Akira Ifukube
Art direction
Seiichi Ota

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