Kenji Misumi

Zatoichi and the Chess Expert

Zatoichi and the Chess Expert

Kenji Misumi, who directed the first installment of the Zatoichi series, returns with this tale in which the blind swordsman once again finds himself the protector of a child: a little girl pursued by both devious family members and bloodthirsty ruffians. Further complicating his journey is a new acquaintance—a tremendously skilled chess player (the charismatic Mikio Narita) who has mysterious motivations and a dark past.

Film Info

  • Japan
  • 1965
  • 87 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 and the Chess Expert
Cast
Shintaro Katsu
Zatoichi
Mikio Narita
Jumonji
Chizuru Hayashi
Kume
Kaneko Iwasaki
Otane
Gaku Yamamoto
Sagawa
Tatsuo Endo
Yakuza boss
Taro Marui
Roppei
Rokko Toura
Crippled yakuza
Credits
Director
Kenji Misumi
Produced by
Hisashi Okuda
Original story by
Kan Shimozawa
Screenplay
Daisuke Ito
Cinematography
Chikashi Makiura
Edited by
Kanji Suganuma
Original music
Akira Ifukube
Art direction
Akira Naito

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