Kenji Misumi

Zatoichi Goes to the Fire Festival

Zatoichi Goes to the Fire Festival

Cowritten by star Shintaro Katsu, this adventure pits Zatoichi against one of his most diabolical foes: a blind yakuza boss whose reign of terror and exploitation has made him nearly mythic. Guest starring the legendary Tatsuya Nakadai as a ronin haunted by a traumatic past, and featuring an unforgettable nude swordfight in a bathhouse, this twenty-first entry in the series is a fan favorite.

Film Info

  • Japan
  • 1970
  • 96 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 Goes to the Fire Festival
Cast
Shintaro Katsu
Zatoichi
Tatsuya Nakadai
Ronin
Reiko Ohara
Okiyo
Masayuki Mori
Boss Yamikubo
Peter
Umeji
Kô Nishimura
Migi
Ryunosuke Kaneda
Boss Kuroko
Credits
Director
Kenji Misumi
Produced by
Shintaro Katsu
Original story by
Kan Shimozawa
Screenplay
Shintaro Katsu
Screenplay
Takayuki Yamada
Cinematography
Kazuo Miyagawa
Edited by
Toshio Taniguchi
Original music
Isao Tomita
Art direction
Yoshinobu Nishioka

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