Product Details

• Actors: Shintarô Katsu, Kayo Mikimoto, Kyosuke Mashida, Takashi Shimura, Akifumi Inoue
• Directors: Kimiyoshi Yasuda
• Format: Color, Letterboxed, NTSC
• Language: Japanese
• Subtitles: English
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Chambara
• VHS Release Date: May 30, 1995
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6303499082
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #63,725 in Video (See Bestsellers in Video)

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  Video > Art House & International > Asian Cinema > Japan > Action & Adventure

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

44 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent filming for 1968. More drama than action., May 4, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Zatoichi Blind Swordsman:The Samarita [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This is just one of many in this series. If you like Japanese culture in the samurai era then you might find this entertaining. The main character Zatoichi is a blind wandering masseur. He has connections with gangsters who usually seek him for his ability with his cane sword others fear him for the same reason. Zatoichi is a very lovable character. you will find yourself wanting to see his many other adventures. I would recommend this video for anyone adding to their foreign film collection.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Dark Side, October 4, 2007

By	Walter J. Hofman "Chisai Samurai" (Tennessee, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Zatoichi the Blind Swordsman, Vol. 18 - Zatoichi and the Fugitives (DVD)

As a lifelong Ichi-San fan (I saw the original TV series in Japan!) I am a little more objective than most about this episode. Chambara and Jidei Geki fans have been spoon fed the colorful myths and fairy tales about Tokugawa era Japan and Japanese life under Bushido. Life was terribly harsh on the rural, working Japanese. The Zatoichi films and maybe "Ugetsu" are the only films to show how life really was for the "little people". There was no glory, just harsh and deadly reality. If this film is dark and upsetting, it is because it is true to the way life was at that time. I highly recommend it to those who want to see how the Japanese villager had to live. If you want pretty costumes, Court Life and the mythical spiritualism of Bushido, skip this one. It will upset you.

2.0 out of 5 stars zatoichi, May 27, 2009

By	Walter H. Sakai (Thousand Oaks, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Zatoichi Blind Swordsman:The Samarita [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I will write the same comment on each one that I purchased for my parents. Although the video quality was good, through generations of copying the audio was lousy. My parents, who are fluent in Japanese, needed to read the English subtitles to understand what was being said. Check the quality before keeping the item.