The Tale of Zatoichi 1962

The blind masseur Zatôichi, Shintarō Katsu, is hired as muscle by the yakuza Sukegorô, Eijirō Yanagi, who believes war with his rival Shigezô Ryūzō Shimada is inevitable. Zatoichi has a distinguished reputation as a swordsman, and Sukegorô thinks purchasing his services is money well spent. Shigezô responds by hiring a ronin of similar repute, Miki Hirate Shigeru Amachi.

Ichi Shintarō Katsu presents himself as a meek, humble man and is commonly underestimated and looked upon suspiciously. His being a masseur, a position of low regard in feudal Japan, merely increases the hostility that is shown towards him. One notable scene has Ichi playing dice in a gambling den where the dealer attempts to con him with loaded pieces. Ichi demonstrates the extent to which he has mastered his other senses by noticing that the dice have a different sound and calling out the gamblers for tricking him.

The only person who respects him is Hirate Shigeru Amachi, who as a ronin understands what it feels like to be an outcast. Though Hirate and Ichi know they must fight when the war begins, they develop a sense of friendship. Hirate is eager to fight Zatoichi, as he is terminally ill with tuberculosis and wishes to die fighting. As Hirate becomes increasingly sick, Sukegorô takes advantage by ordering an all-out attack on Shigezo and removing Ichi from his payroll.

Hirate learns that Shigezo intends to kill Ichi anyway by sniping him with a tanegashima. The dying warrior drags himself from his bed and pledges to kill Ichi in an honorable manner. Ichi learns from a boy at the temple where Hirate was staying of his intentions, and also learns the reason.

After the tense final fight, in which Zatoichi prevails and cuts Hirate down, he rejects the advances of the yakuza mistress Otane Masayo Banri, who has become disillusioned with her lifestyle, to continue as a solitary wanderer.