The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi (2003)

Zatôichi (original title)

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R
1h 56min
Action, Comedy
06 Sep 2003 (Japan)
Movie

7.5 (51,553)

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The blind masseur/swordsman comes to a town in control of warring gangs, and while bunking with a farming family, he meets two women with their own agenda.

Director:

Takeshi Kitano

Writers:

Takeshi Kitano, Kan Shimozawa

Stars:

Awards:

24 wins & 15 nominations.
See more »

Reviews:

Photos and Videos

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80 photos

Cast

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	Takeshi Kitano	...	Zatôichi / Ichi (as Beat Takeshi)
	Tadanobu Asano	...	Hattori Genosuke
	Michiyo Yasuda	...	Aunt Oume (as Michiyo Ohkusu)
	Taka Guadalcanal	...	Shinkichi
	Daigorô Tachibana	...	Geisha Seitaro 'Osei' Naruto
	Yûko Daike	...	Geisha Okinu Naruto
	Yui Natsukawa	...	O-Shino, Hattori's Wife
	Ittoku Kishibe	...	Boss Inosuke Ginzo
	Saburô Ishikura	...	Boss Tashichi Ogi
	Akira Emoto	...	Tavern Owner Pops
	Ben Hiura	...	Tavern Gramps
	Kohji Miura	...	Lord Sakai
	Hideboh	...	Dancing Farmer (as The Stripes)
	Ron II	...	Dancing Farmer (as The Stripes)
	Suji	...	Dancing Farmer (as The Stripes)
	Noriyasu	...	Dancing Farmer (as The Stripes)
	Makoto Ashikawa	...	Carpenter
	Tsumami Edamame	...	Carpenter
	Kosuke Ohta	...	Carpenter
	Yoshiyuki Morishita	...	Carpenter
	Naomasa Musaka	...	Yakuza Boss on the Country Road
	Shôken Kunimoto	...	Rival Swordsman
	Daigaku Sekine	...	Ginzo's Henchman I
	Koji Koike	...	Boss Funahachi
	Kôji Kiryû	...	Dice Dealer at Funahachi's Joint (as Koji Kiryu)
	Taigi Kobayashi	...	Funahachi's Bodyguard
	Ayano Yoshida	...	Young Okinu
	Taichi Saotome	...	Young O-Sei (Seitaro)
	Kanji Tsuda	...	Playboy at Home
	Ikki Goto	...	Kuchinawa Underling 1
	Yoshio Nakamura	...	Kuchinawa Underling 3
	Hiroaki Noguchi	...	Kuchinawa Underling 5
	Shinichi Nakatsu	...	Kuchinawa Underling 2
	Toru Yonezu	...	Kuchinawa Underling 4
	P. Man	...	Tavern Customer 4
	Al Kitago	...	Farmer Boy 1
	Omiya no Matsu	...	Farmer Boy 2
	Tsutomu Takeshige	...	Farmer Boy 4
	Gambino Kobayashi	...	Farmer Boy 5
	Sammy Moremore Jr.	...	Farmer Boy 6
	Muhômatsu	...	Farmer Boy with a Spear (as Muhomatsu)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
	Yasushi Higuchi
	Ryûki Kitaoka
	Isao Ogura
	Masayoshi Ohzeki
	Kenji Takechi	...	Yakuza
	Yôji Tanaka	...	(as Yoji Tanaka)

Directed by

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Takeshi Kitano

Written by

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Takeshi Kitano	...	(screenplay)

Kan Shimozawa	...	(novels)

Produced by

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Makoto Kakurai	...	assistant producer
Shinji Komiya	...	line producer
Jack Maeby	...	producer
Masayuki Mori	...	producer: Office Kitano
Chieko Saitô	...	planner
Tsunehisa Saitô	...	producer: Saitô Entertainment
Masanori Sanada	...	co-producer
Takio Yoshida	...	co-producer

Music by

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Keiichi Suzuki

Cinematography by

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Katsumi Yanagijima

Editing by

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Takeshi Kitano
Yoshinori Ohta

Casting By

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Takefumi Yoshikawa

Production Design by

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Norihiro Isoda

Costume Design by

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Yohji Yamamoto

Makeup Department

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Kakusei Fujiwara

...

special makeup effects artist

Production Management

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Kensei Mori

...

production manager

Sound Department

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Senji Horiuchi	...	sound designer
Akira Nakano	...	sound recordist
Kenji Shibasaki	...	sound effects

Stunts

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Tatsumi Nikamoto

...

stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department

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Hitoshi Takaya	...	lighting director
Toshirô Watanabe	...	still photographer (as Toshio Watanabe)

Costume and Wardrobe Department

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Kazuko Kurosawa

...

costume supervisor

Music Department

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Masahiro Matsuda	...	music engineer
Misako Noda	...	music production assistance
Koji Yamaoka	...	computer programmer
Keiichi Suzuki	...	music arranger (uncredited) / music producer (uncredited) / music programmer (uncredited) / musician (uncredited)

Script and Continuity Department

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Haru Shôbara

...

script supervisor

Additional Crew

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Marc Handler	...	voice director: English version / writer: English version
Hideboh	...	choreographer: tap dancing (as The Stripes)
Richard Lormand	...	publicist: international
Noriyasu	...	choreographer: tap dancing (as The Stripes)
Ron II	...	choreographer: tap dancing (as The Stripes)
Suji	...	choreographer: tap dancing (as The Stripes)

Production Companies

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Distributors

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Shochiku (2003) (Japan)
Office Kitano (2003) (Japan)
Celluloid Dreams (2003) (World-wide) (sales)
Artificial Eye (2004) (United Kingdom) (theatrical)
Bac Films (2003) (France) (theatrical)
Bright Angel Distribution (2004) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
Buena Vista International (2005) (Argentina) (theatrical)
Concorde Filmverleih (2004) (Germany) (theatrical)
Filmladen (2004) (Austria) (theatrical)
Frenetic Films (2004) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
Kino Bez Granits (2004) (Russia) (theatrical)
Lighthouse Pictures (2004) (Singapore) (theatrical)
Mikado Film (2003) (Italy) (theatrical)
Miramax (2004) (United States) (theatrical) (subtitled)
Prooptiki (2003) (Greece) (theatrical)
Sandrew Metronome Distribution Sverige AB (2004) (Sweden) (theatrical)
Sandrew Metronome Distribution (2004) (Finland) (theatrical)
Shu Kei's Creative Workshop Ltd. (2004) (Hong Kong) (theatrical)
A-Film Home Entertainment (2004) (Netherlands) (DVD) (VHS)
Artificial Eye (2004) (United Kingdom) (DVD)
Artificial Eye (2013) (United Kingdom) (Blu-ray) (DVD)
Buena Vista Home Entertainment (2009) (United States) (Blu-ray) (DVD)
Buena Vista International (2005) (Brazil) (DVD)
Buena Vista International (2005) (Brazil) (VHS)
Canal+ (2005) (Netherlands) (tv) (limited)
Concorde Home Entertainment (2004) (Germany) (DVD)
Concorde Home Entertainment (2013) (Germany) (Blu-ray) (DVD)
Gativideo (2005) (Argentina) (DVD)
Gativideo (2005) (Argentina) (VHS)
Panorama Distributions (2004) (Hong Kong) (DVD)
Rai 2 (2016) (Italy) (tv)
Warner Home Video (2004) (Switzerland) (DVD)

Special Effects

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Nippon Effect Center (visual effects)

Other Companies

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Aoi Studio (post-production sound services)
Bella Vista Sakaigahama (location cooperation)
Continental Far East (Dolby consultant)
Dreamusic (music production)
Egalite Moonriders Division (music production)
Elements (II) (extras)
Entertainment Partners Asia (cooperation)
Fuji Eiga (II) (cooperation)
Fukuyama New Castle Hotel (location cooperation)
Half H-P Studio (foley design)
Ibaraki Film Commission (film commission)
JFCT (extras)
Japan Action Enterprise Co. Ltd. (extras)
KM Cinema (extras)
Kodak Japan (film stock supplied by)
Miroku no Sato (location cooperation)
Mitsuki Hachimanguu (location cooperation)
NAC Image Technology (camera equipment supplied by)
Nihon Shomei Co. (lighting equipment supplied by)
Office Kitano (music production)
Segovia Golf Club (location cooperation)
Shonai Film Village Co. (location service)
Shu Tokki (grip equipment supplied by)
Spacecraft Produce (tap dance production assistance)
Tokyo Laboratory Co. Ltd. (film processing)
Toronto International Film Festival (festival)
Warp Station Edo (exterior sets)
Yoshikawa Casting Office (casting)

Storyline

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Plot Summary	Blind Zatoichi makes his living by gambling and giving massages. But behind his humble facade, Zatoichi is a master swordsman, gifted with lightning-fast draw and strokes of breathtaking precision. Zatoichi wanders into a town run by sinister gangs and a powerful samurai. He's destined for violent showdowns when he stumbles on two beautiful geishas avenging their parents' murder... Duels, wit and a touch of zen! Cult anti-hero Zatoichi is back in a sword-fighting adventure written, directed and starring Takeshi Kitano. Written by intlpress@aol.com Plot Summary
Plot Keywords	tap-dancing chopping-wood spinster basket extortion See All (263) »
Taglines	His Sword Made Him a Hero... His Courage Made Him a Legend. This Summer, Justice is Blind. See more »
Genres	Action Comedy Crime Drama Thriller
Parents Guide	View content advisory »
Certification	Argentina:16 Argentina:13 (DVD rating) Australia:MA Brazil:16 Canada:14A Canada:18A (Ontario) Chile:14 Denmark:15 Finland:K-18 France:12 France:Tous publics avec avertissement (withdrawn) Germany:16 Greece:K-13 Hong Kong:III Iceland:16 Ireland:18 Italy:T Japan:R-15 Netherlands:16 New Zealand:R16 Norway:18 Peru:14 Philippines:R-13 Poland:16 Portugal:M/16 Russia:16+ Singapore:NC-16 South Korea:15 Spain:13 Sweden:15 Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) Switzerland:16 (canton of Zurich) Turkey:13+ United Kingdom:18 United States:R United Arab Emirates:Not Rated

Additional Details

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Also Known As	座頭市 (Japan, Japanese title) Zatoichi (Canada, English title) Zatoichi (World-wide, English title) Takeshi Kitano's Zatoichi (World-wide, English title) The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi (United States) See more »
Runtime	116 min
Official Sites	Artificial Eye BAC Films Cinema Without Frontiers Miramax Official site
Country	Japan
Language	Japanese
Color	Color
Aspect Ratio	1.85 : 1 See more »
Sound Mix	Dolby Digital
Filming Locations	Eiga-mura, Kanami, Kanae-chô, Fukuyama City, Hiroshima, Japan See more »

Box Office

Opening Weekend Japan

$816,174, 12 Sep 2003

Did You Know?

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Trivia	The blood in the film has been described by many as being "too CGI". Kitano did this intentionally, wanting to "soften the shock to the audience" due to the high body count. Kitano told the CGI artist he wanted the blood to "look like flowers blossoming across the screen." See more »
Movie Connections	Featured in Denn sie kennen kein Erbarmen - Der Italowestern (2006). See more »
Quotes	Zatôichi: Even with my eyes wide open I can't see a thing. See more »

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