The Tale of Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman Series

Images Journal... The Tale of Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman Series. "...Although the sword-wielding exploits of the amoral, sardonic anti-hero, played by the great Toshiro Mifune, from Yojimbo (1961) may be more familiar to Western audiences, the blind bulldog-looking assassin/masseur Zatoichi, who can strike down an opponent with his trusty shikomi-zue (cane sword), using hearing alone to find his target, is by far the most popular Japanese movie hero ever. Beginning in 1962 with The Tale of Zatoichi (a.k.a. Zatoichi Story and Zatoichi: The Life and Opinions of Masseur Ichi among other titles), the stoic yet violent swordsman starred in 25 films in just 11 years."