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| Zatoichi | |
|---|---|
| Zatoichi character | |
 North American Home Vision Entertainment DVD cover of The Tale of Zatoichi | |
| First appearance | Zatoichi Monogatari (1948) |
| Created by | Kan Shimozawa |
| Portrayed by | Shintaro Katsu (1962–1989) Takeshi Kitano (2003 film) Show Aikawa (2007 play) Tetta Sugimoto (2008 film) Shingo Katori (2010 film) |
| In-universe information | |
| Occupation | Masseur Swordsman Gambler |
Zatoichi (Japanese: 座頭市, Hepburn: Zatōichi) is a fictional character created by Japanese novelist Kan Shimozawa. He is an itinerant blind masseur and swordsman of Japan's late Edo period (1830s and 1840s). He first appeared in the 1948 essay Zatoichi Monogatari (座頭市物語), part of Shimozawa's Futokoro Techō series that was serialized in the magazine Shōsetsu to Yomimono.
This originally minor character was drastically altered and developed for the screen by Daiei Film and actor Shintaro Katsu, becoming the subject of one of Japan's longest-running film series. A total of 26 films were made between 1962 and 1989. From 1974 to 1979, a television series was produced, starring Katsu and some of the same actors that appear in the films. Produced by Katsu Productions, 100 episodes were aired before the Zatoichi television series was cancelled.[1]
The seventeenth film of the Zatoichi series was remade in the US in 1989 by TriStar Pictures as Blind Fury, starring Rutger Hauer. A 2003 film was directed by Takeshi Kitano, who also starred as the title character. It was awarded the Venice Film Festival's Silver Lion for Best Direction. A stage adaptation of Zatoichi directed by Takashi Miike and starring Show Aikawa was filmed in 2007 and later released on home video. Zatoichi: The Last is a 2010 film directed by Junji Sakamoto and starring Shingo Katori.
- ^ "Frequently Asked Questions about 'Zatoichi'". The Momii Company. Retrieved 15 December 2010.