The Zatoichi series is the story of a wandering, blind, masseuse in the late Shogunate era of feudal Japan. This blind masseuse is also a gambler and a deadly swordsman. He keeps his sword sheathed in his cane. There are 26 movies in the series and I have been following them in numerical order, even though this is not necessary. What happens in one episode doesn’t really impact other episodes. Sometimes they make references to characters from another episode but that doesn’t affect the story.

Basically, Zatoichi gets abused because he is a blind man; gamblers often try to take advantage of him in dice games, but Z turns the tables on them. Some Yakuza get upset with Z and try to kill him. He kills them. The Yakusa are also beating up on helpless innocents, one of whom usually befriends Z, and Z destroys the entire gang and the corrupt bureaucracy that works with them.

I’m up to number episode 15, and I’m surprised that any criminals in Japan survived this era . Oh yes, some young woman usually takes to Z and wants to join him on his travels. He gently lets her down by sending her to the gate at one end of town to meet him, while he leaves town from the other end. For he must wander, forever alone, forever listening for the furtive footsteps of his enemies.

In each town, there is usually a top-notch samurai who has fallen down on their luck and needs to work as an enforcer for the Yakusa. Each samurai has a slight flaw that makes their defeat by Z inevitable. There isn’t a whole lot of swordplay in each movie, usually three or four big melees where Z is surrounded and outnumbered 20-1 and they all die (except Z)

I think they’re fun. Very much like the American Westerns. I give them a 7 out of ten just for being fun. (As far a being good movies, they would probably rate a 5 out of ten with an occasional gem thrown in, like Zatoichi meets Yojimbo.)