Makka na nagaredori

Crimson Bat, the Blind Swordswoman

めくらのお市物語　真っ赤な流れ鳥

Release Date: March, 15th, 1969

Running Time: 88 min

Genre: Feature

Color: -

Screening Format: -

Screen Size: -

Sound Processing: -

Subtitle: ,

[ Directed by ]

MATSUDA Sadatsugu

[ Cast ]

[ Staff ]

SUZUKI Ikuro ── Screenplay
KAWASAKI Shintaro ── Cinematography
KURAHASHI Toshitaka ── Production Design

[ Production Company ]

SHOCHIKU

[ Distributor (Japan) ]

SHOCHIKU

[ Story ]

Oichi (Yoko Matsuyama), a blind orphan girl, is brought up by Yasuke (Akitake Kono), an old neighbor, who loves her like his real daughter.
Happy days continue until Yasuke is murdered. Oichi is also attacked, but rescued by Jubei (Isamu Nagata), a vagabond samurai.
Jubei teaches Oichi sword-fighting. Despite her blindness, she advances remarkably through her quick sixth sense, and gradually comes to love Jubei. But he leaves her, feeling he cannot make her happy. After this, Oichi goes her solitary way in search of the man who killed her foster-father.
One day, she rescues Nihei (Jun Tatara), an old man, being attacked by a group of masked men. Upon learning that his daughter was sold to a brothel to cover debts, Oichi goes to a gambling den to earn funds to buy her back. There she meets Obun (Chizuko Arai), a glamorous woman gambler. A violent fight ensues when Oichi discovers Obun's fraud, but she finally gains a large sum of money. She then meets Jubei again, but coolly tells him that she is no longer a naive girl and leaves him.
Oichi rushes to the brothel, but too late, Nihei and his daughter have been killed. Jubei follows to reveal that it is Denzo (Satoshi Amatsu), a millionaire, who killed both Yasuke, her foster-father, and Nihei. He also tells her that Denzo is staying at the brothel.
Oichi and Denzo confront each other on a desolate windswept prairie. Denzo is no easy match. He is an expert in the ancient art of lightning swiftness. Oichi, however, wins out in the end and stands alone, braving the wind raging across the wilderness.

【Quoted from Unijapan Film Quarterly 1969 12.3】