Zatoichi senryokubi
Zatoichi and the Chest of Gold
(c)KADOKAWA CORPORATION 1964
- Release Date
- March, 14th, 1964
- Running Time
- 83 min
- Genre
- Feature
- Color
- Color
- Screening Format
- -,HDCAM SR
- Screen Size
- Cinema Scope (1:2.35)
[ Directed by ]
[ Cast ]
[ Staff ]
- ASAI Shozaburo ── Screenplay
- OTA Showa ── Screenplay
- SHIMOZAWA Kan ── Original Story
[ Production Company ]
DAIEI
[ Distributor (Japan) ]
DAIEI
[ Story ]
"Masseur" Ichi, the itinerant blind masseur-gambler, comes to Itakura Village to visit the tomb of Kichizo, a gambler he killed three years before. He finds the villagers unusually gay, since they have just raised one thousand gold coins to pay their taxes to Gundayu Matsui, the magistrate of the district.
But the party with the chest of gold is attacked by several killers, three of the villagers are killed and the chest is taken away. Some of the villagers believe that the attackers are the henchman of "Kunisada" Chuji, now a fugitive who is on Mt. Agaki, after having plundered the magistrate's granary and released the stock of rice for the starving farmers.
But many are convinced that Boss Chuji is their friend.
Ichi has been seen by some of the villagers sitting on the chest of gold, so he is caught and accused of being an accomplice in the robbery.
He tells the angry villagers that he will go to Mt. Akagi, see Chuji and prove his innocence and try to recover the gold. They let him go and young Ochiyo, the younger sister of Kichizo, follows him.
Ichi locates the hideout of Chuji and his men and tells his story. Chuji starts from Mt. Agaki, is almost captured, but manages to escape, thanks to I chi.
Ichi now finds that Magistrate Matsui ordered Sheriff Monji to steal the gold from the villagers and used Jushiro Senba, a samurai, to do the job. Jushiro challenges Ichi to a game- to see who is faster in drawing the sword. Both bet 35 gold coins, but Ichi wins.
That night, Ichi learns that the gold is hidden in the magistrate's office. Some of the impatient villagers demand postponement of the tax, and with Headman Seiemon are sentenced to death. But the helpless villagers are overjoyed when Masseur Ichi kills the guards, and goes to the magistrate's office to demand the return of the gold. Ichi then takes the chest to Ochiyo and leaves for his long delayed duel with Jushiro, the samurai who comes on horseback, swinging a long whip. Ichi is caught by Jushiro's whip, dragged over the ground, but finally picks up his sword and finishes his merciless enemy.
【Quoted from the database of Kadokawa Corporation】
【Quoted from Unijapan Film Quarterly 1964 7.3】
[ Contact (International) ]
KADOKAWA CORPORATION
International Sales, Motion Picture Business
2-13-3 Fujimi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-8177
Rep: NATSUNO Takeshi (President)
Attn: MORI Chiyo
tel: +81 50 1746 1220
E-mail: mori-c@kadokawa.jp
http://www.kadokawa.co.jp
