FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
 
How many Zatoichi films were made?
Altogether, 26 Zatoichi films were made.
 
I've searched all over town and the 'Net but I can't seem to find episode #14, "Zatoichi's Pilgrimage." Where the heck can I purchase it?
The rights are held by the Shintaro Katsu estate/heirs. As one Zatoichi newsgroup contributor noted: "There is presently no commercially released version of 'Zatoichi's Pilgrimage' on DVD with English subtitles. Bootlegged copies abound, but there was a recent, official DVD release but it's from Japan and in Japanese only. At present, the best you'll be able to do is 25 out of 26 episodes. The Artsmagic release (www.artsmagic.co.uk/) is a mistitled version of 'Zatoichi at Large' from 1972."
 
Another contributor added that the published synopsis on the Artsmagic website for its "Pilgrimage" version is eerily similar to "Zatoichi at Large." The synopsis reads: "After a girl is assaulted on the highway Zatoichi finds himself acting as midwife to a dying woman. He heads for a nearby village to deliver the baby to its father, Satoro, but on the way is cheated and stoned by local people. Satoro's sister is about to become a sex slave because of an unpaid debt but Zatoichi resolves this problem only to become confronted with more and has to resort to his martial arts skills ..." His summary: "The synopsis is definitely 'Zatoichi at Large,' not 'Zatoichi's Ocean Voyage,' a.k.a. 'Zatoichi's Pilgrimage.'"
 
No release date or information about its availability about this elusive Zatoichi episode has been published.
 
Can you provide a brief biography about Shintaro Katsu, the man who brought the Zatoichi character to life?
Actor Shintaro Katsu was born Toshio Okumura on November 29, 1931. He seemed destined for an actor's life. His father was a renowned kabuki performer and master of the Japanese singing style known as nagauta, so it was only natural for Shintaro to follow in his father's footsteps along with his older brother, Wakayama Tomisaburo (of Lone Wolf fame.) His celebrity status was not limited to just one series of samurai films. He was also a popular singer, releasing a few music CD's during his career. The Zatoichi film series was produced in the sixties but he appeared in film as late as the eighties. Nicknamed Katsu-shin, he lived in the moment, and relied upon his feelings when acting. His portrayal of the blind master swordsman in a series of movies and on television brought him tremendous popularity throughout Southeast Asia and influenced similar action films in Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Shintaro Katsu was the kind of star who could only emerge from "studios". He possessed all the dreams that studios could give him and then gave them to us, and in such splendid abundance that those outside the studio could not help but confuse the dreams with reality. 'Zato-ichi Monogatari' (1962), which firmly established his stardom, was his 94th film. In Zato-ichi Monogatari, the blind protagonist fatally wounds his friend and the man leans on Ichi's shoulder. The filmmakers wanted to present this sequence so that the man's dying heartbeat was audible, and Ichi listens to the final beat. Though they tried everything, the effect was not successful and was finally cut from the final version of the film. What remains, however, is the deeply sorrowful expression on Ichi's face at the death of his old friend. The actor's sensitivity and keen observation of human nature, created powerful, precise and altogether unique performances.

Katsu died of cancer June 21, 1997 at the age of 65.

Throughout his life of struggle and happiness, this great star never ceased pursuing his dreams. Other than his marriage to a Japanese actress, there is very little information readily available on his private life.  (Submitted by devoted Zatoichi fan, 'Sakura Girl')

Can you provide a listing of all the Zatoichi film titles?
Here is a chronological listing of the titles. (DVD title, followed by VHS title, if applicable.)

1. The Tale of Zatoichi (The Life and Opinion of Masseur Ichi)  1962  2. The Tale of Zatoichi Continues (Return of Masseur Ichi)  1962  3. New Tale of Zatoichi (Masseur Ichi Enters Again)  1963  4. The Fugitive (Masseur Ichi, The Fugitive)  1963  5. On The Road (Masseur Ichi on the Road)  1964  6. Zatoichi and the Chest of Gold (Masseur Ichi and a Chest of Gold)  1964  7. Zatoichi's Flashing Sword (Same)  1964  8. Fight, Zatoichi, Fight  1964  9. Adventures of Zatoichi (Adventures of a Blind Man)  1965  10. Zatoichi's Revenge (Blind Swordsman's Revenge)  1965  11. Zatoichi and the Doomed Man  1965  12. Zatoichi and the Chess Expert (Blind Swordsman and the Chess Expert)  1965  13. Zatoichi's Vengeance (Blind Swordsman's Vengeance)  1966  14. Zatoichi's Pilgrimmage  1966  15. Zatoichi's Cane Sword (Blind Swordsman's Cane Sword)  1967  16. Zatoichi The Outlaw (a.k.a. Blind Swordsman's Rescue)  1967  17. Zatoichi Challenged!  1967  18. Zatoichi and the Fugitives (Blind Swordsman and the Fugitives)  1968  19. Samaritan Zatoichi (Blind Swordsman Samaritan)  1968  20. Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo  1970  21. Blind Swordsman's Fire Festival  1970  22. Zatoichi vs. the One-Armed Swordsman (a.k.a., Blind Swordsman Meets His Equal)  1971  23. Zatoichi At Large  1972  24. Zatoichi in Desperation  1973  25. Zatoichi's Conspiracy  1974  26. Zatoichi: Darkness Is My Ally  1989

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I've seen on TV Zatoichi episodes with titles I've never heard of. What gives?
Many, if not most, of the Zatoichi filmed episodes were released with varying titles. Even the same episodes on VHS release were different than the DVD release. Perhaps this was done for marketing purposes. The Internet Movie Database (www.imdb.com) is an excellent resource for finding the various Zatoichi named episodes.
 
Is it true there was a Zatoichi TV series? And, if so, are any of those episodes available?
Yes, there was a Japanese TV version of the Zatoichi series. In fact, over 100 such episodes were made. Recently, Media-Blasters has acquired the U.S. DVD rights and will soon make available the first 50 episodes.
 
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