The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi
A blind traveling swordsman who doubles as a masseur and gambler arrives in a village torn by rival gangs, and must use his deadly skill to protect the innocent before the bloodshed consumes them all.
“His sword made him a hero... his courage made him a legend.”
Synopsis
Zatoichi, a blind traveler and skilled swordsman, also works as a masseur and enjoys gambling, particularly dice games. Upon arriving in a village embroiled in conflict between rival gangs, he takes it upon himself to defend the local residents.
Credits
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How many hands made this film
The scale of the collaboration
A crew of 54+ credited
Why a floor?
This is a minimum, not a total. We only count the credits we’ve captured so far, and coverage is uneven — a blockbuster might show a few hundred names while another of the same size shows a couple dozen. The real crews all ran into the thousands. The number here only grows as full credits are enriched — so we frame it as a floor, never a headcount.
Craft leads on file
Edited by Yoshinori OhtaShot by Katsumi YanagijimaScored by Keiichi SuzukiDesigned by Norihiro Isoda
Box Office
2003 · Box office
💰 Box-office hit — grossed 12× its budget
Why 2.5×?
Cinemas keep roughly half of every ticket sold, and a wide release’s marketing often costs about as much again as the film — so a movie needs to gross around 2.5× its production budget just to break even theatrically. It’s a rule of thumb, not the studio’s ledger (home video and streaming come later).
Worldwide gross
$31.2M
Re-release box office
- 200455 theaters
- $1.4M($2.5M today)
Domestic gross earned in theatrical re-release, by year · adjusted for inflation
Also known as
- Der blinde Samuraide
- Zatôichi - Der blinde Samuraide
- Der blinde Samuraien
- The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichien
- Zatoichien
- Zatōichies
- Zatoichifr
- Zatōichiit
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Cast & Crew
54 unique people credited
Top billed cast
Takeshi Kitano
as Ichi
Tadanobu Asano
as Hattori Genosuke
Yui Natsukawa
as O-Shino, Hattori's Wife
Michiyo Yasuda
as Aunt Oume
Saburo Ishikura
as Boss Tashichi Ogi
Akira Emoto
as Tavern Owner Pops
Taka Guadalcanal
as Shinkichi
Daigoro Tachibana
as Geisha Seitaro 'Osei' Naruto
Yuko Daike
as Geisha Okinu Naruto
Ittoku Kishibe
as Boss Inosuke Ginzo
Guadalcanal Taka
as Shinkichi
Hideboh
as Dancing Farmer
Supporting cast
35Ron Ii
as Dancing Farmer
Suji
as Dancing Farmer
Makoto Ashikawa
as Carpenter
Tsumami Edamame
as Carpenter
Kosuke Ota
as Carpenter
Yoshiyuki Morishita
as Carpenter
Naomasa Musaka
as Yakuza Boss on the Country Road
Ben Hiura
as Tavern Gramps
Shoken Kunimoto
as Rival Swordsman
Daigaku Sekine
as Ginzo's Henchman I
Koji Koike
as Boss Funahachi
Koji Kiryu
as Dice Dealer at Funahachi's Joint
Taigi Kobayashi
as Funahachi's Bodyguard
Yoshida Ayano
as Young Okinu
Taichi Saotome
as Young Osei
Kanji Tsuda
as Playboy at Home
Shinji Asakura
as Narutoya Banto
Yoji Tanaka
as Funahachi Family Henchmen
Ryouhei Kunieda
as Narutoya Master
Muhomatsu
as Farmer Boy with a Spear
Noriyasu
as Dancing Farmer
Ikki Goto
as Kuchinawa Underling #1
Shin Ichi Nakatsuka
as Kuchinawa Underling #2
Yoshio Nakamura
as Kuchinawa Underling #3
Toru Yonezu
as Kuchinawa Underling #4
Hiroaki Noguchi
as Kuchinawa Underling #5
Al Kitago
as Farmer
Omiya No Matsu
as Farmer
Tsutomu Takeshige
as Farmer
Gambino Kobayashi
as Farmer Boy
Kenji Takechi
as Yakuza
Yasushi Higuchi
as Tavern Customer
Ryuki Kitaoka
as Tavern Customer
Hisao Ogura
as Ninja
Masayoshi Ozeki
as Ninja
Directors
1Writers
2Producers
1Other crew
6Parents Guide
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