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Hanzo the Razor 2 - The Snare (1973)

Director: Yasuhiro Matsumura
Starring: Shintaro Katsu

Based on the manga of Kazuo Koike, this is the second part in the Hanzo trilogy as our dubious and well-endowed hero gets on the wrong side of a bunch... Read more

Zatoichi 20: Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo (1970)

Director: Kihachi Okamoto
Starring: Shintaro Katsu, Toshiro Mifune

Two of Japan's legendary actors star in this classic tale of greed and misfortune. Zatoichi the Blind Masseur (Shintaro Katsu) revisits a village he h... Read more

Zatoichi 22: Zatoichi Meets the One Armed Swordsman (1971)

Director: Kimiyoshi Yasuda
Starring: Shintaro Katsu, Jimmy Wang Yu

On the outskirts of the town of Furukawa, Zatoichi meets a young boy whose parents have been murdered by a corrupt local samurai. Accompanying the boy... Read more

Zatoichi 16: The Outlaw (1967)

Director: Satsuo Yamamoto
Starring: Shintaro Katsu, Rentaro Mikuni

Zatoichi, played of course by the brilliant Shintaro Katsu, wanders into yet another village in turmoil as rival gambling houses are putting the squee... Read more

Zatoichi 2: The Tale of Zatoichi Continues (1962)

Director: Kazuo Mori
Starring: Shintaro Katsu, Masayo Banri, Yoshie Mizutani

Non-stop action, a deadly love triangle, and a mysterious one-armed samurai round out the second installment in the legendary Zatoichi series. When Za... Read more

Zatoichi 3: New Tale of Zatoichi (1963)

Director: Tokuzu Tanaka
Starring: Shintaro Katsu, Mikikoo Tsubouchi, Seizaburo Kawazu

With more killer swordsmanship, romance, and action-packed drama, the Blind Swordsman is back in the first colour episode of the Zatoichi series. Mass... Read more

Zatoichi 25: Zatoichi's Conspiracy (1973)

Director: Kimiyoshi Yasuda
Starring: Shintaro Katsu, Yukiyo Toake, Takashi Shimura

After a long absence, Zatoichi returns to his home village, expecting to be greeted as a hero, only to find few actually remember him. Ostensibly the... Read more

Zatoichi 1: The Tale of Zatoichi (1962)

Director: Kenji Misumi
Starring: Shintaro Katsu, Masayo Mari, Ryuzo Shimada

This is the movie that introduced the legend of Zatoichi and its star Shintaro Katsu, ushering in a new era of the Japanese samurai film. Practicing h... Read more

Hanzo the Razor - Sword of Justice (1972)

6.8/10
Director: Kenji Misumi
Starring: Shintaro Katsu, Yukiji Asaoka, Mari Atsumi

Hanzo 'the Razor' Itami is a samurai cop who's expert at weilding more than just his sword. Like a Japanese version of 'Shaft', Hanzo is a demented b... Read more

Zatoichi 26: Darkness Is His Ally (1989)

Director: Shintaro Katsu
Starring: Shintaro Katsu, Kanako Higuchi, Takanori Jinnai, Yudai Okumura

This 26th instalment capped one of Japan's most loved and enduring movie franchises. With a gap of more than 15 years between this and number 25, Ich... Read more

Zatoichi 21: The Festival of Fire (1970)

Director: Kenji Misumi
Starring: Shintaro Katsu, Tatsuya Nakadai, Reiko Ohara, Masayuki Mori

In a town where women are bought and sold, Zatoichi stumbles upon a secret organisation headed by the Dark Lord Yamikubo. Also blind, Yamikubo befrien... Read more

Zatoichi 23: At Large (1972)

Director: Kazuo Mori
Starring: Shintaro Katsu, Rentaro Mikuni, Hisaya Morishige, Etsushi Takahashi, Fujio Morit...

One of the best of the original series of 25, this sees our blind hero deliver the baby of a dying mother (and breastfeed it!), then set off to find t... Read more

Zatoichi 24: In Desperation (1972)

Director: Shintaro Katsu
Starring: Shintaro Katsu, Kiwako Taichi, Kyoko Toshizawa, Yasuhiro Koume, Fujio Morita

Directed by the actor who plays Zatoichi, this is possibly the darkest and most sombre of the series; the yakuza are meaner and the body count is high... Read more