A fifteen-year old boy walks along the winter streets, thinking his fifteen-year old thoughts, looking for a theater to sneak into so he can get out of the cold and enjoy whatever movie randomly appears on the screen. This youngster, whom I suppose used to be me, came across some dilapidated movie house and succeeded in slipping in. What was playing? I had no idea, though the hope that perhaps porn was the main course excited me, as it would any male of my age.

Finding a seat, I noted with some disgust that the movie was foreign and had hard to read subtitles. To make matters even worse, the hero was fat, blind, and apparently an idiot since he kept falling into ditches along the side of the road. Nevertheless, when the movie ended I remained in my seat for quite a while. I couldn't believe what I had just witnessed, but there was absolutely no doubt that I was completely hooked.

I returned to that Asian theater many times after that, often sitting through the same movie over and over, tirelessly absorbing every nuance of the culture, loving every word of unintelligible dialogue, and feeling my heart beat out of control when my blind "god" pulled out his cane-sword and destroyed 20 to 80 villains single handedly.

Twenty-five movies, all staring the late Shintaro Katsu in the lead role, were made about Zatoichi (In Japanese, Zato [a form of "Mr."] is a prefix commonly used when addressing a blind man. "Ichi" is his family name.), spanning eleven years (1962-1971). A twenty-sixth, again staring Katsu, was made in 1988.

Set a couple of hundred years in the past, the blind hero is a masseur who also happens to be an honest yakuza gambler. Walking from town to town, his walking stick tapping away in an effort to avoid falling on his face, Zatoichi is always looking for a little massage work and an exciting game of dice. Invariably, what he does find is corruption, people in need, and violence as the body count of the assembled villains grows with each wave of his blade.

Zatoichi puts on quite a few extra pounds in his later films, which actually makes the role even better; his bedraggled appearance serves to humanize a man that could easily slip into superhuman, and therefore unreal, status. It's this down to earth feel that makes him such a beloved character, and in some ways reminds me of Peter Falk's "Colombo," another kind, unpretentious hero that seeks justice behind an inept façade.

Thanks to a Los Angeles company called Video Action, Zatoichi and other classic Japanese Samurai films have been given a face-over with clear prints and new subtitles that are easy to read and beautifully translated. Recently, the rights have changed hands and now rest with Home Vision Entertainment, which has begun the process of presenting the Zatoichi series on DVD.

Here is the list of available Zatoichi titles. I've watched each and every movie from 3 to 10 times and never tire of them. However, if you are looking for one Zatoichi film to "test the waters" with, may I recommend Zatoichi Challenged! (1967) or The Blind Swordsman & the Fugitives (1968). Either way, you're in for an incredible treat.

BE WARNED: once you are exposed to these adventures of the blind swordsman, your chances of acquiring a severe Zatoichi addiction are extremely high!

The Life & Opinion of Masseur Ichi (1962) Available in VHS and DVD.

The Return of Masseur Ichi (1962) Available in VHS and DVD.

Masseur Ichi, the Fugitive (1963)

Masseur Ichi Enters Again (1963)

Masseur Ichi and a Chest of Gold (1964)

Zatoichi's Flashing Sword (1964)

Masseur Ichi on the Road (1964)

The Blind Swordsman & the Chess Expert (1965)

The Adventures of a Blind Man (1965)

The Blind Swordsman's Revenge (1965)

The Blind Swordsman's Vengeance (1966)

The Blind Swordsman's Cane Sword (1967)

Zatoichi Challenged! (1967)

Zatoichi the Outlaw (1967)

The Blind Swordsman & the Fugitives (1968)

The Blind Swordsman Samaritan (1968)

Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo (1970)