Free Sunday Matinee! Samurai Film: Zatoichi - the Blind Swordsman

Recently, due to the earthquake, tsunami and the subsequent nuclear accident at Fukushima, this blog (and everyone else) has been completely preoccupied with those events. Several regular readers have asked that I start the free Sunday Japanese cinema again.

You asked for it, you got it. Here is a well known story in Japan. It is called Satoichi - the Blind Swordsman. Wikipedia says:

Zatoichi (座頭市 Zatōichi) is a fictional character featured in one of Japan's longest running series of films and a television series set in the Edo period. The character, a blind masseur and swordmaster, was created by novelist Kan Shimozawa (子母澤 寛 Shimozawa Kan). This originally minor character was developed for the screen by Daiei Studios (now Kadokawa Pictures) and actor Shintaro Katsu, who created the screen version. A total of 26 films were made from 1962 to 1989. From 1972 to 1974, a television series of the same name was made. One hundred and twelve episodes were aired before the "Zatoichi" television series was cancelled.

Film number 17 of the original series was remade in America in 1990 (by TriStar Pictures) as Blind Fury, an action movie starring Rutger Hauer.

Today, we will watch, in full the 2003 remake starring Takeshi Kitano directed by Takashi Miike. Satoichi is a much loved character in Japanese modern day folklore and this samurai film is quite possibly one of the best of the modern samurai movies. It has a quite bizarre ending too! Enjoy!

Zatoichi - the Blind Swordsman 1/13

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Zatoichi - the Blind Swordsman 4/13

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Zatoichi - the Blind Swordsman 10/13

Zatoichi - the Blind Swordsman 11/13

Zatoichi - the Blind Swordsman 12/13

Zatoichi - the Blind Swordsman 13/13

The Changing World of Japan's Geisha

A very cool video report from Al Jazeera no less!

Japan is reeling from a 20-year economic slump, and has recently been surpassed by China as the world's second-largest economy. What the Japanese call the "lost years" have taken a serious toll on some of the country's most beloved cultural icons, including the Geisha. Instead of charging several hundred dollars for tea, dancing and artful conversation, many now have to look for other ways to make a living. Al Jazeera's Steve Chao reports. Shot and edited by Matthew Allard.


The changing world of Japan's Geisha from Matthew Allard on Vimeo.

The Geisha from Matthew Allard on Vimeo.

Gearfuse adds:

At the peak of their career, they numbered over 80,000 in Japan. Now, boiled down to a number lower than 1,000, the modern geisha has become more a novelty than the once revered and exclusive figures they once were. Largely the result of a 20-year economic slump in Japan, professional geisha, born and raised into the life of servitude, entertainment and feminine grace, have largely become a show for tourists, rather than the companions for the extremely wealthy and powerful in decades and even centuries past.

Thanks to I Heart Chaos.

Original Link: http://vimeo.com/14288152

Geisha in Kyoto

Perhaps my regular readers have noticed that my blogging has become quite irregular recently and I apologize. Fact is that I've been sick for nearly two weeks. The medicine the doctor gave me makes my head seem like it is in the clouds... Powerful stuff (that doesn't seem to work!)

Nevertheless, I want to put something up for you everyday. Here is something interesting that I found. It is a geisha performance from the Internet Archives that is described as:

Mameyoshi recently became a geisha in the Gion district of Kyoto. She was a maiko until recently. She became a shamisen geisha and this is her first performance for us. Originally posted on joi.ito.com.

Enjoy! (Sorry about the police in the background - they are only there for a minute, please be patient!)