|
is a fictional character featured in one of Japan's longest running series of films and a television series that are both set during the late Edo period (1830s and 1840s). The character, a blind masseur and blademaster, was created by novelist Kan Shimozawa. 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 1974 to 1979, the television series ''Zatoichi'' was produced, starring Katsu and some of the same stars that appeared in the films. These were produced by Katsu Productions. One hundred episodes, with episodes 99 and 100 being a two-part story finale, were aired before the ''Zatoichi'' television series was cancelled.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Frequently Asked Questions about 'Zatoichi' )〕 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. A 2003 film, ''Zatōichi'', was directed by Takeshi Kitano who also starred as Zatōichi in the film. The film was awarded the Venice Film Festival's Silver Lion for Best Direction in 2003. A stage version of ''Zatoichi'' directed by Takashi Miike starred Show Aikawa. ==Character== Zatoichi at first comes across as a harmless blind ''anma'' (masseur) and ''bakuto'' (gambler) who wanders the land, making his living by ''chō-han'' (playing dice) as well as giving massages, performing acupuncture and on occasion, even singing and playing music. However, secretly, he is very highly skilled in swordsmanship, specifically Muraku-school kenjutsu and iaido and is equally skilled in the more general sword skills of Japan, as well as Sumo wrestling and kyujutsu. Little of his past is revealed, other than that he lost his sight as a child through an illness. His father disappeared when he was about five years old, again for undisclosed reasons. He is described by his kendo instructor as having practiced constantly and with extreme devotion when he was a pupil in order to develop his incredible swordsmanship. Zatoichi says of himself that he became a yakuza (gangster) during those three years he spent training (which immediately precede the original ''The Tale of Zatoichi'') and had killed many people by then, something he later came to deeply regret. This is reflected in his willingness to involve himself in the affairs of others- chiefly, those suffering from oppression/exploitation, or some form of corruption. Despite that moral re-assessment, his new perspective and remorse (and most often because of them), he usually has a bounty (sometimes quite large) on his head from one source or another throughout the movies and series. However, his earnestness, wit, and natural sense of empathy, many people who have encountered him during his travels grow to respect and even care for him. Unlike a bushi, he does not carry a traditional katana. Instead, he uses a well-made ''shikomi-zue'' (仕込み杖, lit. "prepared cane" or cane sword), as the use or possession of true fighting blades was formally outlawed for non-samurai during the Edo period. Though, the decree was virtually impossible to enforce, as evident by the fact that the Yakuza enforcers are shown wielding katanas throughout the films. The blades of ''Shikomi-zue'' were generally straight-edged, of lower-quality, unfolded-steel, which could not compare with even a low-end ''katana''. As a result, the blade in Ichi's cane sword is broken during the climactic battle in ''Zatoichi the Fugitive'' (the fourth film). The sword has a new blade by the next film, which he wields until the fifteenth film ''Zatoichi's Cane Sword'', the blade (which breaks during the film) and the blade that replaces it were especially forged at very great expense and with far more than the usual care, time and effort by master bladesmiths and were both of exceptional quality, superior to the swords of even most ''samurai''. At the beginning of ''Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo'', his swordblade (presumably the same) inexplicably breaks and is sold to a blacksmith along with its hilt and scabbard. Its replacement isn't a ''shikomi-zue'', but a ''jotō'' (杖刀 lit. a "staff sword") of unrevealed origin that's like a short, thick bo staff, which also soon breaks. In the very next film, ''Zatoichi: The Festival of Fire'', he's once again using his trademark canesword, outfitted with a new blade of unknown origin and quality. The principal recurring thematic formula of these films and the television series is that of the ever-wandering and sentimental drifter who protects the innocent and the helpless from oppressive or warring ''yakuza'' gangs, stops the worst of general injustice or predation and aids the misfortunate, and often, through no real fault or choice of his own, is set upon by ruffians or will stumble into harm's way. Zatoichi's saga is essentially one of an earthy but basically good and wise man almost always trying to do the decent thing, to somehow redeem himself and perhaps atone for past failings. Yet, he believes himself instead to be a stained, corrupted and evil man, irredeemable and undeserving of the love and respect that some show and rightly have for him. This self-described "god of calamities" is routinely a magnet for troubles of one sort or another. Death is his only constant companion, as he pragmatically doesn't allow other people, especially those he loves or thinks highly of, to get close and stay there for long - such would lead to eventual tragedy. Death does seem, like a shadow, to actually follow an often reluctant Zatoichi almost everywhere he goes, and despite his mostly compassionate nature, killing truly does appear to indeed come entirely natural to him. His lightning-fast fighting skill is incredible, with his sword-grip in inverse manner; this, combined with his unflappable steel-nerved wits in a fight, his keen ears, sense of smell and proprioception, all render him a frighteningly formidable adversary. He is also quite capable with a traditional ''katana'', as seen in ''Zatoichi's Vengeance'' and the bath house scene in ''Zatoichi and the Festival of Fire''. Similarly, he displays considerable skill using two swords simultaneously, in Musashi-like ''Nitō Ichi'' style in ''Zatoichi and the Doomed Man''. Deadly dangerous with blades to an almost preternatural degree, he is fully capable (whether standing, sitting or lying down) of fighting and swiftly defeating multiple skilled opponents simultaneously. Though some have come close to besting him in combat, in particular the final dual in ''Zatoichi Challenged'' where extenuating circumstances played a role. A number of other standard scenarios are also repeated through the series: Zatoichi's winning of large amounts at gambling via his ability to hear whether the dice have fallen on even or odd is a common theme, as is his catching loaded or substituted dice by the difference in their sound. This frequently culminates in another set piece, Zatoichi's cutting the candles lighting the room and reducing it to pitch blackness, commonly accompanied by his tag line "Kurayami nara kocchi no mon da"|暗闇ならこっちのもんだ (roughly meaning "Darkness is my advantage") or "Now we are all blind". The character's name is actually ''Ichi''. ''Zatō'' is a title, the lowest of the four official ranks within the ''Tōdōza'', the historical guild for blind men. (Thus ''zato'' also designates a blind person in Japanese slang.) Ichi is therefore properly called ''Zatō-no-Ichi'' ("Low-Ranking Blind Person Ichi", approximately), or ''Zatōichi'' for short. Massage was a traditional occupation for the blind (as their lack of sight removed the issue of gender), as was playing the biwa or, for blind women (''goze''), the shamisen. Being lesser Hinin (lit. "non-people"), blind people and masseurs were regarded as among the very lowest of the low in social class, other than Eta or outright criminals ; they were generally considered wretches, beneath notice, no better than beggars or even the insane — especially during the Edo period — and it was also commonly thought that the blind were accursed, despicable, severely mentally disabled, deaf and sexually dangerous. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Zatoichi」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|