There have been various films that portrayed the legendary blind swordsman created by Kan Shimozawa, but I think that being the most recent, Beat Takeshi (Takeshi Kitano)'s version, suits this generation. In his masterpiece, he plays the role of Zatoichi, who works as a masseur and loves playing dice. Apparently, what really makes up most of his time is to hunt down the abusive samurai and ronin of Yakuza gangs that abuse the inhabitants of a village.
This movie is significant in such a way that it exposes two things uniquely Japanese. First, it exposes Japanese culture and lifestyle during the Edo Period (violence exaggerated, I think), especially the highlighted customs and practices (the tap dance final scene looks cool, I should say). And second, it serves as a good example of Japanese "blood-splatter" films, which inspired and influenced a lot of films, Japanese and foreign alike (remember Kill Bill?)
And the third important thing to be pointed out in this movie is Takeshi's genius in filmmaking. Taking the main role while directing it, he was able to revive the series and give it a new, contemporary Japanese taste. A good Samurai plot that presents just enough blood and violence, showered with a few comic scenes was enough for Takeshi to come up with an original and tasty remake. Very unique, indeed. And somebody take note that he was the idea behind the famous game show "Takeshi's Castle."
Yep, he's the guy.
P.S. Hattori, the ronin who was one of Ichi's last opponent, was played by Tadanobu Asano, famous for his superb role in "Ichi The Killer," and plays the Norse God Hogun in the movie "Thor".
Credits to IMDB for some info, and http://prosubtitrari.com/tag/zatoichi for the pic. Also, absolution171990 in YouTube for the video.
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