Zatoichi and the Chest of Gold Zatoichi and the Chest of Gold

In the 1840s, Ichi, blind masseur and quick-draw swordsman, travels to the village of Itakura to pay his respects at the grave of Kichizo, a man he killed two years' ago. The villages in the area, after several years of famine, have struggled to raise 1,000 ryo in taxes they owe. The money is stolen while in transit to the governor. Ichi is accused as is Boss Chuji, a samurai Ichi respects. Ichi sets out to find the money and clear his own and Chuji's names. Along the way, he must face Kichizo's sister, some of Chuji's own gang, a corrupt governor, and his henchmen. Loyalties shift even as Ichi's moral compass stays true.

Shintarô Katsu Shôgo Shimada Mikiko Tsubouchi Machiko Hasegawa Tomisaburo Wakayama Tatsuya Ishiguro Shinjirô Asano Saburo Date Hikosaburo Kataoka Matasaburo Tamba Toranosuke Tennoji Koichi Mizuhara Hiroshi Hayashi Yûsaku Terajima Ichirô Takakura

Daiei Motion Picture Company

action drama

83 mins   More details at IMDb / TMDb

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  • SchnitzerKaiser

    Review by SchnitzerKaiser ★★★★

    Second only to 'The Tale Of Zatoichi Continues' in terms of its fast pace, 'Chest' of Gold' is perhaps less artful than its predecessors, but more than satisfies in terms of action. A very cool credits sequence starts the show, and the film itself features a great 'mystery ronin'--Katsu's brother, Tomisaburo Wakayama--and thus has a great final duel. This climax is almost on par with the impassioned duel from part 4, 'Zatoichi the Fugitive'.

  • I_Love_LUCy

    Review by I_Love_LUCy ★★★★★

    I think there is a strong argument to be made that this is the best film in the history of cinema. It's hugely entertaining. The characters are highly sympathetic. The story is iconic. The cinematography is perfect and, above all else, the fight scenes are LEGENDARY. This is a film that you must see multiple times before you die.