Zatoichi's Vengeance (座頭市の歌が聞える)

A DAIEI CO. LTD. PRODUCTION

Hurry. He's coming.

That's him. Take care of him.

Shut up.

It's wrong to steal.

Of all the kinds of stealing,

highway robbery is the worst.

What did you say?

Why, you're blind! We don't need a masseur here.

Get lost while you can still enjoy the light of day.

Daylight is lost on a blind man.

Why, you -

You're dead!

Blind bastard!

Hello.

Excuse me.

Taichi.

Is that your name?

I am Tamekichi.

Tamekichi is your name?

Take this to Taichi.

The killer is probably the man I passed earlier.

His dying words were the names Tamekichi and Taichi.

But who are they and where do they live?

I don't have a single clue.

If I leave this with the body, somebody is bound to take it.

I should take it with me.

ZATOICHI'S VENGEANCE

Produced by IKUO KUBODERA

Original story by KAN SHIMOZAWA Screenplay by HAJIME TAKAIWA

Cinematography by KAZUO MIYAGAWA

Art Direction by YOSHINOBU NISHIOKA

Original Music by AKIRA IFUKUBE

Edited by KANJI SUGANUMA

Starring:

SHINTARO KATSU

SHIGERU AMACHI MAYUMI OGAWA and KEI SATO

JUN HAMAMURA, MITSUKO YOSHIKAWA YUKIKO KOMURA

MICHI AZUMA, MASANORI MACHIDA KOICHI MIZUHARA

SABURO DATE, KAZUE TAMAKI

YUKIO HORIKITA, GEN KIMURA

JUN FUJIKADA, SUMAO ISHIHARA

HIDEO KUROKI, KAZUKO TANIGUCHI

Directed by TOKUZO TANAKA

That was good.

How much do I owe you?

Yes, sir.

That will be exactly 200 mon.

Here is your tea.

You dropped something.

Thank you.

Here you go.

Thank you very much.

Thank you very much.

I see.

He was caught cheating. That's why they went after him.

Since it's dirty money, I might as well profit from it.

Excuse me, could you help me?

Which way is the main highway?

As you can see, I'm blind.

So am I.

I am blind, too.

You are?

I was born blind, but you weren't.

I believe you were able to see

until you were five or six years of age.

Are you really blind?

You don't believe me?

You're a priest who plays the biwa.

You have very thick fingers.

That's because I'm a masseur.

I see.

But you have strange calluses for a masseur.

Biwa priest, how did you know

I was not blind from birth?

Your senses are sharp.

Sharp enough to let you walk the streets.

But it was clear you didn't notice me

until you stopped walking.

I sensed your presence

when you were still 100 yards away.

By the way, I'd like to ask a favor of you.

What is it?

To tell you the truth, I'm starving.

In my lifetime I have met all kinds of blind men.

But I have never met one like you.

Am I that different?

You are indeed.

Your alertness is not that of a normal blind person.

That is why the blind fear you and will not befriend you.

And normal people only look down on you as a cripple.

Therefore, you're not at home among blind people

nor among normal people.

You're an in-betweener.

An in-betweener?

A strange creature who belongs to neither world.

Thank you for the treat. It was very good.

I'd best be on my way now.

Biwa priest, where are you headed from here?

I am going to Ichinomiya.

What kind of town is that?

It's quiet and peaceful.

There are no gamblers there.

Does such a place still exist?

Their annual festival starts tomorrow.

It's famous for its thunder drums.

So you plan to make some money at the festival.

No, I play biwa for my pleasure.

It doesn't matter whether I have an audience or not.

So sometimes I earn a little money, and other times I don't.

As you know, I've had no money since yesterday.

Good-bye.

He stuffs himself at my expense, then calls me a strange creature.

Which one of us is really the strange one?

Maybe I'll go to the same town.

Ouch! Watch where you're going!

Sorry, little boy.

That's all right.

You cowards!

You're a plucky little thing.

Taichi, look at the dirt on your kimono!

Taichi, come home this minute!

Change your kimono right now!

Your grandson's name is Taichi?

Yes.

He's such a mischievous boy.

Where is his father?

He's not here.

Is he called Tamekichi?

That's his name. How did you know that?

Do you know him?

Yes, some time ago

he used to request my services on a regular basis.

So where is he, then?

That's hot!

Where is my father?

Atsuta.

Atsuta in Owari?

- What is he doing? - He is, er -

I'm sure he's up to no good.

If he had stayed at Joshuya Inn,

he would be a full-fledged cook by now.

Actually, he has become a full-fledged cook.

- Is that true? - Yes, it is.

He is the head cook

at a very large restaurant.

Is that so?

When will my father come back?

When? Well, er -

If you behave yourself and be a good boy

and listen to your grandmother,

he should be home soon.

Isn't that good news?

The gods are watching over us.

I almost forgot.

Tamekichi asked me to give this to you.

Tamekichi sent me money?

And so much!

Thank you, Tamekichi.

I don't want to hear any excuses.

Shut up! You said that last time.

How can you do this? Don't be rough on a weak old man.

If he would listen, we wouldn't be rough on him.

Taichi, what is going on?

They're from Gonzo's clan in Itabana.

Gonzo of Itabana?

No respectable boss should be terrorizing upstanding people.

I heard there were no gamblers in this town.

That it was a quiet town.

It was until a while ago.

Even the county governor would skip his annual inspection now and then.

So Gonzo of Itabana saw an opportunity

to establish himself in this town.

He didn't just establish himself in town.

He extorts money from the merchants in this town

just to permit us to continue running our businesses.

Extorts money?

Haven't you had your business here a long time?

We all have.

So he shows up out of nowhere

and makes demands where he has no claim.

He must be rotten to the core.

There is a stubborn old man at Joshuya Inn.

He kept our spirits up by saying that as long as he had breath,

he would not let them have their way.

But the violence of Gonzo's men gradually escalated.

One by one,

each merchant, just like his neighbor before him,

paid 50 ryo or 100 ryo to buy back his own business.

Only three merchants are still holding out.

This Gonzo of Itabana

is a despicable fellow.

The thunder drums have started.

Since you're in town, go and enjoy the festival tonight.

- Thank you, but - - Let's go.

I'll take you. Come on.

What's wrong?

Do your ears hurt?

My ears also serve as my eyes,

so the drums seem much louder to me.