Zatoichi 06 Zatoichi and the Chest of Gold

A DAIEI CO. LTD. PRODUCTION

ZATOICHI AND THE CHEST OF GOLD

Produced by SHOZABURO ASAI Original Story by KAN SHIMOZAWA

Screenplay by SHOZABURO ASAI and AKIKAZU OTA

Cinematography by KAZUO MIYAGAWA Art Direction by YOSHINOBU NISHIOKA

Starring:

SHINTARO KATSU

SHOGO SHIMADA MIKIKO TSUBOUCHI

MACHIKO HASEGAWA KENZABURO JO

TATSUYA ISHIGURO HIKOSABURO KATAOKA

MATASABURO NIWA SABURO DATE

Directed by KAZUO IKEHIRO

Sir, we're almost in Itakura. Where exactly did you want to go?

- Are you from here? - Yes, sir.

Then perhaps you've heard the name of Kichizo?

Did I say something wrong?

How do you know Kichizo?

Let's just say our paths crossed once.

He died the year before last.

So I'd heard.

I came here to pay my respects at his grave.

February

13th

1842.

That day,

when I chose to stand aside in the war between lioka and Sasagawa,

there was no need for me to have cut you down.

Forgive me. Please forgive me.

You were from Aikatsu in Joshu Province, Kichizo by name.

That was all I could get from you before your last breath.

In the Province of Joshu and the County of Sai

Stands the village of Kunisada known far and wide

Lived there a man named Chubei a hardscrabble peasant

His second son a boy named Chuji

From tender age a prodigy of swordsmanship and judo

He loved to beat his peers in all the martial arts

But when he entered his twenty-fifth year

Hey, go tell that guy to join us.

Hey, mister,

if you're not in a hurry, come have a drink with us.

A drink?

You're blind, are you? Never mind that. Come, come.

- But I don't - - It's okay, really.

We're just having a little celebration.

- Hey, we've got a guest. - Have a seat.

You look like a man who likes his drink. Here, take this.

I've been known to toss back a few.

You said something about a celebration?

We're getting the tax man off our backs.

He's been after us since last year.

We finally scraped together

the thousand ryo we needed from our 18 villages.

After three years in a row of bad harvests,

putting together a thousand ryo was like giving flesh and bone.

With the tax man finally off our backs,

I feel like I've been reborn.

No kidding.

Let me pour you another.

Thank you.

That certainly is cause for celebration.

I wonder if I might have a turn at the drum.

You'd like to beat the drum? Hey, let this guy take the drum.

Right this way.

And raising his head Chuji gave the nod

If that's how you feel let's gird for battle

We'll need this, he said and we'll need that

Then calling together his most valiant men

He set out for Sakai for a meeting with fate

Here they come.

TAX PAYMENT

What? The money was stolen?

The tax payment was stolen!

Without that money, we might as well be dead.

Who took it?

Everyone gather at the headman's house!

Everyone to the headman's house!

Three ronin ambushed us and stole the money!

Moju and Yasuke were killed.

The dirty bastards!

No, they were some of Chuji Kunisada's men,

holed up on Mt. Akagi.

I heard them say so with my own ears when they ambushed us.

Chuji even raided the government storehouses to help us farmers.

He's our friend. He'd never let his men harm us.

But he's been on the run, and he could be getting desperate.

Friend or not, he's a yakuza at heart.

That traveling blind man was there too.

I saw him sitting on the money chest.

Don't try to play dumb with us. We have a witness.

Son of a bitch! After that show with the drum!

Where'd you hide the money? Speak up, damn it!

I see. So that was a money chest I was sitting on?

You're asking for it, you son of a bitch!

As you can see, I'm a blind man.

There's something a little fishy about how that keeps coming up.

Being blind doesn't seem to have kept you from being a yakuza.

That's right. I bet Chuji put you up to it.

Boss Chuji wouldn't do a thing like that.

Yeah?

Well, can you tell us who the hell did, then? Huh?

See. You can't.

Just hold on a second, please.

This is some kind of misunderstanding.

A big misunderstanding.

Just let me go and talk to Chuji. I'm sure we can clear it up.

How do we know you're not going to clear out on us?

I won't run.

I swear I won't run.

So long as that money chest is missing,

both Chuji and I will remain under suspicion.

I have to clear our names one way or another.

Besides, without that money you're all in big trouble too.

I intend to find out who did this.

And I promise you, I'll get your thousand ryo back for you.

MAGISTRATE'S RESIDENCE

You can forget the sorry charade, Seiemon.

As the headman of Itakura,

you speak for all 18 villages in Usui County.

If you're going to lie to me, you'll have to do better than that.

- But, sir. - Enough!

You have ten days to get your taxes in.

Is that clear?

I beg your pardon, sir, but as you know,

this region has suffered three years of unprecedented drought.

The farmers scarcely have enough food to get through each day.

Drop the excuses!

You claim someone must have stolen the money on its way here?

I've never heard such ridiculous nonsense!

You have ten days. That's final.

But please, Magistrate!

Please, sir, I beg you!

May I help you?

Why should I need help from you?

I just couldn't help wondering

why you avoided the government checkpoint on the main road.

Perhaps you had reason?

- This isn't the main road? - As if you didn't know.

You will have noted that I'm blind.

It can make it hard for me to tell a main road from a back road.

Now, that's very interesting.

- Can I ask you something, miss? - What?

You can see, can't you?

Yet even with two perfectly good eyes,

you chose to take the back road.

Which means... you must be an outlaw.

Hello there.

Care for a massage?

Don't worry.

Unlike most men, I'm blind.

Nice body, miss.

Oh, you needn't be embarrassed and cover yourself.

Like I said, I'm blind.

You're the lady who was avoiding the checkpoint, aren't you?

Please, not so loud.

Where are you headed, anyway?

If you go down this mountain, you'll come to Mizorogi.

That puts you at the foot of Mt. Akagi.

Ah, you're so kind.

But since I am blind,

I have no way of telling

where Mizorogi is or where Mt. Akagi is.

Are you sure you can't see?

If I could see, then right about now

I'd be peeping at you through an opening somewhere.

Crazy blind man!

Wait!

You've been following that blind man all the way from Itakura.

Come to my room. I want to talk to you.

Who's there?

Sakichi. Yahachi.

Welcome back.

Thank you.

So, what did Tsunekichi say?

Well -

Well what?

He sent this.

So, Enzo,

I guess you didn't want me to read the letter.

The man thinks only of staying on the magistrate's good side,

so he can't find a single measure of rice or sake to send.

You might as well forget about him.

What happened to the other three?

Yeah, what happened to them? Speak up.

- Did they decide to bail out? - No!

- Then where the hell are they? - That's enough!

The way things are now, I can hardly force anyone to stay.

Let them go wherever they want.

You guys too. If you want out, you have my blessing.

Boss!

You're not being fair to them, Boss.

Forget it.

No, Boss, please hear me out.

They wanted to at least bring a little sake back for you and Enzo.

And?

Speak up!

They -

They were killed.

Killed?

- By a strange twist, cut down - - What?

Who did it?