Zatoichi finally meets his match in Zatoichi Challenged, a slow-building entry in the series made deliciously palatable by lush cinematography and Shintaro Katsu’s playful antics with his child co-star. The final act is nearly all action that builds up to a beautifully-shot sword duel.

Ichi (Shintaro Katsu) begins this adventure on the road, as usual, and this time battling gangsters. Here he has the first of many encounters with the enigmatic Tajuro Akazuka (Jushiro Konoe), a masterless samurai on an unknown mission that will carry him along the same road and to a fateful confrontation with Ichi. While staying at an inn, Ichi meets an ailing mother who with her dying breath begs him to escort her young son, Ryoto to his father Shokichi (Takao Ito) in the town of Maebara. As the pair hook up with traveling performers they begin to form an unlikely bond, one that only a reluctant killer with a fatherly streak and an endlessly mischievous boy masking fear and sorrow could. In Maebara, Ichi discovers that Shokichi is an artist forced into painting “shunga” or spring paintings – erotic images forbidden by 19th-century officials. Ichi becomes determined to reunite the boy with his father, even as the gangsters who keep the artist captive and government agents bent on wiping out anyone associated with the paintings stand in his way.

The Zatoichi series is without a doubt one of the greatest franchises in movie history and Zatoichi Challenged maintains this tradition admirably. Even though the first hour contains very little swordplay, Shintaro Katsu remains in top form thanks to the emphasis on the character’s nurturing side. It’s clear that Katsu was increasingly making Ichi out to be not only a great swordsman and humble hero, but also a very kind-hearted protagonist who is essentially an old softy with a great fondness for children. There are touches of this in previous episodes as Ichi clowns with children he meets on the road. In Fight, Zatoichi, Fight he actually engages in a similar mission, except that the child in question is a toddler capable of little more than urinating on Ichi, while the six-year old Ryoto goes out of his way to poke fun of Ichi’s blindness by passing off a rock as candy or drawing pictures of one person and claiming it to be another. Of course, Ichi and his superior senses are generally beyond being fooled by such tricks, although the boy does pull one over on him, which is revealed in unexpectedly humorous fashion. This interplay that dominates the middle part of the film is quite charming.

The film is expertly photographed by Chishi Makiura, a veteran of the series who had lensed five previous episodes including the first one and would go on to shoot the Lone Wolf and Cub series along with director Kenji Misumi, also a veteran of the Zatoichi series. This duo has generally managed to create the best-looking episodes with Zatoichi Challenged being one of them. The framing, locations and editing are all superb. Without resorting to gimmicks, they masterfully employ a wide array of wide angles and close-ups and make great use of foreground shots. Yet this isn’t just some exercise in film technique. The camera is used to greatly enhance the mood. This is seen in the final tense moments as Ichi faces his final challenge as snowflakes lightly descend. It’s an emotionally charged scenario that relies more on framing and facial expression than action choreography to generate intensity. The swordplay isn’t overlooked though and the eventual outcome is both exhilarating and unique in the Zatoichi series up to this point.

There isn’t a great amount of creativity involved in the story when compared to other episodes. Ichi is out to save another wayward soul again with nothing to gain in return, except another piece of ever-elusive humanity that he desperately seeks. Nor are the characters all that remarkable. Miwa Takada, from The Fugitive and Adventures of Zatoichi returns in a small role as Shokichi’s sweetheart. There is a comic character and a songstress who Ichi interacts with, but these sorts of asides have been more entertaining in other episodes. The only costar of note is Jushiro Konoe, an actor of great presence whose character is equal to Ichi in resolve and thus makes their encounter outstanding. Shintaro Katsu himself is every bit the blind hero of violent resolve and affable humility we come to expect and matched with the spunky child actor makes the whole affair entertaining.

What Zatoichi Challenged lacks in edge-of-your-seat violence, it makes up for in excellent visuals, consistent performances and playful interactions contrasted with mounting tension that is released with picture-perfect timing and intensity, Overall, this is another great addition to the Zatoichi series.

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