The Tale of Zatoichi

Zatoichi (Shintaro Katsu) is a blind samurai who becomes the masseur for a Yakuza boss, who hires him anticipating a battle with a rival gang. Zatoichi has few equals on the battlefield or in the gambling den. But the rival gang hires Miki Hirate (Shigeru Amachi), an equally skilled swordsman for whom Zatoichi has great respect. When the gang war begins, Zatoichi is reluctant to battle his counterpart. But Hirate, who has discovered he is terminally ill, craves one final showdown.