Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo

Japan Release: 1970
Running Time:
116 minutes

Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo


Japanese Title

座頭市と用心棒
[Zatoichi to Yojimbo]

Distributor: Production:

Daiei (Toho owned film)
Katsu Productions

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Live Action

Box Office - Stock Footage - DVDs - CDs - Pictures - Background - Concept Art - Cut Scenes - Reviews

Titles

International Title

Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo

Initial US Title

Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo
US Distributor: Daiei International (1970) / Time: 116 Minutes

Alternate Titles

Zatoichi and Yojimbo
[Literal Translation]

 


Staff

Cast

Directed by Kihachi Okamoto
Writing credits Kihachi Okamoto, Tetsuro Yoshida, Kan Shimozawa
Produced by Shintaro Katsu
Music by Akira Ifukube
Cinematography by Kazuo Miyagawa
Film Editing by Toshio Taniguchi
Production Design by Yoshinobu Nishioka
Assistant Directors Chuza Nakanishi, Akikazu Ota, Haruo Ueda
Zatoichi Shintaro Katsu
Daisaku Sasa, Yojimbo Toshiro Mifune
Umeno Ayako Wakao
Yasuke Eboshiya, Silk Distributor Osamu Takizawa
Masagoro Eboshiya, Head of the Kobotoke Clan Masakane Yonekura
Kunai Atobe, "Kuzuryu" Shin Kishida
Hyoroku, Coffin Maker Kanjuro Arashi
Sanaemon Goto, Son of Yasuke Eboshiya Toshiyuki Hosokawa
Jinzaburo Wakiya, Inspector Shigeru Koyama
Tozo, Watchman Daigo Kusano
- Minoru Terada
- Hideo Sunazuka
- Fujio Tsuneda
- Gen Kimura
- Hiroshi Tanaka
- Hiroto Kimura
- Ryutaro Itsumi
- Yuuji Hamada
- Kazu Echikawa
- Gen Kuroki
- Junshiro Araseki
- Yoko Netsuda

Posters


DVDs and Blu-rays

United States Region 1 Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo AnimEigo (2003) Order
Japan Region 2 Zatoichi and Yojimbo Toho (2003)
Australia Region 4 Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo Madman (2005)
United States Blu-Ray Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman Set Criterion (2013) Order

Background and Trivia

  • In the 1970s, Toho began working extensively with Shintaro Katsu's Katsu Productions, marking a shift from Katsu's earlier collaborations with Daiei. This partnership included Toho distributing several of Katsu Productions' films, such as Zatoichi at Large (1972) and the Lone Wolf and Cub series. On July 29, 1985, Toho entered into an agreement with Katsu Productions to acquire rights to their current media library. Following Shintaro Katsu's death in 1997, Toho submitted this agreement to the US Copyright Office under record number V3474D496. The filing confirmed that Toho had secured rights to 31 titles, Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo among them.
  • Daiei registered the film with the US copyright office on June 16th, 1992 under registration number PA0000587314. The titles used for the film were its international title, Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo, and its Romaji title, Zatoichi to Yojimbo. Daiei listed themselves as the copyright claimant. However, on February 4th, 1998, Toho challenged this claim. Under record number V3410D305, they filed a declaration regarding the copyright notice, asserting that Katsu Productions Company Limited was the correct original rights holder, not Daiei.
  • The film's title and the casting of actor Toshiro Mifune suggest a showdown between Zatoichi and Sanjuro, the iconic character from Yojimbo (1961). However, Mifune's character in this movie, Daisaku Sasa, is entirely unrelated to the role he played in director Akira Kurosawa's films.