A threat is uttered, a blade is drawn, a flash of cold steel and then…

A dozen attackers now lie silent, dispatched by the lightning sword of one blind man — Zatoichi.

A humble masseur and gambler, Zatoichi wanders the countryside of early Japan, going from town to town plying his trade and rolling the dice. With kind heart and lethal sword skill, he is the protector of the innocent and the ruin of wicked men.

A pop culture icon since his screen debut in 1962, Zatoichi (played by samurai film legend Shintaro Katsu) was a matinee favorite throughout the 1960’s. After a dozen years and 25 films, the blind swordsman transitioned to the small screen in 1974. 100 episodes of the popular series aired through the end of the decade, as the television program “Zatoichi Monogatari” or “The Tale of Zatoichi”.