Zatoichi's Pilgrimage

Zatoichi's Pilgrimage is a 1966 Japanese chambara film directed by Kazuo Ikehiro and starring Shintaro Katsu as the blind masseur Zatoichi. It was originally released by the Daiei Motion Picture Company.
Zatoichi's Pilgrimage is the fourteenth episode in the 26-part film series devoted to the character of Zatoichi. It has also been known as 'Zatoichi's Ocean Voyage'''''

Plot

Seeking to atone for his violent past, Zatoichi embarks on a pilgrimage to visit the 88 Temples on Shikoku. On the road, a man attacks Zatoichi but is killed by him. Zatoichi follows the man's horse back to his home.

Cast

Production

Yoshinobu Nishioka – Art director

Reception

Critical response

Thomas Raven, in a review for freakengine, wrote that "his film represents another major step forward for the series. Director Kazuo Ikehiro's touch is exactly what Ichi's stories need and since this was his third Zatoichi picture, he'd honed his skills to a fine point. It certainly helps that the script is so crisp, as is the inventive cinematography and art direction. This is certainly one of the best looking of the first fourteen films."