The 9th film in the series is Adventures Of Zatoichi and it first appeared in the theater on December 30 1964. That was only 2.5 months after the previous film. Shintaro Katsu is the blind swordsman Zatoichi. The screenplay is by Shozaburo Asai from a story by Kan Shimozawa and it's directed by Kimiyoshi Yasuda.
The film is set at the end of the year and Zatoichi is heading to a village to pray in the first sun of the New Year. On the way Zatoichi meets a nervous man named Gorota who asks him where he's headed. When he finds out he asks Zatoichi to deliver a message to a maid at an inn in the same town. Zatoichi agrees and upon arrival he meets Osen. Message delivered Zatoichi asks for a room. They are full up with the New Years Festival going on but she asks Miss Saki if he can stay in her room. She's agreeable.
Miss Saki is in town looking for her father. He had come through the town on his way to complain to higher officials about the local magistrate raising the taxes on the farmers. He hadn't ever got to his destination and it looks like the local officials are as corrupt as you often see in a Zatoichi movie. It was the style of the time but no matter they are in for a rude awakening when Zatoichi comes to call. The magisrate and his henchmen send men after Zatoichi but that trick never works.
Zatoichi makes friends with a couple young brothers. They are acrobats who have come to preform at the festival. Zatoichi finds out that the magistrate set up Osen's brother Gorota. The magistrate hired Gorota to kill a rival and then had the local cops there to arrest him. He figured if the brother was locked up no one would believe he was set up. At least no one that would matter. He didn't figure on Gorota getting free and returning. Miss Saki has been asking about her father, that causes some tension, so they plan to kill her. The magistrate and his creeps are really dicks and I feel no sympathy for them when they get slaughtered.
Eventually Zatoichi settles things in the only way he knows. He finally gets his wish and leaves for another adventure. It was another entertaining film with a good script and nice locations and sets. You can see it at the link above. Hope you enjoy it.
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