Like an earlier Zatoichi film, "Zatôichi kesshô-tabi", this one starts with a dying woman and a baby that Zatoichi is to take to its father. Following the death of the mother, the credits roll and a singer who perhaps is well-liked in Japan begins singing--and the high nasal voice was really, really annoying. Perhaps it's just my Western sensibilities, but the song was tough to take. I think the singing is from Japanese Noh (a type of play)--but I am far from knowledgeable about those sort of things.Once Ichi gets the baby to the proper town, he finds the child's aunt and gives it to her. Oddly, however, all along the route there a little boy has been following Zatoichi pelting him with rocks. When the father eventually comes to town and thanks the blind man for bringing the baby, the welcome is very short-lived. It seems that the brat who has been throwing stones at Zatoichi is the man's son--and he mistakenly thinks that Ichi killed his mother and stole her money (this WAS done but by a thief--not Ichi). However, when the father confronts Ichi, the blind man is not angry but agrees to help the family get the money--otherwise the aunt will be forced by the local boss into prostitution.This leads to the very, very typical confrontation with the local strongman--a guy who naturally at first has his men attack Ichi, then pretends to be friends and then, ultimately, has an all-out battle with the blind man. In the final battle, the death tally is appropriately high and there are no huge surprises. However, the local constable was an interesting character and did give the film a few surprises. Otherwise, it's all very typical and familiar. Nothing extraordinary but another formulaic Zatoichi film.

Only two more films before the end of a 25 entry series. You would think that after 11 years the final films would be tired and derivative but this film belies that assumption. While reusing some elements from previous films, the baby for example, this film is an excellent combination of humor, drama and action with the usual Zatoichi world view. It should be remembered that at the time these films would rarely get shown again so the film makers felt comfortable reusing themes. Soon after this Zatoichi moved to television where they really reused the stories and themes from the movies.Zatoichi chances upon a pregnant woman who unknown to him has just been attacked and had her gold stolen. She goes into labor and Zatoichi helps deliver the child but the woman dies from her wound. Zatoichi goes to bring the child to his father and of course finds himself in the middle of a town being invaded by yakuza. Zatoichi is compelled to help the child's family and control the ruthless yakuza.There's nothing unusual about the plot, it's the details that make this film so wonderful. The characters are all colorful and interesting. There an elderly constable and his good-for- nothing son, a group of wacky festival performers, a mysterious child who pelts Zatoichi with rocks, the required master swordsman to challenge Zatoichi and the sleazy yakuza. The film is well paced, but the first action is not until 30 minutes into the film. However it's well worth waiting for. Unlike the previous film that had Zatoichi caring for an infant (which is a very good film), he doesn't get attached to this one and it's pretty much out of the plot half way thru. Recommended for all Zatoichi fans, newcomers might want to try an earlier film first.

Katsu's quick-draw swordsmanship is in olympic form as per usual in Zatoichi films. But I found an exceptional amount of humor in this installment, namely from the stalking orphan who continually nails Ichi in the gourd with rocks because he mistakenly believes Ichi murdered his mother. Ichi's tender-hearted nature is in full display as he suckles a newborn and refuses to duel the orphan's father knowing what the inevitable conclusion would be. Also, the preview of comedy acts that are performed for the magistrate to qualify for entry into the festival are hilarious, most notably the monkey routine. One of my faves in my favorite samurai flick series...

Bloody good Zatoichi fun…this may very well be the best of the original 25 that I've seen! Zatoichi delivers a baby from a dying mother (and breastfeeds it too!), seeks out the father, and comes upon a town that is about to have a festival. When a gang moves in to collect their due from the performers (and force the baby's aunt into prostitution), Ichi springs into action to set things straight. The scene with Zatoichi slowly approaching the leader while on fire is just great. If you're a fan of Chambara Cinema, this one's definitely worth checking out. Hired Killer: "You're the best swordsman I've ever met." Zatoichi: "Nah…all I do is go apesh*t."