The following review is an extract from the book "Shintaro Katsu´s Zatoichi: Complete guide to all movies", which is now available on Amazon.
Zatoichi comes to the outskirts of the town of Azabu, where he lived ten years ago. He decides to visit his teacher Hikonoichi, another blind man who taught him his profession as a masseur. As he eats and drinks sake at the village inn, his old friend Yasaku recognizes him. He informs him that Hikonoichi sadly died only a couple of weeks ago. He was murdered, and no one knows the reason. Zatoichi also learns that Sayo, the daughter of his master, now works in a brothel. This brothel is owned by yakuza boss Tatsugoro.
Zatoichi rightly imagines that Sayo, now known as "Nishikigi", is not there voluntarily. Besides being a libertine, Tatsugoro is a heartless man who charges "protection taxes" to farmers in the area, and who makes a profit out of usury loans.
(...)
"The Revenge of Zatoichi" is the tenth of the films dedicated to the figure of the kind and just masseur- swordsman. This time Zatoichi intends to rescue the daughter of his master (who has fallen into the clutches of pimps and usurers) and punish his murderers. The Sayo that Ichi knew as a child, sweet and angelic, is today reflected in Tsuru, who is nevertheless the daughter of one of the men of the yakuza Tatsugoro; that is to say, the daughter of a potential enemy... For this reason, among other things, in this film by Akira Inoue the drama of the plot is more intense.
