This incarnation is part of a double DVD with another movie called Sonatine. After watching Zaitochi I checked out the info on Amazon and the character is a popular and recurring one in Japan, with 25 movies and around 100 TV episodes. In this version, an old, blind masseur shuffles into a town ruled by ruthless and competing gangs. He soon proves to be more than a mere blind masseur, dispensing anyone he faces with dazzling sword moves. I confess the movie left me puzzled throughout, since it seemed disjointed and uncertain about plot or characters. There are two bizarre musical numbers, cross-dressing killer geishas, and village idiots pretending to be samurais. A ronin bodyguard appears to threaten Zaitochi, but the battle is brief. Blood sprays and gore abounds, an inspiration probably to the Bride's scenes in the House of Blues Leaves in KILL BILL Vol 1. Still, the slice and dice action of the swordfighting failed to excite me, and this is far from the best martial arts movie I've seen. Perhaps some of the others ones are better.