The One Eyed Swordsman
Director: Seiichiro Uchikawa
Year: 1963
Production Company: Shochiku
Running Time: 96 minutes
In 1963 Shochiku jumped back into the Tange Sazen sweepstakes with
a film starring Tetsuro Tanba (in a double role) as the one-eyed monster.
The company had made a number of Sazen films back in the early 1950’s but
they hadn’t done that well at the box-office. Sazen was a nice fit into the
new wave samurai genre that was becoming more tilted towards off kilter “anti-heroes”
such as Zatoichi or Kyoshiro Nemuri in the "Son of the Black Mask" series.
With his ferocious appearance, his outcast image, his lack of caring about
societal conventions and his own internal code of chivalry he seemingly would
be perfect for this age but in fact the Sazen films were coming to an end
and the popularity of other characters were soon to put this enduring character
out to rest for the most part. Perhaps the character felt a bit stale and
too tame by this time especially with the domestic element that the films
contained to compete in the ever more exploitive sheen that samurai films
were heading for. Gosha attempted to give the Sazen films a much harder edge
in his 1966 "Secret of The Urn", but that turned out to be the last one for
quite a while.
One issue of course with these films might have been that they used the same
story time after time and in this entry it once again revolves around Sazen,
the Yagyu family and their need to pay for the Nikko Shrine expenses. They
do switch around a number of details and add more action yet it still is
basically the same story and the same outcome. In this case though they switch
it from a jar to a sword! In 1730 Genzaburo is to marry the daughter of the
owner of the Shibo fencing school and they have sent a family sword to them
as a gift. When they find out they are responsible for the repairs to the
Nikko Shrine and that the sword has clues to an old family fortune they ask
for it back. The brother of Genzaburo, Gennojo, makes the request to the
Shibo master but is refused. Instead Shibo offers to fight for it – the Yagyu
men against his school in a series of duels with wooden sticks.
Gennojo makes easy work of the Shibo fighters and is about to claim the sword
back when the unruly Sazen breaks into the dojo and demands to have his chance
to fight as well for the sword. He is given the opportunity against Gennojo
and is soon on his way home with the sword and tells them that he will return
it only to Hagino if she comes to ask him. Earlier he had seen her praying
for her father’s health under a waterfall and been somewhat smitten with
her beauty and filial devotion. As in some of the other versions the second
in command of the school hopes to inherit it after the death of Master Shibo
and hurries this event along with a little poison. When Sazen accuses them
of this a huge fight breaks out in which he protects the sword and Hagino
while fending off and killing dozens of attackers. Eventually, he figures
out not only where the treasure is buried but that his past is linked to
that of the Yagyu’s. Interestingly, in most of the versions of this story
it is his adopted son, Chobayasu, who discovers this but they cut his character
out of the film and give that connection to Sazen.
It is a solid film though the print version I saw was very poor with two
big action pieces and it still brings in the characters of Ofuji and her
brother and the affection they all have for one another. In the end Sazen
tells her he is just an old kettle and she replies that I am your lid and
they walk off happily together down the road to their next adventure.
My rating for this film: 6.5