He starred in 24 more Zatoichi films between 1962 and 1973, 100 episodes of a Zatoichi TV series between 1974 and 1979 and one final send-off in 1989’s Zatoichi: Darkness Is His Ally.

But after he first appeared in the 1962 Japanese film "Zatoichi Monogatari" ("The Tale of Zatoichi"), the blind samurai proved so popular that the character -- played by the late Shintaro Katsu ...

From 1962 to 1989, Zatoichi, played by the endearingly gruff Shintaro Katsu, was the subject of 26 feature films and more than 100 television episodes.

Harry Potter, “Fast and Furious,” and the Marvel Comics crew are pikers in comparison. Although this series of films, from “The Tale of Zatoichi” (1962) through “Zatoichi: Darkness Is His Ally” (1989) ...

An updating of the character that dominated Japanese films andtelevision from 1962 to 1989, “The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi”brings with it powerful new tools for special-effects action andhumor ...

For the unindoctrinated, Zatoichi is a 19th Century blind nomad who makes his living as a gambler and masseur. But behind this humble facade, he is a master swordsman gifted with a lightning-fast ...