I only discovered this film by accident after watching over a dozen of the great Zatoichi series with Shintaro Katsu. As of this date, the film is available for free on Hulu, and titled "The Blind Menace".
This film, made in 1960, precedes the first Zatoichi by two years, but may have triggered the notion of a blind protagonist. In this, Shintaro Katsu is blind, but is not a swordsman like Zatoichi. Instead, he is an evil and devious thief and rapist, thoroughly nasty.
If you liked the Zatoichi series, this film is worth watching, if only to see a slightly younger Shintaro Katsu playing quite a different character than the good-hearted and humble Ichi that followed.
This film, made in 1960, precedes the first Zatoichi by two years, but may have triggered the notion of a blind protagonist. In this, Shintaro Katsu is blind, but is not a swordsman like Zatoichi. Instead, he is an evil and devious thief and rapist, thoroughly nasty.
If you liked the Zatoichi series, this film is worth watching, if only to see a slightly younger Shintaro Katsu playing quite a different character than the good-hearted and humble Ichi that followed.