Zato Ichi TV: Shin Zatoichi (New Zatoichi) - The Last Two Episodes (1979)

Zatoichi TV Series - Grand Finale
Starring: Shintarō Katsu
These two episodes were written and directed by one of Japan's most distinguished filmmakers Hiroshi Teshigahara, and elevate the Blind Swordsman from genre hero to fine art. After 25 feature films from 1962 through 1973, the television series lasted 5 years (1974-79) and helped keep alive the legend of the blind wandering gambler/masseur with the lightning fast sword.

Episode 99
"The Rainbow Journey" takes Ichi to the inner chambers of a daimyo lord's concubine. A beautiful woman with a deadly secret holds the key to a treasure chest containing 1,000 gold coins. Can Ichi survive against the political activists who want to bring down the government with their bloody blades?








Episode 100
"The Dream Journey" intersperses Ichi's innermost fears and desires with the harsh realities of being a blind man who dreams only of being able to see the sun once more before he dies. With spectacular cinematography and plenty of dynamic swordplay, can Ichi conquer fear and defeat his most formidable adversary?
This final episode also contains an extended dream sequence that may well have served as an influence for Kurosawa's Kagemusha the following year - a film that was also intended to star Shintaro Katsu.













Note about these rips.
The dimensions may look strange (640 x 448) - but they are actually correct. These episodes are not exactly 4:3 ratio, hence are not ripped to 640x480. English subtitles are high quality idx/sub and do not benefit from converting to srt.