, let's first talk about what "Zatoichi" is. This term is actually composed of two parts - "Zatou" and "city". "Zatou" is the name of a professional title. During the Edo period, there was an organization in Japan to protect the professions of blind people, called "Daoza". "Zuotou" is the last level of the organization's four major titles (inspection, dangdang, activity, and zutou). , Acupuncture and moxibustion for the blind. "City" is the protagonist's name. Before the Meiji Restoration, only nobles in Japan had surnames, while the vast majority of ordinary people did not have surnames. Therefore, it is not surprising that people at the bottom of society like "Zatoichi" only have a simple name of "city".
The "Zatoichi" series of films was the most famous period drama of the 1960s Daying Company. Unlike other period dramas that reflect samurai, this series has always revolved around the lower classes of society and gangsters, featuring swords and halberds. With the dual attributes of Ren Xia films. "Zatoichi" has created an image of a blind chivalrous man who is righteous, fighting violence and peace. Although it looks sloppy, he has stunts, old-fashioned enthusiasm, and a superb swordsmanship that kills invisible with one-handedness.
When it comes to "Zatoichi", I have to talk about Katsu Shintaro. Katsu Shintaro is an iconic figure who can keep pace with Akira Kurosawa in the field of period dramas. Since the first "Zatoichi Story" in 1962, he has starred in more than 20 "Zatoichi" series of movies or TV dramas, affecting an entire generation of Japanese audiences. It is worth mentioning that during the filming of "Zatoichi" in 1989, there was a tragic incident where a real knife accidentally injured an actor and killed an actor. Since then, not only Katsu Shintaro's unique blind backhand sword technique has disappeared, but also declared "Zatoichi". End of series.
About "Zhongdao"
In Takeshi Kitano's version of "Zatoichi", the story is based on a pair of siblings from the Naruto family. Naruto, who was engaged in the rice business, had a very wealthy family, so he was coveted by the gangsters and was eventually destroyed. Only a pair of sons and daughters escaped by chance. The sister and brother had to live on the streets and make a living by performing arts, while the younger brother sold his body for a living. While this is a last resort and may seem immoral to us, it is not. In the Edo period, "male sex" had the same status as "female sex". It was neither taboo nor immoral. It was even more noble than "female sex" in the common people or samurai society, and it even rose to the level of elegance.
Japan's "male sex", or pedophilia, originated from the fashion of dignitaries during the Kamakura shogunate period. However, during the Warring States Period, due to the continuous wars, in order to strengthen the unity within the male group and build an unbreakable etiquette relationship, pedophilia Then the blue becomes the wind. Of course, part of it was the need to address sexual desires because women could not be brought to war. After Toyotomi Hideyoshi unified Japan, "male sex" gradually merged with "Bushido", adding various rules for self-cultivation, and became a "many way" of its own family.
In the Edo period, the chores around the shoguns and daimyo were basically done by children between the ages of 14 and 18. It is said that there were as many as 130 children around the fifth-generation shogun Tokugawa Tsunayoshi. At the same time, with the stability and prosperity of society, the paedophilia of the samurai class has also spread to the common people, and this hobby has gone beyond the scope of sexual desire and has reached the level of "elegance". According to the trend at the time, it would be a shame if there are no men who have not shaved their hair.
Directed by Nagisa Oshima, and starring Takeshi Kitano, Tadanobu Asano, etc., "Godfado" is a film that tells the issue of "all paths" within the Shinsengumi. If you are interested in this, you may wish to have a look.
About Takeshi Kitano's "Zatoichi"
Due to the huge influence of the "Zatoichi" series in that year, Japan has continuously produced tribute films, and there are even bad copycat films like "Zatoichi". However, among the many derivative works, "Zatoichi" directed and acted by Takeshi Kitano is definitely a masterpiece of high quality.
The biggest feature of Takeshi Kitano's version of "Zatoichi" is the combination of tradition and modernity, and it has the distinctive mark of Takeshi Kitano. Although the main plot of the story is still nothing more than the blind man's hoe to help the weak, Kitano Takeshi's natural and casual camera language and editing techniques, as well as the humorous passages that are often inserted, add a different flavor to the film than the original, and even You can also find the shadow of "Kiujiro's Summer". What is even more impressive is the handling of the music in this film. In three paragraphs, Takeshi Kitano combines the soundtrack with the working scenes of the common people in the picture. Every rise and fall of the hoe, hammer, and big saw matches the rhythm of the music. Strictly fitting, it not only reflects creativity, but also shows a strong local flavor.
The happiest part was the group dance at the end of the film, where the main characters (except Zatoichi and the villain) neatly staged a period drama version of "Dance of the Big River". Whether or not there was tap dancing in Japan at that time was irrelevant. It was only natural that the bullies were eliminated and the people cheered. As for whether to dance ancient dance or modern dance, who will pay for it?
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