Zatoichi's Pilgrimage is the fourteenth episode in the franchise about the skilled gambler, blind masseur and fast swordsman. It's a good average episode with some positive and a few negative points. In the beginning of the film, Zatoichi is on a pilgrimage to visit the eighty-eight shrines on Shikoku. He is on a spiritual journey because he has grown tired of killing people. He makes a prayer to not need to use his sword on his pilgrimage but it seems the deities aren't on his side. Very early on his pilgrimage he gets attacked by an unknown assailant traveling with a horse and Zatoichi is forced to kill him in self-defense. He follows the horse to the home of his attacker and meets his sister. She initially hurts Zatoichi after she realizes what had happened but then tells him that her brother was sent by a local boss who exploits the modest farmers of the village. Zatoichi soon realizes that the cruel boss saw an opponent in the assailant and sent him to attack Zatoichi to get him killed on purpose. As Zatoichi and the dead man's sister grow very fond of each other, they decide to trick the ruthless boss and avenge the assailant's unnecessary death.
There are several positive elements about this film. The landscapes, the score and the fact that many men are riding horses in this film almost make this movie look like a classic western. Instead of guns, there are obviously intense sword fights but the evil boss also uses bow and arrow to kill Zatoichi which is very interesting. Another positive element is the relationship between the assailant's sister and the blind samurai. In the beginning, she hates him and is scared of him but she soon starts respecting his motives and grows so fond of him that a friendship and even a fragile romance blooms between them. Another thing to point out is the selfish behavior of the farmers in the village. They decide to let Zatoichi fight for their cause but won't support him openly. They think if Zatoichi won they could live better lives and if he lost they wouldn't get associated with him and punished for their support. Their cowardice leads to a tragic death and services as a moral lesson in this movie.
Aside all these positive elements, the movie suffers from overlong dialogues which is quite unusual for this franchise since Zatoichi is usually a modest man who hasn't much to say. I think this movie has too many conversations and not enough fighting scenes even though the final fifteen minutes are truly rewarding in that regard. Another problem is the fact that the movie is basically only carried by Zatoichi and the dead assailant's sister. The side characters are quite pale and can't impress. The story is chambara by the numbers and quite similar to other films in the franchise.
In the end, Zatoichi's Pilgrimage is a good average entry in the franchise about the blind yakuza. Collectors and fans of the franchise will appreciate the film even though it fails to stand out. Those who aren't familiar with the franchise could like this film because it's closer to Western cinema and recalls more western elements than most movies in the franchise.
