| Zatoichi is a fictional character featured in one of | | | | government officials in Japan in the Meiji period. |
| Japan's longest running series of films and a | | | | |
| television series set in the Edo period. The great | | | | The name Shikomizue is actually the name of a |
| popularity of the character has been likened to | | | | type of mounting, the sword blade was placed in |
| that of James Bond in Western countries. Yet, | | | | a cane-like mounting (tsue), to conceal the fact |
| Zatoichi has become commonly associated with | | | | that it was a sword. This cheat was used almost |
| one actor: Shintaro Katsu. The only other actor to | | | | exclusively during the Meiji period, when carrying |
| portray Zatoichi in the movies is Takeshi Kitano, | | | | of swords wasn't allowed. The blades used in |
| after a pause of almost 15 years. | | | | these mountings were usually of poor quality. |
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| Zatoichi seems to be just a harmless blind | | | | This type of trick was most often used at the |
| masseur who rambles around Japan getting a | | | | time when samurais who disagree with the |
| living by gaming. But he is also extremely skilful in | | | | prohibition on carrying their swords in an open |
| swordsmanship (iaijutsu), his blade concealed inside | | | | manner but knew that obvious violation of the |
| his cane. Cane swords, or shikomizue, were | | | | law usually led to incarceration and miserable |
| straight, lower-quality weapons, which stood no | | | | death. |
| comparison with usual katanas, but as revealed in | | | | |
| Zatoichi's Cane Sword, his weapon was created | | | | It is the sword used by the fictional character |
| very meticulously by a master swordsmith. A | | | | Zatoichi, a blind masseur. It has also appeared a |
| recurring theme of both the movies and television | | | | few times in the anime and manga series Rurouni |
| series show Zatoichi protecting the villagers from | | | | Kenshin. In another anime series, Bleach, Kisuke |
| cruel warring clans fighting for overlordship and | | | | Urahara's zanpakutou is a shikomizue, when not in |
| general injustice. | | | | shikai form. |
| | | | James Peterson is a true swords lover. To read |
| The Shikomizue (Japanese prepared cane) is a | | | | more articles about swords and swords history |
| Japanese hidden sword looking like a cane or | | | | visit the Swords blog - Sharpblades.net. |
| walking stick. It was sometimes worn by | | | | |