Zatôichi (2003, Japan)

O-Sei and his sister as geishas A bloody drama set in old Japan, with a lot of stylised violence. Two sisters live as geishas, but in fact one of them (O-Sei, right in the pic) is more or less openly a transvestite.

Western audiences will find some of the action difficult; in particular the main hero, Zatôichi (Takeshi Kitano), is easily able to kill eight or nine much younger assailants without any exertion, and in every case with a single sword stroke; this nearly always penetrates the body and comes out of the other side, and always results in a spurting jet of blood.


O-Sei with the paedophile A young boy and girl narrowly escape when their wealthy family is slaughtered and robbed. They are on their own on the streets, and the boy, Seitaro (Taichi Saotome) is abused by a paedophile who dresses him as a little geisha, this being the condition for looking after him and his sister.

As the children get older, they make a living as geishas, and use this to search out the gang who killed their parents and everyone else who has been cruel to them. As they do so, they kill them one by one. Apparently they also kill and rob any other men who use their services.

O-Sei, the adult name of the brother in geisha whiteface, is played by the female impersonator Daigorô Tachibana. He is on screen a lot and the disguise is a topic of conversation.


Shinkichi has dressed as a geisha Shinkichi, a comic supporting character, goes to have a bath, and O-Sei says s/he will have one too, implying together, communally. Shinkichi says "men first!" and O-Sei says "I am a man." So they end up together in the bath tub and Shinkichi asks questions about the makeup. A little later he is discovered having tried it out, although we only see him from behind.

"Are you crazy?"

"I want to be beautiful like O-Sei."

At the conclusion of the film, after the bad guys have all been dispatched, O-Sei is reminded he can settle locally and dress as a man again, "You could become a man again" but she declines, saying, "This way suits me just fine."

The film ends with a rousing taiko drum and tap dance sequence that looked as if it would be at home on Broadway.

The film is released in the USA as The Blind Swordsman.

HF March 2005


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