Description:

Mekura no oichi monogatari: Makkana nagaradori - The first in the Crimson Bat Series gives a lot of background on our heroine Oichi through various flashbacks.

As a child her mother deserted her for a gambler, that same night she has an accident that caused her to lose her sight. Left alone in the world, a kindly old man takes her in and brings her up, but her world is once again thrown into chaos when a group of Yakuza show up one night and kill her adoptive father.

Fortunately, a gruff Samurai comes upon the scene and rescues her. He then decides to train her to defend herself. She is a natural and within months is a magnificent swordswoman, able to defend herself simply by using sound and her remaining senses. Before going their separate ways, he tells her to never unsheathe her sword or she will never be able to live a normal life....

Like the Zatoichi films, the character of Oichi grows on the viewer with each episode as she tries to find a place for herself in society though in the end her talent with the sword curses her attempts to do so.

Director: Sadatsugu Matsuda

STARRING: MATSUYAMA YOKO, ARAI CHIZUKO, AMATSU BIN

1969 - JAPANESE with OPTIONAL ENGLISH SUBTITLES - COLOR – 16:9 ANAMORPHIC WIDESCREEN - 88 MINUTES