The Tale of Zatoichi (Japanese: 座頭市物語, Hepburn: Zatōichi Monogatari) is a 1962 Japanese chanbara film directed by Kenji Misumi and based on the 1948 essay of the same name by Kan Shimozawa. It is the first installment in a long-running jidaigeki film series starring Shintaro Katsu as the blind swordsman Zatoichi.