BLIND WOMAN'S CURSE (1970)

怪談昇り竜

directed by Teruo Ishii

Production: Nikkatsu Distribution = Dainichi Utsuhai　
June 20, 1970
85 minutes Fujicolor Cinemascope

Meiko Kaji as Akemi Tachibana

Hoki Tokuda as Aiko Gouda

Makoto Sato as Tani Shouichi

Toru Abe as Dobashi

Shiro Otsuji as Senba-tatsu

Before Lady Snowblood and before Female Prisoner Scorpion movies - in fact, around the time she was first getting noticed in the Stray Cat Rock series, SOMEONE had already figured out that the soft spoken, demure Meiko Kaji had an onscreen intensity about her that was suited for the oncoming stylistic shift in Japanese cinema.

(Meiko Kaji)

Blind Woman's Curse is the story of Akemi (Meiko Kaji) who has assumed the role of her father's crime organization in pre-modern Japan. While fighting a rival clan, she accidently blind's the leader's sister. She notices a stray black cat lapping up the blood from it - cursing her... 

(Meiko Kaji)

After getting out of prison, she tries to take the high road, despite factions trying to tear her clan apart - all while being haunted in her dreams by that black cat.  Full of interesting characters like behind the scenes villain Dobashi (long time Japanese actor Toru Abe) and bowler hat and smelly loin-cloth thug  Jutaro (Yoshi Kato) - everyone seemingly wants our heroine's territory. 

( Cursed Cat!)

What she doesn't know is that her own personal demon is wanting revenge in knife throwing specialist Aiko (Hoki Tokuda), the woman she blinded! When members of Akemi's group are murdered, with their tattoos gruesomely removed (and publically displayed)... a showdown is on the horizon...

( Hoki Tokuda as Aiko Gouda)

With it's colorful charaters, revenge theme, interesting left turns... this is a somewhat lesser known cool little movie, that more than just Meiko Kaji fans will want to check out. Though not as violent or as exploitative as the genre would become, it's still an enjoyable movie that was a stepping stone to the new decade...