Lady Sazen and the Drenched Swallow Sword

1969 Japanese film

1969 (1969)

Running time

76 minutesCountryJapanLanguageJapanese

Lady Sazen and the Drenched Swallow Sword^[a] (also known as Left Fencer) is a 1969 Japanese samurai drama and action film, directed by Kimiyoshi Yasuda.^[2] Michiyo Okusu plays the role of the one-eyed, one-armed swords-woman O-kin. This film follows in the series of films about Tange Sazen, but this one features a female version of the Sazen—Lady Sazen.^[3]

Plot

Many years ago, ronin hired by Lord Daizen-dayu killed the parents of a young girl named O-kin, then crippled her by cutting off her right arm and gouging out her right eye. Nevertheless, O-kin grows up and becomes a great swords-woman. Despite her mutilated body, she becomes unbeatable. Now she lives in a small town and owns/wields a very valuable and rare sword - The Drenched Swallow.

A girl named O-mitsu has been led to believe that she will become a maid in a Lord's castle, but is instead taken to a temple where she is sexually degraded by the Head Priest. She escapes and is being pursued by hired Yakuza when O-kin appears and saves her. The Head Priest and the Lord (who is in cahoots with each other) are eager to silence O-mitsu, so they begin a massive manhunt for both her and O-kin, leading O-kin to cut her way to the heart of a massive conspiracy involving corrupt religious leaders and government officials, the Yakuza and the Lord who killed O-kin's parents and disfigured her body.