Abstract
The aim of this paper is a semiotic illumination of the Japanese film Zatoichi (2003) by Takeshi Kitano in a comparative context. Firstly, it is important to point it out as the most artistic regarding the previous 26 film and television achievements. Representative Japanese symbols and customs, whose function is important for the film’s understanding, also stand out. We have found and interpreted common features with Serbian ritual and customary prac- tice. In that context, the most important are the songs of Jeremiah and the rite of expelling the serpents which correspond to Zatoichi’s fight against the Ginzo clan whose members have snake-tattooed bodies. Hence, we compare the Japanese hero (or God) to Saint Jeremiah. The motif of blinding the snake is also significant, since it corresponds to Zatoichi’s punishment of the head of the criminal clan. In order to understand the film, this paper does not emphasize the intercultural dialogue between Japanese and Serbian culture as much as the need for uni- versal archaic awareness.
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