Based on a play by Nobuo Uno, Shiranui Kenko is a story about Sugino Ichi who showed unusual talent in evil ways since his early childhood.
Sugino Ichi (Shintaro Katsu) was blind since he was a child, but he used his talent to commit crime to make his living. One day he meets Kurakichi, a thief, and he becomes part of his gang lead by Shiranui Kenko. He is ordered to refuse the loan request by Namie (Tamao Nakamura) - a wife of samurai Tojuro Iwai. Sugino Ichi tells Namie he will loan the money in exchange for him having an affair with her. Namie's husband finds out and Namie commits suicide. Next, Sugino Ichi schemes to kill his boss Kenko Shiranui, and take over as the the second Kenko Shiranui. His scheme seems to be succeeding, but not everything is going the way he expects.
Starring Shintaro Katsu, and his future wife Tamao Nakamura. Katsu plays a seminal role as the blind masseuse 2 years prior to his leading role as Zatohichi. This movie also was the first hit for Katsu, and established him as a bankable actor for Daiei corporation. Following year this movie was released, he marries his co-star, and his stellar rise to stardom starts.
It's a story about evil which sometimes plays the central theme in early Japanese samurai movies. Tamao Nakamura played a similar role of wife getting raped by a person she asks favor from in Daibosatsu Toge. Even with theme like this, this movie has lot of class and is high in artistry. It's certainly one of the better samurai movie from the early '60s, and is worth a watch.
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