Anma, Zato- and Mekura: "Anma" refers to blind men, for whom giving massages was a traditional occupation. Another word for "anma" is "zato," hence the main character Ichi is called "Zato-no-Ichi" (Ichi the Zato, or Ichi the Masseur), "Zato-Ichi" (or Zatoichi) for short. As in medieval Europe, in feudal Japan, the names of many people were based on their occupations. "Mekura" simply refers to the blind.