Shurayukihime (aka Lady Snowblood) (1973)

A young girl (Mayumi Maemura as a child, Meiko Kaji as an adult) is trained as a sword wielding assassin to avenge her dead mother's (Miyoko Akaza) torture and rape. There are three men (Eiji Okada, Noboru Nakaya, Takeo Chii) and a woman (Sanae Nakahara) who were responsible that she must track down and kill. This low budget revenge action movie directed by Toshiya Fujita has a cult following and was a direct inspiration for Quentin Tarantino's KILL BILL epic including the over the top bloodletting. It's assets are the stunning wide screen imagery of Masaki Tamura and some excellent choreographed swordplay. It may not be Art but there's a beauty and elegance in the pulp that transcends its exploitation roots. Successful enough that it spawned a sequel, LADY SNOWBLOOD: SONG OF VENGEANCE, which I've not seen but hope to get to soon.