About this season
The Samurai is a Japanese historical fiction television series made by Senkosha Productions during the early 1960s. Its original Japanese title was Onmitsu Kenshi. The series premiered in 1962 on TBS and ran continuously until 1965 for ten self-contained story arcs, usually of 13 episodes each. Also created were two black-and-white feature films by Toei Company, made in 1964 by the same crew which has created the TV series, and a stage show. The Samurai proved to be highly successful despite its initially very limited budget. It was the first Japanese TV program ever screened in Australia, where it premiered in 1964 and built up a remarkably large fan-base among the local young audience at the time, rapidly becoming a cult favourite. Despite its massive popularity in Australia as well as success in Japan, New Zealand and the Philippines, the series was not widely screened elsewhere and its fame remains largely restricted to those countries.
Episodes (13)
1. The Conspiracy
Aired 5 April 1964 • 24 min
2. The Oath of Revenge
Aired 12 April 1964 • 24 min
3. Brotherly Hate
Aired 19 April 1964 • 24 min
4. Black Shadow
Aired 26 April 1964 • 24 min
5. The Trap
Aired 3 May 1964 • 24 min
6. Ninja Decoy
Aired 10 May 1964 • 24 min
7. Ninja of Death
Aired 17 May 1964 • 24 min
8. Living Death
Aired 24 May 1964 • 24 min
9. Devil Mask
Aired 31 May 1964 • 24 min
10. Bloodthirsty Swords
Aired 7 June 1964 • 24 min
11. The Turncoat
Aired 14 June 1964 • 24 min
12. The Three Monks
Aired 21 June 1964 • 24 min
13. Follow the Leader
Aired 28 June 1964 • 24 min