The Samurai
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The Samurai

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.

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7. The Face-Stealer

0.0May 19, 1963 · 24 min

Ninja Toma the Face-stealer impersonates Tonbei and lures Shintarō to the Utsunoya Pass, near the 22nd station, and pushes him over a cliff, then goes back to Fuchū, the 20th station (now Shizuoka City), to eliminate Sadanobu's ninja guard. Meantime, the real Tonbei is captive in a hut watched over by Okayo, who is torn by appeals to her humanity by remembrances of Shintaro and by Tonbei's pleas to free him so he can try to save Sadanobu. She draws a knife to free him and says she will pray for the souls of Shintarō and Koheita just as Toma returns who kills her as a traitor.