In the 1960s, an 18th century samurai named Shintaro appeared on Australian television screens. With TV in Australia barely ten years old, THE SAMURAI became a surprise hit - thousands of Australian kids tuned in each weekday afternoon at 3:30 to catch Shintaro and his ninja friend Tonbei battle rivals.. Samurai mania swept the nation with children crafting their own weaponry and wreaking havoc in playgrounds and backyards across the nation, while a visit from the show's star Koichi Ose resulted in thousands of fans flocking to greet the Samurai at airports across the country! For many years the complete 128 episodes have remained commercially elusive, but Siren Visual is proud to announce that THE SAMURAI: CONTEST OF DEATH returns to Australia in 2010!

In Japan, 300 years ago, there were two secret societies of people who called themselves ninja. One group was called Iga the other Koga.  They were professional spies and assassins, experts in acrobatics, swordsmanship, judo, karate and hypnotism. The secret scroll of the ninja had three basic rules:

To train your body to endure any hardship.

To forget all your friends and family and keep your real identity secret.

To accept death rather than divulge any of the secret s of the society of ninja.

SEASON TEN: CONTEST OF DEATH

The final story in the original series of The Samurai sees Shintaro confronted with unlikely enemies and cunning ninja from across Japan, disguised in order to take advantage of Shintaro's noble kindness. As he attempts to rescue the sister of one of his students, Shintaro once again falls into the path of Kongo. Originally airing on Australian TV in 1965, the final scenes in CONTEST OF DEATH remain some of the most memorable moments in the Samurai saga and will leave fans reeling!

EPISODE LIST

The Flames Of Hate
The Challenge
Hidden Assassin
Return Of The Dead
The Pickpockets
The Convert
The Poison Dart
Revenge
The Devil Mask House
The Secret Passage
A Friendly Enemy
Kongo's Warning
The Duel