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Senkosha Productions' The Samurai was a 1960s Japanese historical drama series based on real-life historical figures and events. To the original Japanese audience, it was referred to as Onmitsu Kenshi. Since its debut on TBS in1962, the series has aired ten distinct storylines, each of which lasted approximately 13 episodes. Toei Company produced two black-and-white feature films in 1964 using the same cast and crew who developed the TV show, as well as a stage production. In spite of its low budget, the Samurai was a huge success. An Australian cult favorite of the time, it was the first Japanese TV show to be shown in the country, and quickly became a sensation among the young population. Aside from Australia, where the show was extremely successful, it was never broadcast outside of those countries, hence its fame is mostly confined to those countries. Following in1965, The New Samurai, a spin-off series with a new lead character and just 39 episodes produced in comparison to the original series' 128 installments, was canceled after only one season. An attempt to relaunch the show was also made in1973, however it only lasted for 26 episodes before it was cancelled. To Takeda Pharmaceutical's credit, all of the television shows were sponsored.