Japan: Memoirs of a Secret Empire

May 26, 2004

2h 45m

★ 9.5

Overview

Japan blossomed into its Renaissance at approximately the same time as Europe. Unlike the West, it flourished not through conquest and exploration, but by fierce and defiant isolation. And the man at the heart of this empire was Tokugawa Ieyasu, a warlord who ruled with absolute control. This period is explored through myriad voices-- the Shogun, the Samurai, the Geisha, the poet, the peasant and the Westerner who glimpsed into this secret world.

Genres

Documentary

History

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Cast

Himself - Nikko Toshogu Shrine

Michael Auslin

Herself - Otsuma Women's University

Beatrice M. Bodart-Bailey

Narrator

Richard Chamberlain

Himself - Former Editor, 'Monumenta Nipponica'

Michael Cooper

Himself - UC Santa Barbera

Luke S. Roberts

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7.9

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6.3

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7.5

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