Product Details

• Format: Color, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: PBS Paramount
• DVD Release Date: April 27, 2004
• Run Time: 160 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0001KNHSQ
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #34,751 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The mysteries of feudal Japan are thoroughly explored in Japan: Memoirs of a Secret Empire, originally presented on PBS as part of its excellent nonfiction series Empires. The history covered in this 160-minute, two-part program is concise yet comprehensive: The period of 16th- to 19th-century Japan was an eventful renaissance dominated by the rise of the Tokugawa Shogunate, a 250-year dynasty that began (in Part 1: "The Way of the Samurai") under the leadership of Tokugawa Ieyasu (b. 1543), saw the arrival of Portuguese merchants and European Christian missionaries, and endured despite uneasy alliances and eventual war between opposing daimyo warlords. Part 2 ("The Will of the Shogun") finds Ieyasu successfully establishing a lasting piece based on samurai codes of ethics and obedience; the harsher rule of his grandson Iemitsu results in the expulsion of foreigners, leading to the Shimabara rebellion of 1637 and the start of Japan's 200-year prohibition of foreign visitors. Part 3 ("The Return of the Barbarians") chronicles the thriving metropolis of Edo (which would eventually become Tokyo) and 18th-century re-opening of Japan's borders, including the 1853 arrival of American Commodore Matthew C. Perry and his demands that Japan open trade relations with the United States or face possible warfare. As the Tokugawa Shogunate ended, the era of modern Japan began, and all of these events are recounted in rich detail by narrator (and Shogun TV star) Richard Chamberlain, visualized through elaborate re-creations and Edo-period artworks. All in all, this is a highly recommended primer for a deeper, book-related study of Japanese history, with a detailed website link for those seeking greater detail on the events and personalities showcased on this fine DVD. --Jeff Shannon

Product Description

DOCUMENTARY HISTORY

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Worth the price of admission, October 17, 2004

By 

Daniel C. Wilcock "journal-ist" (Washington, D.C.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Empires - Japan: Memoirs of a Secret Empire (DVD)

This documentary culls together troves of research and brings together a credible group of experts who tell the story of Japan's "renaissance." Three centuries of self-imposed isolation and societal discipline defined Japan, and this period deserves study by those who seek to understand modern Japan.

The stregnths of the film can easily be seen: excellent source material, most stikingly the use of traditional art to convey history. Also, for the purpose of educating Westerners, the documentary dwells on the accounts of the scattered missionaries who either suffered or prospered under the Japanse order.

The film employs many Japanese actors, editors and producers, thus enhancing its authenticity. The credit reel attests to a trans-pacific endeavor.

The photography on the recreated scenes is striking, even hautingly beautiful. But too many of the images are recycled througout the film to annoying effect. The same image of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the man who unites Japan under his shogunate, is used to display him both as a young man and as an elder leader.

But if you can get behind this minor annoyance as well as the sometimes cliched narration, most viewers - be it a Japan scholars or those who don't know anything about this island empire - will gain something. B+

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Well worth the money, July 6, 2005

By 

Just the facts, please (Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Empires - Japan: Memoirs of a Secret Empire (DVD)

Overall I was glad I got this DVD. Like other reviews, I was also frustrated by the recycling of some scenes, but that happens in many documentaries so I wasn't that disappointed. If you don't know much about this period of Japan, I definitely recomend this DVD. Even if you do know a lot, it's still worth it for the stories, costumes, and the amount of info they provide. The film quality is good (as it should be) and so is the music. Unlike most documentaries that try to fit everything into 1 hour, you get three discs with this set. It's a lot for the money and well worth it.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Whirlwind Overview, October 20, 2005

By 

Shane (Lynden, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Empires - Japan: Memoirs of a Secret Empire (DVD)

This PBS documentary is, as stated in the title, a quick and selective historical narrative. It mostly covers the Tokogawa political history and the impact of the West, especially that of Christianity. It takes the viewer from the beginning of Shogun Japan through to its demise. In other words, from the time Westerners first reached Japan until the arrival of Commodore Perry. This video uses a compilation of sources from an outside point of view as well as using local historical documentation. It focuses on the differences of Japan in comparison to the West and the depth and advancements of the complexities of historical Japan. I enjoyed the use of dramatic recreation, but thought that it could have gone into more detail on the cultural aspects of isolationalism. This video is great for those who wish to learn more about Japan's past and have no prior historical knowledge of this era.