This is the first part of an amazing three-part series about the first Shoguns. In other words, the period encompassing the 16th and 17th centuries. Fittingly, it's narrated by Richard Chamberlain, the man who starred in the wonderful mini-series, "Shogun".
Part One, "The Way of the Samurai" is made up of two major portions. The first begins with the Europeans coming in contact with Japan. And, the European reactions to these new people (and vice-versa) are discussed--in particular, the code of the samurai that demanded obedience--even obedience that led to ritual suicide. I was actually surprised that the similarities and dissimilarities with the medieval European knights was not discussed--though this is just the tiniest of quibbles. The second section discusses the fact that Japan had been in chaos for a very, very long time--with no unified government and tons of wars between various warlords. This discussion led to the Three Unifiers--three men who created the Shogunate--the real power in Japan for well over 250 years.
In this episode, the filmmakers managed to create a nice balancing act--between telling us important history as well as making it interesting and thought-provoking. Using interviews, old prints and recreations, part one left me with a strong desire to see the next two episodes. I am not sure if there's a better history of this period made for western audiences--though I doubt if it could get much better.
Part One, "The Way of the Samurai" is made up of two major portions. The first begins with the Europeans coming in contact with Japan. And, the European reactions to these new people (and vice-versa) are discussed--in particular, the code of the samurai that demanded obedience--even obedience that led to ritual suicide. I was actually surprised that the similarities and dissimilarities with the medieval European knights was not discussed--though this is just the tiniest of quibbles. The second section discusses the fact that Japan had been in chaos for a very, very long time--with no unified government and tons of wars between various warlords. This discussion led to the Three Unifiers--three men who created the Shogunate--the real power in Japan for well over 250 years.
In this episode, the filmmakers managed to create a nice balancing act--between telling us important history as well as making it interesting and thought-provoking. Using interviews, old prints and recreations, part one left me with a strong desire to see the next two episodes. I am not sure if there's a better history of this period made for western audiences--though I doubt if it could get much better.
