History of Japan

In the History Channel Samurai – Miyamoto Musashi, Mark Dacascos, 8th dan Wun Hop Kuen Do expert, and martial arts movie actor, travels to Japan to trace the footsteps of the ultimate samurai warrior Miyamoto Musashi. They were the most lethal swordsmen who ever lived, an elite warrior class who held the reigns of power in Japan for more than 700 years. Among this group of powerful fighters, one man stood out above all the rest, Miyamoto Musashi. Originally the samurai's job was to serve the emperor, much the same way the legendary Knights of the Round Table were meant to serve King Arthur.

You probably know the History, now discover the incredible SECRETS OF WORLD WAR II. Rarely has a war produced such clear cut reasons to fight as World War II. On the one hand were the totalitarian Dictators - Tojo

The greatest warlords in world history are reviewed in this riveting and informative BBC series. Lavish, all-action dramatic spectacles based on the lives of eight men who shaped the world around them, either by sheer force of will, genius, courage or even greed. These are the legendary warriors of history - soldiers with the courage, ambition and military genius to lead their men to victory.

World War II was a long and brutal war. From Iwo Jima to the Potsdam Conference, take a look at the moments leading up to the end of the deadliest war. Follow the action in this series that details, week by week, the last six months of World War II and explores the high and low points of the march to war's end.

This is often called the Japanese Godfather and it isn't far from the truth. It isn't as perfect as the Godfather movies, though. It takes some concentrating to keep up with all the power struggles, who just murdered whom etc.. It's a series well worth watching because the characters are great and the picture painted of the Yakuza after the second world war is a very realistic one.
Source is the remastered dvd boxset from "Home Vision Entertainment".

In the ruins of Hiroshima an ex-soldier, Hirono Shozo, dealing on the black market just to survive, shoots and kills the drunken yakuza who attacked his colleagues. Sent to jail, Shozo shares a cell with another yakuza who has his boss, Yoshiwara, bail Hirono out and give him a place in their organisation. Hirono soon proves his loyalty and rapidly rises through the ranks, culminating in his undertaking a dangerous hit on a rival gang boss that lands him back in jail.
Meanwhile, the gang wars continue unabated in his absence??

The latest Eureka two disc set of Kenji Mizoguchi films includes two of the last three films that the director made, and includes one of the only two films that the director shot in colour. Akasen Chitai and Yokihi show the director's continuing interest in the role of women in the changing world around them. Akasen Chitai represents somewhat of a change of style for Mizoguchi and, ironically, was his final film, whilst Yokihi was a rare journey into non-Japanese history which upholds the sumptuous settings of his other works whilst providing an opportunity for the film-maker to experiment visually courtesy of the Eastmancolor process.

Why has the samurai sword always been such a powerful symbol of Japanese culture? Dr. Inazo Nitobe, the man pictured on Japan's 5,000-yen note, tried to answer that question for the world. As a Japanese diplomat at the League of Nations, he was asked by a western colleague how - without religious instruction - the Japanese could teach their children right from wrong. So in the year 1900, Dr. Nitobe wrote a book in English called Bushido - the code of the samurai. He wrote that this warrior code became the credo by which most Japanese lived their lives. And, he wrote, just as the code of the samurai is the soul of Japan, the sword is the soul of the samurai. For Dr. Nitobe, the sword is a work of art that represents the soul of the samurai. But originally the sword was not the samurai's weapon of choice. In the beginning, they fought from horseback, and their skill was with the bow and arrow. So why did the sword, not the bow and arrow, become so important to the samurai and to Japan? To find the answer we must go deep into the history and legends of this ancient land.

Japan's Secret Shame, a 2018 documentary telling the story of 29-year-old Japanese journalist Shiori Ito, who in May 2017 shocked Japan when she went public with allegations that she was raped by a well-known TV journalist. The documentary highlights issues with Japan's traditional culture and attitudes towards gender. Sex crimes are rarely reported in Japan making this very public case a turning point in the history of the country.