AllMovie

A three-part history of "a world the reverse of Europe," from the first arrival of Westerners in 1543 to their return 310 years later, begins by profiling the shogun who unified Japan and founded a dynasty that would last 250 years. His name: Tokugawa Ieyasu, and as it happened, he was born in 1543. Richard Chamberlain narrates the program, which juxtaposes atmospheric re-creations and establishing shots with expert commentary to trace this history, and to explore Japanese cultural and military traditions, such as the code of the samurai. "For samurai," says Chamberlain, "as important as knowing how to kill was knowing how and when to die."