Tokugawa Ieyasu is the towering figure of Japanese history. He is Oliver Cromwell, Richard The Lionheart and Alfred The Great combined - the man who overthrew the governing dynasty of Japan and established a regime that would last for centuries. Whilst we were listening to Shakespeare, Japan was living through the age of the Samurai, and Ieyasu was the finest Samurai general of them all. He would eventually become The Shogun - the supreme military leader - of Japan
This is one of the most sumptuous drama-documentaries ever made for British Television. Shot in Japan, with Japanese and American-Japanese actors, it takes you into a world that we have never seen before. A world where everyone lives by a strict code of honour, where even the suspicion of behaving dishonourably means you have to commit ritual suicide. It's a world governed by the strict Samurai code: the Way of the Warrior, harsh, unforgiving and, to western minds, almost wholly amoral.
Ieyasu's rise to power climaxes in the biggest Samurai battle in history, with 160,000 troops fighting for the future of Japan. On the way, there is a story of love for a reckless son, a politician in drag, a night time Ninja attack, suicide and betrayal.
Genre: Action and Adventure, Drama, Mini-Series
