Japan blossomed into its Renaissance at approximately the same time as Europe. Unlike the West, it flourished not through conquest and exploration, but by fierce and defiant isolation. And the man at the heart of this empire was Tokugawa Ieyasu, a warlord who ruled with absolute control. This period is explored through myriad voices-- the Shogun, the Samurai, the Geisha, the poet, the peasant and the Westerner who glimpsed into this secret world.

Japan: Memoirs of a Secret Empire

This documentary looks at the culture of Japanese horror, which has a history of over 1000 years. The Japanese have always recognised the presence of the dead as an integral part of their daily lives. In the program, Japanese filmmakers, Hollywood producers and scholars talk about the traditions of horror in Japanese writing from the past, which often featured demons, hell, vengeful spirits and other supernatural entities.