
Zuigan-ji (2016)
Majestic Zuigan-ji Temple in northeast Japan is a national cultural treasure. Completed 400 years ago by the feudal lord of the region, Date Masamune, it’s famous as a lavish and glorious example of the culture of the Azuchi-Momoyama period (mid-1500s to 1600). The main hall is decorated with beautiful period-style art created by painters and master craftsmen summoned from Kyoto. With ground subsidence now causing its pillars to tilt, Zuigan-ji has been undergoing comprehensive repairs and restorations since 2009, called "the great Heisei restoration." An essential consideration when repairing Japanese cultural properties is that old and weathered parts must not be replaced and existing original materials must be reused to the greatest possible extent. The restoration's greatest challenge was to reinforce the structure to protect against earthquakes. This program follows the Japanese engineers and craftsmen, striving to clear the hurdle with their conviction and ideas, to preserve the national treasure.
Click here to preview this program!-
Zuigan-ji (2016)
2016 48 minutesMajestic Zuigan-ji Temple in northeast Japan is a national cultural treasure. Completed 400 years ago by the feudal lord of the region, Date Masamune, it’s famous as a lavish and glorious example of the culture of the Azuchi-Momoyama period (mid-1500s to 1600). The main hall is decorated with beautiful period-style...more details -
The Reason I Work Here- Shinagawa, Tokyo
2018 30 mins[Beauty of Japan Season 2] Yugo Matsumoto is an Englishman who owns a popular café in Shinagawa, Tokyo, where customers of all age groups stop by to spend their time. What are the reasons behind the café’s popularity? In this episode, we observe Japan through the eyes of an Englishman...more details -
Four Blossoms
2004 Award of Excellence at the Media Arts Festival. Mizuki’s mother is a widow and raises her three daughters by herself on a flower farm. Following a quarrel with her mother, Mizuki leaves her family and hometown behind. Now working for an employment agency in Tokyo, she is discouraged by her...more details -
Rikuzentakata City: 10 Years in the Rebuilding of a Town from Zero
2021 49 minsThe city of Rikuzentakata in Iwate Prefecture had a two-kilometer stretch of shoreline covered with 70,000 pine trees that was ranked among the top 100 landscapes of Japan. On March 11, 2011, the city and shoreline were obliterated by the infamous tsunami which struck that day. This documentary follows the...more details