Added to inquiry!
DOCUMENTARY

Zuigan-ji (2016)

DOCUMENTARY 2016 48 minutes Episode(s): 1 english English

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!

  •  

    The Life Work of a 92-Year-Old Hibakusha, Setsuko Thurlow
    2024 25 minutes

    At the age of 13, Setsuko Thurlow experienced the atomic bombing in Hiroshima. Now living in Canada, she has spent more than half a century advocating for nuclear disarmament. At 92 years old, she continues to press forward in her mission. This program closely follows her life in Canada, documenting...
    more details
  •  

    Takaoka Mikuruma-yama Festival -Turning the Wheels of Tradition-
    2018 30 mins

    [Festivals of Japan Season 2] The Takaoka Mikuruma-yama Festival in Toyama Prefecture was registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Asset in December 2016. With the creaking sounds of the turning wheels, the seven lavish floats make their way along the same route they have gone since ancient times, pushed onwards...
    more details
  •  

    The Fall of Manchuria Began Here
    2016

    2017 US International Film and Video Festival - Silver Screen 2017 New York Festival - Finalist For 70 years, three enormous Soviet Army bases remained undiscovered on the plains of Mongolia. The discovery of these bases supports speculation of Stalin's intent to invade Japan, completely overturning the Japanese Army's previously...
    more details
  •  

    The Wind’s Song
    2006

    Commended, TV Drama Category, ABU Prize, 2010. The Yagizawa family, made up of three generations, owns a hops farm in Furano, Hokkaido. But after appearing in a beer commercial for a new product, the young couple reveals they’ve been thinking of abandoning the farming business for good. Father and son...
    more details