is a feature film based on a true story about a delegation of 34

samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They h ...

to Europe in 1863, known as the

Second Japanese Embassy to Europe (1863) The Second Japanese Embassy to Europe ( ja, 第２回遣欧使節, also ), also called the Ikeda Mission, was sent on February 6, 1864 by the Tokugawa shogunate. The head of the mission was Ikeda Nagaoki, governor of small villages of Ibara, Okaya ...

. It was first aired in Japan on March 21, 2006.

Plot summary

This documentary is about a group of samurai sent by the

Japanese government The Government of Japan consists of legislative, executive and judiciary branches and is based on popular sovereignty. The Government runs under the framework established by the Constitution of Japan, adopted in 1947. It is a unitary state, c ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

at the end of the

Edo period The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional '' daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was characteriz ...

. At the time, all the ports of Japan were closed, cutting it off from the rest of the world. The samurai were sent to help solve diplomatic problems between Japan and Europe on December 29, 1863. They were welcomed by every government and head of state they visited, including

Napoleon III Napoleon III (Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was the first President of France (as Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte) from 1848 to 1852 and the last monarch of France as Emperor of the French from 1852 to 1870. A nephew ...

, in France. They were also photographed standing in front of

Sphinx A sphinx ( , grc, σφίγξ , Boeotian: , plural sphinxes or sphinges) is a mythical creature with the head of a human, the body of a lion, and the wings of a falcon. In Greek tradition, the sphinx has the head of a woman, the haunches of ...

, in

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

. The samurai returned with many products from their trip, including a book on

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are m ...

production. They ended their expedition earlier than expected due to the need to report home about the astonishing

technology Technology is the application of knowledge to reach practical goals in a specifiable and reproducible way. The word ''technology'' may also mean the product of such an endeavor. The use of technology is widely prevalent in medicine, science, ...

in modernized countries.

Locations

Yamagata, Japan is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. Yamagata Prefecture has a population of 1,079,950 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 9,325 km² (3,600 sq mi). Yamagata Prefecture borders Akita Prefecture to the north, ...

Okayama, Japan is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Okayama Prefecture has a population of 1,906,464 (1 February 2018) and has a geographic area of 7,114 km2 (2,746 sq mi). Okayama Prefecture borders Tottori Prefecture to the n ...

Paris, France Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

* Burgundy, France *

Marseille, France Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern France ...

Cairo, Egypt Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metro ...

Alexandria, Egypt Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ...

Luxor, Egypt Luxor ( ar, الأقصر, al-ʾuqṣur, lit=the palaces) is a modern city in Upper (southern) Egypt which includes the site of the Ancient Egyptian city of ''Thebes''. Luxor has frequently been characterized as the "world's greatest open-a ...

It was filmed on location over the course of a year. It was among the first feature documentary by JNN Network to be filmed in such a wide variety of locations.

Director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''Di ...

Eiji Sone shot a total of about 300 hours of footage.

Cast

Shin Koyamada is a Japanese Americans, Japanese-American actor, producer, entrepreneur, martial artist, and philanthropist. He is best known for his starring roles in ''The Last Samurai'' and the Disney's movie ''Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior'' on Disney+. He ...

—Himself, Narrator

Crew

*Directed by: Eiji Sone *Executive Produced by: Kenichi Hara *Executive producer by:

*Produced by: Eiji Sone *Produced by: Shinji Yamada Executive Producer: Shannon C. Murphy

Distribution

Japan *Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS) *

Hokkaido Broadcasting , also known as HBC, is a Japanese broadcast network affiliated with the Japan News Network (JNN). Their headquarters are located in Hokkaidō. HBC was established on November 30, 1951; radio broadcasts officially commenced on March 10, 1952 ...

Co. Ltd. *A TV Television Broadcasting Co. Ltd. *

IBC IBC is an initialism that can stand for: Broadcasting *Intercontinental Broadcasting Corporation, Channel 13, Philippines * International Beacon Project, Worldwide network of radio propagation beacons *International Broadcast Centre *International ...

* Tohoku Broadcasting Co. Ltd. *

TV-U Yamagata , also known as TUY, is a television network headquartered in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan. TUY is the third commercial television broadcaster in Yamagata Prefecture, it was started broadcasting in 1989. TUY is affiliated with JNN. TBS Holdings i ...

Inc. *

TV-U Fukushima , also known as TUF, is a television network headquartered in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. History TUF is the fourth commercial television broadcaster in Fukushima Prefecture, it was started broadcasting in 1983. TUF is affiliated with JNN, ...

Inc. *

Broadcasting System of Niigata is a broadcasting station affiliated with Japan News Network (JNN) in Niigata, Niigata. It broadcasts in Niigata Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture in the Chūbu region of Honshu of Japan. Niigata Prefecture has a pop ...

Inc. * U-TV Yamanashi Inc. * Shin-Etsu Broadcasting Co. Ltd. * Tulip-TV Inc. * MRO * Chubu-Nippon Broadcasting Company *

Mainichi Broadcasting System , or MBS, is a radio and television broadcasting company headquartered in Osaka, Japan, affiliated with Japan Radio Network (JRN), National Radio Network (NRN), Japan News Network (JNN) and TBS Network, serving in the Kansai region. It i ...

* Sanyo Broadcasting Co. Ltd. *

RCC Broadcasting RCC Broadcasting Company (株式会社中国放送 ''Kabushiki Gaisha Chugoku Hoso''; later name: RCC) is a Japanese broadcaster which serves the Hiroshima region. It is a member of JRN and NRN networks for radio and JNN for television. His ...

Co. Ltd. * BSS Inc. * TV Yamaguchi Broadcasting Systems Co. Ltd. *

I-Television , also known as itv, is a Japanese broadcast network affiliated with the JNN. Their headquarters are located in Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture. History *26 April 1991: License awarded *1 October 1992: It was set up as the third broadcasting statio ...

Inc. * KU-TV Inc. *

RKB Mainichi Broadcasting (stylized as ''rkb'') is a broadcasting station in Fukuoka, Japan, and it is affiliated with Japan Radio Network (JRN), Japan News Network (JNN) and TBS Network. It is owned by Mainichi Broadcasting System, Mainichi Shimbun and the Aso Grou ...

Corporation * Nagasaki Broadcasting Co. Ltd. *

RKK Kumamoto Broadcasting is a regional radio and television broadcaster headquartered in Kumamoto, Kumamoto, Japan that serves Kumamoto Prefecture. RKK was founded in 1953, commenced radio broadcast in October 1953, and television in April 1959. RKK is affiliated wi ...

Co. Ltd. *

Oita Broadcasting System or OBS is a television company based in Ōita Prefecture, Japan. Famous radio announcer and personality Toshio Nishimura used to appear on OBS. He is well known throughout the prefecture and is often referred to by his radio nickname "Bin B ...

Inc. *

Miyazaki Broadcasting is a broadcasting station in Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan, and it is affiliated with Japan Radio Network (JRN) and Japan News Network (JNN). It is owned by the government of the prefecture, Mainichi Shimbun, the Bank of Miyazaki and various inve ...

Co. Ltd. * Minaminihon Broadcasting Co. Ltd. * Ryukyu Broadcasting Co. Ltd.

External links

Official websiteShin Koyamada on Sanyo Broadcasting Co. Japan
* {{IMDb title, 0475427, Wine Road of the Samurai
ワイン大国を夢見た男達～侍達のワインロード～ Samurai History of the foreign relations of Japan Japanese documentary television films Documentary films about historical events

Plot summary

Locations

Cast

Crew

Distribution

Sponsors

External links