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- [Male Narrator] Our
history is no more
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00:00:03,183 --> 00:00:04,473
than a series of
incredible events.
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00:00:05,000 --> 00:00:08,300
Each one of us can
influence its course.
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00:00:08,333 --> 00:00:10,433
The tiniest of our
decisions can influence
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00:00:10,466 --> 00:00:13,216
the future of mankind.
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00:00:13,250 --> 00:00:17,120
To know the past is to
anticipate the future.
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1597, a Japanese general
barely 15 years old
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is humiliated by
military defeat.
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His name is Hideaki.
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October 21st, 1600.
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In the heat of battle,
General
Ieyasu orders his archers
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to shoot upon an
indecisive ally.
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Three years later,
Ieyasu becomes shogun,
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the uncontested leader of
the entire Japanese people.
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00:00:50,166 --> 00:00:52,246
These three intimately
connected events
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will lead to a united Japan
and 250 years of civil peace.
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Let's see how.
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(dramatic drumming)
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We are in the 17th
century on a territory
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covered with mountains,
shaken by earthquakes,
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and split into a
multitude of islands,
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the Land of the
Rising Sun, Japan.
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This is the period
of the shoguns,
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the period of the
Sengoku and the samurai.
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During this period, Japan
is a major civilization.
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More than 10 million people
live on the three main
islands,
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Honshu, Kyushu, and Shikoku.
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In this Japan, the
most precious object
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measured no more than a few
millimeters, a grain of rice.
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Rice is the foundation of the
economic and social system.
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Because it feeds the population,
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rice defines the wealth
of each individual.
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00:02:04,316 --> 00:02:06,416
The more land you
possess to grow rice,
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the higher rank you
occupy in society.
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00:02:12,300 --> 00:02:16,400
So possession of lots of land
guarantees lots of power.
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00:02:27,383 --> 00:02:31,183
Such is the case of those
known as the daimyo.
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These are local lords
with their castles
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and their own armies.
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The majority of the country's
land belongs to them,
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so they are very powerful.
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In this form of
political organization,
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the role of the emperor
is purely symbolic,
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that of a spiritual
guide to the nation.
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The real power lies in
the hands of the shogun,
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a sort of supreme general to
whom everybody owes obedience.
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So the government of Japan
relies on a delicate balance,
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a sharing of power between the
central power of the shogun
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and the local power
of the daimyo.
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00:03:20,333 --> 00:03:23,333
To achieve this, both
parties need the final piece
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on the chessboard
of Japanese society,
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a military class of
professional warriors,
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the fearsome samurai.
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- [Female Narrator] Welcome
to the memory of humanity.
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Here, we can control time,
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analyze and compare
billions of events,
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and alter them to rewrite
history endlessly.
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For example, let's
amuse ourselves
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by comparing Japan with the
Europe of the Middle Ages.
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In both cases, a
single sovereign,
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but with very
different authority.
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00:04:04,066 --> 00:04:07,146
In France, the king
holds all the power.
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He is an absolute monarch.
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00:04:09,466 --> 00:04:14,046
In Japan, the emperor's role
is merely representative.
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00:04:15,266 --> 00:04:19,066
On both sides, power resides
in the possession of land,
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00:04:20,250 --> 00:04:23,330
but in Europe, this is
organized around family ties
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and in Japan around clans.
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00:04:27,150 --> 00:04:30,170
In Japan, siege machinery
is barely developed.
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00:04:30,200 --> 00:04:33,220
As a result, the castles
are often made of wood,
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unlike the stone-built
castles of Europe.
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Knights and samurai have a
number of points in common.
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They wear armor, ride horses,
and live only for battle.
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Loyal to one lord, they
obey a fierce code of honor.
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Wearing a sword or a
katana is an honor.
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One major difference,
the attitude to death.
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A samurai cannot live under
the burden of dishonor,
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and if he fails, he
elects to kill himself.
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In Japan, as in Europe,
the exercise of power
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is a question of
balancing forces
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between central power
and local lords.
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Sometimes, this
balance can be upset.
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Then the country
falls into chaos.
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(ethnic string music)
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- [Male Narrator]
Into civil war,
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when clans ripped
themselves apart over power
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and the castles burn.
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For a century, Japan has had
no master and known only war.
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This is the terrible
Sengoku period.
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Conflict and betrayal
are the order of the day,
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reaching into the very
heart of the clans.
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Without a powerful
shogun to govern Japan,
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the warlords take advantage
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and fight each
other for supremacy.
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Finally, one of the
warlords manages
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to bring a halt to the madness.
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He brings people to their senses
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and becomes head
of the government.
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But peace is tedious
for the armies.
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After a century of internal
struggle, they know only war.
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To prevent them fighting
inside the country,
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warriors are sent to
busy themselves abroad.
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And so Japan decides to
invade an old enemy, Korea.
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This is the moment
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when three major players in
our story take the stage.
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The invasion of Korea
proves a resounding defeat.
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Commanders are disgraced,
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and in particular,
the young Hideaki.
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The young, inexperienced
commander falls victim
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to the political maneuvers of
the opportunistic Mitsunari.
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The latter, a far
better administrator
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than military commander,
is ready to play
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every card in his possession
to achieve his ends.
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Humiliated by the
defeat in Korea,
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Hideaki can find only one man
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to defend him against
all the others,
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master strategist Ieyasu,
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considered the greatest
of the samurai commanders
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and an extremely lucky general.
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Mitsunari and Ieyasu do not
think very highly of each
other,
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but they do have one thing
in common, their ambition,
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which will soon
explode upon the scene.
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The head of the government,
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who has kept the country
united with an iron fist
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for many years,
falls sick and dies.
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His son, still too
young to govern,
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is unable to prevent
political intrigues
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and military maneuvering.
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The struggle for power begins.
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Mitsunari declares himself
protector of the young heir,
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but Ieyasu isn't fooled.
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He decides to rebel.
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For all the lords of Japan,
the hour has come to choose,
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remain loyal to power
and follow Mitsunari,
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or join Ieyasu's rebellion.
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Once again, the country
tears itself apart.
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(dramatic instrumental music)
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- [Female Narrator]
To choose sides.
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Often in the
history of humanity,
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men have had to
make crucial choices
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without being certain
of the consequences.
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In this medieval Japan, should
you line up behind Mitsunari
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because he presents continuity
of power and legitimacy,
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or should you support the
opponent of established power,
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Ieyasu, because he is more
charismatic and more competent?
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00:09:15,050 --> 00:09:19,270
Let us jump forward several
centuries to the 1940s.
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The French army has just been
destroyed by the German tanks.
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The country is cut in two.
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To deal with this debacle,
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power is handed over
to Marshal Petain,
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the hero of the First World War.
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However, his authority
is not recognized by all,
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in particular, by
General de Gaulle,
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who refuses to capitulate
to the Germans.
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The French army has
to make a choice,
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legitimacy with Petain or
rebellion with de Gaulle?
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00:09:48,333 --> 00:09:51,103
The majority of the
military chooses to stand
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behind the old marshal out
of loyalty and patriotism.
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If the army had
chosen de Gaulle,
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France could have
continued the fight
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thanks to its colonial forces.
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De Gaulle will be
considered a rebel.
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Let's continue our story.
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(ethnic string music)
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- [Male Narrator] Japan is
once
more put to fire and sword.
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Hideaki, although formally
humiliated by Mitsunari,
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joins the loyalist forces,
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but he has not forgotten
Ieyasu's kindness.
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Face to face, two
armies of equal might,
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that of the rebels led by Ieyasu
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and the legitimate
under Mitsunari.
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The two enemies spend
several weeks maneuvering,
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besieging castles, taking
cities, gathering allies.
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Each side has a
chance of winning,
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and a set battle can
never be certain,
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but the final confrontation
cannot be avoided.
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It will take place in
a steep sided valley
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in the village of Sekigahara.
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Mitsunari arrives first
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and deploys his troops
on the high ground.
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His tactic is simple,
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wait on favorable ground
'till Ieyasu attacks.
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Then he will counterattack
the rebel on his flank
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with the support
of young Hideyaki.
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Rain falls on the
battlefield all night long.
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The ground is sodden.
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Exhausted, Ieyasu's
soldiers take up position
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in the dark in the
center of the valley.
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(dramatic instrumental music)
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For Ieyasu, the night is long.
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A few days earlier,
he had received
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a secret message
from young Hideaki.
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In the letter, the
young general announces
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that in the heart of the battle,
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he will change sides
and fight alongside him.
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This alliance could
present him with a victory,
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but is it a trick?
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Can he trust Hideaki?
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Is this a trap set by Mitsunari?
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00:12:12,366 --> 00:12:15,266
There is only one
way to find out.
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(dramatic music)
(men shouting)
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(gun fire)
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It's a titanic clash,
merciless combat,
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00:12:40,483 --> 00:12:44,103
heroic duals, and an
uncertain outcome.
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00:12:45,333 --> 00:12:50,233
Neither army is able to gain
the upper hand over the other.
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Ieyasu's forces begin to weaken.
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00:12:55,100 --> 00:12:56,450
This is when Hideaki
is given the order
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to charge the rebel flank.
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This attack should bring
victory to the loyalists,
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but Hideaki does
not move one inch.
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00:13:07,383 --> 00:13:09,473
Neither do his 15,000 men.
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The 19 year old leader has the
future of Japan in his hands.
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He faces a terrible choice.
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Should he follow his head
and support Mitsunari,
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00:13:20,266 --> 00:13:22,296
the man who once humiliated him,
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00:13:22,333 --> 00:13:25,323
or should he listen to his
heart and join with Ieyasu,
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00:13:25,350 --> 00:13:28,080
the man who always
supported him?
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00:13:28,116 --> 00:13:29,346
In either camp, the top generals
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00:13:29,383 --> 00:13:32,333
await the young man's verdict.
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00:13:32,366 --> 00:13:35,176
But Ieyasu is not a man
to sit by and do nothing.
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He decides to force fate's hand.
220
00:13:37,183 --> 00:13:41,133
He orders his men to
shoot on Hideaki's troops.
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For him or against him, the
young man has to decide.
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00:13:49,050 --> 00:13:50,150
(gun fire)
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00:13:50,183 --> 00:13:53,103
An insane maneuver,
but one that works.
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Instead of counterattacking,
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the young general
understands the message.
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00:13:58,350 --> 00:14:00,220
Responding only with his heart,
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he charges Mitsunari's troops
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00:14:02,200 --> 00:14:05,030
and decides the future of Japan.
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00:14:10,350 --> 00:14:13,020
(explosion)
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(techno music)
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- [Female Narrator] We have
just reached a turning point.
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A turning point is a key
event,
a crossroads in our history
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where the world swings
one way or the other.
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00:14:28,483 --> 00:14:31,223
Ieyasu narrowly wins the battle
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00:14:31,250 --> 00:14:35,180
thanks to the last minute
betrayal by young Hideaki.
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00:14:35,216 --> 00:14:37,066
To force him to choose,
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he orders his troops
to fire at him,
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00:14:40,150 --> 00:14:42,080
but he could've produced
the opposite effect
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00:14:42,116 --> 00:14:44,026
and lost the battle.
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00:14:44,066 --> 00:14:45,466
What might have
happened if Mitsunari
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00:14:46,000 --> 00:14:48,250
had emerged victorious?
242
00:14:48,283 --> 00:14:50,423
Mitsunari was not much liked,
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00:14:50,450 --> 00:14:53,430
neither were his
men, nor his allies.
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00:14:53,466 --> 00:14:55,216
The peace would not have held,
245
00:14:55,250 --> 00:14:59,470
and Japan would have been
plunged back into civil war.
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00:15:00,000 --> 00:15:02,430
Constant warfare would
have weakened the country.
247
00:15:02,466 --> 00:15:06,046
Famines would have led
to a drop in population.
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00:15:06,083 --> 00:15:09,033
Nobody would've been able to
resist the European
colonizers,
249
00:15:09,066 --> 00:15:11,196
and Japan would've
suffered the same fate
250
00:15:11,233 --> 00:15:15,323
as Singapore, Burma, or Hong
Kong, become a British colony.
251
00:15:17,050 --> 00:15:19,300
And so the Japanese would
not have attacked America
252
00:15:19,333 --> 00:15:22,053
at Pearl Harbor in 1941.
253
00:15:22,083 --> 00:15:24,433
The United States may well
have stayed on the sidelines
254
00:15:24,466 --> 00:15:26,446
during the Second World War.
255
00:15:26,483 --> 00:15:28,323
They would not have
become the superpower
256
00:15:28,350 --> 00:15:31,150
that changed the
direction of that war.
257
00:15:31,183 --> 00:15:35,083
The Pacific would've
become British.
258
00:15:35,116 --> 00:15:39,226
But let's get back to
the Battle of Sekigahara.
259
00:15:39,266 --> 00:15:42,426
(gentle rhythmic music)
260
00:15:44,466 --> 00:15:49,176
- [Male Narrator] Six hours
of fighting, 30,000 dead,
261
00:15:49,216 --> 00:15:53,076
the bloodiest battle in the
history of medieval Japan.
262
00:15:53,116 --> 00:15:57,196
After his defeat, Mitsunari
is captured and beheaded.
263
00:16:04,316 --> 00:16:08,416
And Ieyasu becomes the new
uncontested master of Japan.
264
00:16:16,066 --> 00:16:19,046
In 1603, he receives
the title of shogun
265
00:16:19,083 --> 00:16:22,183
from the hands of
the emperor himself.
266
00:16:22,216 --> 00:16:25,176
With immense authority,
Ieyasu imposes a true state
267
00:16:25,216 --> 00:16:29,246
and protects Japan from
its old demon, civil war.
268
00:16:35,183 --> 00:16:37,333
To curb the powers
of local lords,
269
00:16:37,366 --> 00:16:41,116
he orders the destruction
of many castles.
270
00:16:49,483 --> 00:16:51,483
To better control the lords,
271
00:16:52,016 --> 00:16:54,326
he orders them to reside
regularly in his city,
272
00:16:54,366 --> 00:16:56,446
Edo, the new capital,
273
00:16:56,483 --> 00:16:59,483
which will be renamed
Tokyo in 1868.
274
00:17:03,200 --> 00:17:06,100
In parallel, the
borders are reinforced.
275
00:17:06,133 --> 00:17:11,023
Mines and foreign trade comes
under his direct control.
276
00:17:11,050 --> 00:17:15,150
Emphasis is placed on urban
and agricultural development.
277
00:17:17,450 --> 00:17:20,200
After legitimizing
his taking of power,
278
00:17:20,233 --> 00:17:24,323
Ieyasu will offer Japan 250
years of peace and development.
279
00:17:29,183 --> 00:17:33,053
A new era opens up for
Japan, the Edo Period.
280
00:17:37,366 --> 00:17:41,066
- [Female Narrator] The
winners write history.
281
00:17:41,100 --> 00:17:46,070
As the founder of a regime
that
enjoyed 250 years of peace,
282
00:17:46,100 --> 00:17:48,480
Ieyasu was,
naturally, glorified.
283
00:17:50,316 --> 00:17:52,316
But what if he had lost?
284
00:17:54,100 --> 00:17:57,220
His name would've
signified traitor.
285
00:17:57,250 --> 00:18:00,170
His clan would've
been dishonored.
286
00:18:01,316 --> 00:18:03,326
Let's go back 1600 years.
287
00:18:07,066 --> 00:18:11,296
Caesar, still just a general,
makes a similar choice.
288
00:18:11,333 --> 00:18:13,173
He embraces illegality
289
00:18:13,200 --> 00:18:17,050
by marching on Rome with
his legions to seize power.
290
00:18:17,083 --> 00:18:20,253
Defeat means certain
death and dishonor.
291
00:18:26,350 --> 00:18:28,320
But the gamble pays off.
292
00:18:28,350 --> 00:18:32,050
Caesar becomes the
new ruler of Rome.
293
00:18:32,083 --> 00:18:35,473
Acclaimed by the people, he
is the incarnation of a
leader
294
00:18:36,000 --> 00:18:39,080
to the point where his
name enters the language.
295
00:18:39,116 --> 00:18:41,396
Caesar, synonymous with emperor,
296
00:18:41,433 --> 00:18:45,053
will later be turned
into kaiser and czar.
297
00:18:45,083 --> 00:18:49,183
A different path for
Augustus, Caesar's successor.
298
00:18:49,216 --> 00:18:52,316
Augustus is discrete
and pragmatic.
299
00:18:52,350 --> 00:18:56,330
A skillful politician, he
manipulates public opinion.
300
00:18:56,366 --> 00:18:58,266
His plots eliminate rivals
301
00:18:58,300 --> 00:19:00,370
more surely than
military campaigns,
302
00:19:00,400 --> 00:19:02,420
which he leaves to his generals.
303
00:19:02,450 --> 00:19:07,100
His 40 year reign turns
Rome into a vast empire,
304
00:19:07,133 --> 00:19:11,273
but Augustus will never
be loved as Caesar was.
305
00:19:11,300 --> 00:19:15,380
Historical reality is often
more complex than it seems,
306
00:19:15,416 --> 00:19:19,996
including that of the radiant
Japan of the Edo Period.
307
00:19:23,350 --> 00:19:26,100
(eerie music)
308
00:19:27,416 --> 00:19:29,196
- [Male Narrator] Even
though the Edo Period
309
00:19:29,233 --> 00:19:33,323
was one of long peace, it
still had its dark shadows.
310
00:19:35,300 --> 00:19:38,150
50 years before the
Battle of Sekigahara,
311
00:19:38,183 --> 00:19:40,103
a Portuguese vessel
made landfall
312
00:19:40,133 --> 00:19:42,073
for the first time in Japan.
313
00:19:42,100 --> 00:19:45,480
It brought with it
firearms and Christianity.
314
00:19:48,316 --> 00:19:51,326
And only a few years later,
the arquebus has become
315
00:19:51,366 --> 00:19:53,296
the essential weapon
on the battlefield,
316
00:19:53,333 --> 00:19:56,473
and 300,000 Japanese
become Christians.
317
00:20:01,450 --> 00:20:05,470
A Spanish captain, run
aground on Japan around 1597,
318
00:20:06,000 --> 00:20:07,430
is said to have boasted
that missionaries
319
00:20:07,466 --> 00:20:10,996
were a useful first
step to conquest.
320
00:20:13,000 --> 00:20:16,180
After first showing a
welcoming face to
Christianity,
321
00:20:16,216 --> 00:20:18,176
Ieyasu finally banned it
322
00:20:18,216 --> 00:20:21,466
and persecuted any
who tried to resist.
323
00:20:22,000 --> 00:20:24,320
All Europeans are then
forbidden residents.
324
00:20:24,350 --> 00:20:26,480
The Japanese themselves
are no longer allowed
325
00:20:27,016 --> 00:20:29,096
to leave the archipelago.
326
00:20:29,133 --> 00:20:30,373
Foreign trade is banned.
327
00:20:30,400 --> 00:20:34,100
Any infringement is
severely punished.
328
00:20:34,133 --> 00:20:35,433
Japan withdraws into itself
329
00:20:35,466 --> 00:20:39,176
and enters a long
period of isolationism.
330
00:20:40,400 --> 00:20:45,100
It will only emerge when
forced two centuries later.
331
00:20:45,133 --> 00:20:47,333
(rock music)
332
00:21:15,483 --> 00:21:20,323
In July, 1835, four American
warships enter Tokyo Harbor
333
00:21:20,350 --> 00:21:24,070
and compel the emperor
to free up trade,
334
00:21:24,100 --> 00:21:28,180
and so Japan is forcibly
opened
up to the rest of the world.
335
00:21:29,350 --> 00:21:31,430
But that is another story.
336
00:21:35,233 --> 00:21:36,433
(techno music)
337
00:21:36,466 --> 00:21:39,066
- [Female Narrator] History
is never black or white,
338
00:21:39,100 --> 00:21:40,400
but shades of gray.
339
00:21:42,150 --> 00:21:46,080
The Edo Period is one of long
civil peace and development,
340
00:21:46,116 --> 00:21:49,316
but also one of turning
inwards and racism.
341
00:21:49,350 --> 00:21:52,100
Its instigator was
an ambitious man
342
00:21:52,133 --> 00:21:56,223
who seized power by force,
but exercised it with wisdom.
343
00:21:57,316 --> 00:21:59,326
So it is difficult to
tell if his actions
344
00:21:59,366 --> 00:22:02,326
had a positive or
a negative effect.
345
00:22:05,483 --> 00:22:08,083
This is far from
being an isolated case
346
00:22:08,116 --> 00:22:11,076
in the history of humanity.
347
00:22:11,116 --> 00:22:15,466
Alexander the Great wanted
to build one universal empire
348
00:22:16,000 --> 00:22:19,050
where all peoples would
be equal, but he razed
349
00:22:19,083 --> 00:22:23,203
the cities of Thebes and
Persepolis to the ground.
350
00:22:23,233 --> 00:22:26,303
Caesar redistributed
farmland to the people
351
00:22:26,333 --> 00:22:30,083
and pushed the Roman Republic
to the status of empire,
352
00:22:30,116 --> 00:22:32,066
but to do that, he
plunged his country
353
00:22:32,100 --> 00:22:34,180
into a terrible civil war.
354
00:22:41,083 --> 00:22:45,323
Napoleon put an end to the
terror of the French
Revolution,
355
00:22:45,350 --> 00:22:49,000
but his wars devastated Europe.
356
00:22:49,033 --> 00:22:52,123
Stalin was able to
unite the Russian people
357
00:22:52,150 --> 00:22:56,230
and beat the Nazis, but at
the cost of millions of
lives.
358
00:22:57,450 --> 00:23:02,270
For the world, the United
States is the symbol freedom,
359
00:23:02,300 --> 00:23:06,130
but to this day, it
is the only country
360
00:23:06,166 --> 00:23:10,076
to have used a nuclear
bomb against civilians.
361
00:23:12,216 --> 00:23:15,176
Humanity is capable
of the worst,
362
00:23:15,216 --> 00:23:19,016
exterminating millions of
people, causing the extinction
363
00:23:19,050 --> 00:23:22,180
of thousands of species
of animals and plants,
364
00:23:22,216 --> 00:23:26,046
of oppressions, of lies,
and of destruction.
365
00:23:28,116 --> 00:23:31,166
But it is also
capable of the best,
366
00:23:31,200 --> 00:23:33,400
creating, protecting, loving.
367
00:23:37,050 --> 00:23:40,220
Like a child, it grows
and gains in maturity,
368
00:23:40,250 --> 00:23:42,170
century after century.
369
00:23:43,400 --> 00:23:47,070
The history of humanity is
weighed down with errors,
370
00:23:47,100 --> 00:23:49,320
but it is rich in experience.
371
00:23:51,000 --> 00:23:54,400
Perfection is rarely
found in the acts of man,
372
00:23:54,433 --> 00:23:57,483
but sometimes in
their intentions.
373
00:23:58,016 --> 00:24:01,396
(dramatic instrumental music)
29930
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