Running time 90 minutes Initial release 21 March 2006 (Japan) First episode date 21 March 2006 | Country of origin Japan Original network JNN Network Director Eiji Sone Cinematography Shinichi Hayashi Producers Eiji Sone, Shinji Yamada | |
Original language(s) EnglishJapaneseFrenchArabic Executive producer(s) Kenichi HaraShin KoyamadaShinji Yamada People also search for Good Soil, A Ninja Pays Half My Rent, Ai No Shizuku, Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior | ||
Wine Road of The Samurai is a feature film based on a true story about a delegation of 34 samurai to Europe in 1863. It was directed by Sone Eiji and starred Shin Koyamada as himself and the narrator. This national TV show was first aired throughout Japan on March 21, 2006.
Contents
Plot summary
This documentary is about a group of samurai sent by the Japanese government to France at the end of the Edo era. 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, in France. They were also photographed standing in front of Sphinx, in Egypt. The samurai brought back lots of products from their trip, including a book on wine production. They ended their expedition earlier than expected due to the need to report home about the astonishing technology in modernized countries.
Locations
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 Eiji Sone shot a total of about 300 hours of footage.
Cast
Crew
Executive Producer: Shannon C. Murphy
Distribution
Japan
Sponsors
Japan