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[dramatic music plays]
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-[in Japanese] Attack!
-[all yelling]
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[opening theme plays]
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[narrator in English] 1598,
after ending 120 years of civil war,
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and reunifying Japan under his banner,
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Toyotomi Hideyoshi,
the supreme ruler of Japan, lays dead.
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In a desperate attempt
to protect his dynasty,
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just before his death,
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Hideyoshi created
a council of five powerful warlords.
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They are to govern Japan
until his young son comes of age.
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The fate of Japan
now rests on a knife edge.
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If the council collapses,
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Japan will be plunged back into anarchy
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and everything Hideyoshi
worked to achieve will be destroyed.
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[suspenseful music plays]
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[David Spafford] The five elders were
of great powerful families.
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And putting them together
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is meant to create a perfect balance
among them
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so that none of them
will have the upper hand.
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[Isaac Meyer] Maeda Toshiie will be
stationed in Osaka Castle…
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and will be the one responsible
for raising young Hideyori,
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for managing his education, preparing him
for the rigors of leading the country.
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[Auslin] Everyone understands
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that because Hideyori
will not attain his majority for years,
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that there is a chance for one of
them to become the supreme power.
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This is the fatal flaw
of Hideyoshi's life,
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that everything he worked for
is now thrown into doubt
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because of the age of his heir.
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[imperceptible]
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[Spafford] Daimyos started preparing
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either to be the one daimyo
who's going to take over…
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or to organize to prevent
a rival from doing so.
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[Auslin] Tokugawa Ieyasu is,
by this point,
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the most powerful daimyo in Japan.
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So, he's really given ultimate authority.
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He's basically put in charge
of the entire government.
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[Spafford] Tokugawa Ieyasu was undeniably
the most powerful warlord in the country.
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His wealth and his military might
vastly exceeded anybody else's.
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[Auslin] With the death of Hideyoshi,
as soon as there was a chance,
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Ieyasu was in the perfect position
to become supreme ruler of Japan.
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He has patiently built up his power,
he's patiently eliminated rivals,
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he's patiently created alliances,
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and now this is the time to make the bid
for final and supreme power in Japan.
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However, in the shadows,
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there was an inveterate schemer
preparing to move against Ieyasu.
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[dramatic music plays]
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[Auslin] And that was Ishida Mitsunari.
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Ishida Mitsunari was a minor daimyo.
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He didn't have anything like
the strength of Ieyasu,
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but he was totally loyal
to the Toyotomi house.
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[Mitsunari in Japanese] Sir.
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It's time to strike.
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It's now or never.
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[Auslin] He did everything he could
to undermine Ieyasu's position
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and to create suspicion
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between Ieyasu and the other great
councilors named by Hideyoshi.
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And Mitsunari seems to feel that
as long as Ieyasu is not challenged,
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then he will ultimately dominate
the rest of the elders and the councilors.
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And he's not willing to live with that.
He wants to either assassinate Ieyasu,
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pen him in or destroy him.
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[water flowing]
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Ishida Mitsunari needed
allies and support.
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So, he approached the veteran member
of the council, Maeda Toshiie,
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a very rich daimyo
and a strong army leader in his own right.
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[in Japanese] Maeda Toshiie was the only
one capable of going up against Ieyasu.
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The Tokugawa family's recent deeds…
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Would you please help Hideyori?
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[dramatic music plays]
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I didn't mean to be presumptuous.
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I meant no disrespect.
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[Auslin] Toshiie doesn't want to do it.
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He's near the end of his life,
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he's uncertain
that the campaign would succeed,
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and he doesn't want to commit
to something, knowing he's about to die,
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that's going to saddle his son
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with a position that could
mean the destruction of their house.
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So, Maeda Toshiie backs off
from confronting Tokugawa Ieyasu,
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though he knows that Ieyasu
wants to depose Hideyori,
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to get rid of him and to rule
in the Tokugawa family name.
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[Turnbull] Toshiie died
shortly afterwards.
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Now, he had been
the guardian of Toyotomi Hideyori.
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So, who should take his place…
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[dramatic music plays]
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…but Tokugawa Ieyasu,
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who moved into Osaka Castle…
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so that he had immediate control
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over young Hideyori.
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[Horikoshi in Japanese]
This was a very big deal.
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It's like a minister
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suddenly coming to Buckingham Palace
in England
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and telling you that
they will start living there.
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[dramatic music plays]
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It was an act that enraged
the other members of the regency,
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because Tokugawa Ieyasu now had
the young heir under his thumb.
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The council of regents
ordered Ieyasu to back off
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and recognize that
Toyotomi Hideyori was the true heir
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and that Ieyasu had no place
in interfering in that process.
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Ieyasu saw that statement
simply as a declaration of war.
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It was the chance he had been waiting for.
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The daimyo of Japan
were splitting into two camps,
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one that supported Tokugawa Ieyasu…
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and one that supported Toyotomi Hideyori,
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underneath the leadership
of Ishida Mitsunari.
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The wheels were now set in motion
for the most decisive struggle for power
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in the whole of Japanese history.
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[suspenseful music plays]
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[Segal] As the buildup to the military
confrontation starts to shape up,
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Ishida Mitsunari is mobilizing men
against a potential Ieyasu coalition.
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One of those are the Uesugi,
who are located north of Ieyasu.
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[Ledbetter] Mitsunari's plan is that
the Uesugi would move against Ieyasu
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and he would be able to crush Ieyasu
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between his forces
and those of the Uesugi.
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[Meyer] So, Ieyasu makes a snap decision.
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He's going to call in some favors,
particularly with Date Masamune,
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and assemble a force in the north
to hold off with Uesugi Kagekatsu.
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[narrator] As Masamune moves
to stop the attack from the north,
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Ieyasu plans to race east
to Edo to gather his forces.
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But he needs time,
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as Mitsunari's troops
are already on the move,
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all Ieyasu's hopes now rest
on his castle at Fushimi,
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a fortress that controls
the road that leads east.
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[sinister music plays]
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[Turnbull] For this reason, Fushimi Castle
had to be held at all costs,
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to prevent Ishida Mitsunari
from moving against Ieyasu
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before he was ready.
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[in Japanese] The enemy
will surround this castle.
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I want you to remain…
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at the castle.
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[Turnbull] It was defended
by his friend Torii Mototada.
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Ieyasu and Torii Mototada
had been friends for many years.
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[Meyer] Both men know
that holding this castle is essential
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to the future of the Tokugawa family,
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and also that doing so will be
a nearly impossible task.
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Mototada.
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[Turnbull] Both knew
that this was a suicide mission.
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Torii Mototada was likely to be
outnumbered by odds of 20 to 1.
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Torii Mototada was
essentially being assigned a mission
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that required him to fight as long
as possible with no chance of retreat,
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and with no chance of reinforcements.
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[wind whistling]
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[Turnbull] As Ieyasu hurried
to escape Mitsunari's army,
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Torii Mototada wrote his final message.
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"It would not take too much trouble
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to break through
a part of their numbers and escape,
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but that is not the true meaning
of being a warrior.
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I will stand off the forces
of the entire country here
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and die a resplendent death."
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[Meyer] Ishida Mitsunari
and his 40,000-odd men attack the castle.
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-[dramatic music plays]
-[men yelling]
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Torii Mototada and his 2,000
fight ferociously.
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-[yells]
-[groans]
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Torii Mototada sent his men
into battle again and again
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-against the Ishida forces.
-[yells]
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[Turnbull] In an epic act of bravery,
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Torii Mototada and his army
held out at Fushimi for 12 days.
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[panting]
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Legend states that the garrison
of Fushimi carried on fighting
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until there were only ten of them left.
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[inhales deeply]
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[groaning]
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[Turnbull] Finally,
as the castle blazed around him,
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Torii Mototada
committed honorable suicide
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after one of the most noble defenses
of a castle in Japanese history.
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The bravery of Torii Mototada
has been absolutely crucial.
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It has allowed Ieyasu
to gather his forces in Edo
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to take on Ishida Mitsunari in battle.
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[thunder rumbles]
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[narrator] Tokugawa Ieyasu
is now ready to make his move.
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He splits his force of 75,000 men
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and prepares to strike at Mitsunari.
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As his son leads
a large force to the north,
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Ieyasu leads his main army
straight towards his enemy.
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Mitsunari is now
in a highly precarious situation
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and risks being outflanked
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and surrounded
by the two approaching armies.
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-[wind whistling]
-[birds chirping]
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[in Japanese]
They're going to hold down the road…
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and surround us.
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Ishida Mitsunari realizes what a highly
precarious situation he's now in.
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Ieyasu could potentially get around him
and cut Mitsunari's line of retreat.
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[in Japanese] I won't let that happen.
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We will meet them
on the road and attack.
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[Turnbull] Ishida Mitsunari
made a dramatic decision.
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He would not risk being caught
by Ieyasu's approaching forces.
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He therefore decided to march out
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and make a stand on the road
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and destroy Ieyasu's army when it arrived.
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The place he chose
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was a narrow valley called Sekigahara.
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[Kazuhiko in Japanese] This was
a very good strategy for Mitsunari.
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He thought it would be more
advantageous to fight at Sekigahara
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than in Ogaki Castle.
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[Turnbull] If you choose to fight
a battle in a narrow valley
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and you control the mountains around,
which Ishida did,
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you can draw your opponent towards you
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and then attack him from three sides.
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It was an excellent choice.
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[in Japanese] Tell the soldiers.
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Tighten the defenses
before the enemy arrives.
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Go!
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[Turnbull] Ishida Mitsunari
had the time to arrange his forces
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in the best possible defensive position.
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He himself straddled the road
awaiting Ieyasu's attack head-on.
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-[dramatic music plays]
-[in Japanese] Hideaki…
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Put your troops on the mountain.
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When I give the signal,
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come down the mountain
and attack Ieyasu from the side.
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[Turnbull] To guard his left flank
and to avoid encirclement by Ieyasu,
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he sent Kobayakawa Hideaki
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to take up position overlooking the road.
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When battle was joined
the following morning,
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he would light a signal fire
and then Kobayakawa Hideaki
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would descend from his strategic position
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and attack the Tokugawa
on their right flank,
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bringing about total victory.
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However, Mitsunari is somewhat disliked
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by many of the daimyo who are
supporting Toyotomi Hideyori's cause.
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This dislike and distrust
of Ishida Mitsunari
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as overall commander came back
to bite him in several ways.
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One of the most important is
with the case of Kobayakawa Hideaki.
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[Turnbull] The main basis
for the resentment
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that Hideaki felt against Ishida Mitsunari
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was from Ishida's role
during the Korean invasion.
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[dramatic music plays]
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[soldiers groan]
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[all yelling]
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[groans]
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Ishida Mitsunari
was appointed by Hideyoshi
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00:18:02,664 --> 00:18:05,584
as the Inspector General
of the Japanese forces
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and had been highly critical
of young Hideaki's performance.
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News had gone back to Hideyoshi,
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who had stripped Hideaki
of many of his rights,
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privileges and lands.
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[horse neighs]
235
00:18:32,903 --> 00:18:35,743
[Turnbull] In the crucial hours
leading up to the battle,
236
00:18:37,574 --> 00:18:41,664
Tokugawa Ieyasu received
an unexpected communication.
237
00:18:43,497 --> 00:18:47,127
Hideaki had decided to turn traitor.
238
00:18:49,002 --> 00:18:53,672
Once battle was joined,
Hideaki would join Ieyasu instead
239
00:18:53,757 --> 00:18:57,427
and launch a devastating attack
on Mitsunari's army.
240
00:18:58,971 --> 00:19:03,391
If this were to happen, it would greatly
tip the balance in favor of Ieyasu.
241
00:19:07,479 --> 00:19:11,399
For all we know, Hideaki could well
have been playing both sides
242
00:19:11,483 --> 00:19:13,493
to see who was likely to win,
243
00:19:13,569 --> 00:19:16,909
and then he would make his
decision whom to support.
244
00:19:16,989 --> 00:19:19,199
Of course, until the battle began,
245
00:19:19,867 --> 00:19:24,907
Ieyasu could not be 100% sure
that Hideaki would change sides.
246
00:19:26,373 --> 00:19:29,003
Tokugawa Ieyasu was facing
the most difficult
247
00:19:29,084 --> 00:19:31,594
and dangerous decision of his life.
248
00:19:33,881 --> 00:19:37,681
In the end, it was a huge gamble,
but one he had to take.
249
00:19:38,177 --> 00:19:40,177
[dramatic music plays]
250
00:19:43,682 --> 00:19:46,062
[Meyer] Tokugawa Ieyasu moves
to Sekigahara.
251
00:19:47,186 --> 00:19:50,476
If, as some of his generals believe,
this letter is a trick,
252
00:19:50,564 --> 00:19:53,074
then Ieyasu may have just
thrown it all away.
253
00:19:53,150 --> 00:19:55,150
[soldiers marching]
254
00:19:56,445 --> 00:19:59,275
[Turnbull] Ieyasu arrived
and all he could see roundabout
255
00:19:59,364 --> 00:20:01,664
were fires burning
up on the mountains,
256
00:20:01,742 --> 00:20:04,492
which indicated the fortified positions
257
00:20:04,578 --> 00:20:07,578
that Ishida's army had
had the leisure to erect.
258
00:20:09,082 --> 00:20:11,752
It was a huge challenge to face.
259
00:20:15,505 --> 00:20:18,715
Ieyasu seemed to be at a disadvantage
260
00:20:18,800 --> 00:20:20,930
because Ieyasu's son, Hidetada,
261
00:20:21,011 --> 00:20:25,521
had not arrived with an additional
30,000-plus troops he was counting on.
262
00:20:25,599 --> 00:20:28,769
This threatens the very survival
of Ieyasu's forces.
263
00:20:30,270 --> 00:20:34,440
[Turnbull] All they could do was prepare
as best they could for the coming battle.
264
00:20:35,692 --> 00:20:39,202
In a couple of hours' time,
the fog would lift
265
00:20:39,738 --> 00:20:43,118
and the most decisive battle
in Japan would begin.
266
00:20:43,992 --> 00:20:45,992
[dramatic music plays]
267
00:20:49,456 --> 00:20:52,456
[narrator] As the sides line up
at Sekigahara,
268
00:20:52,542 --> 00:20:54,252
Mitsunari has the upper hand.
269
00:20:54,795 --> 00:20:58,085
His 120,000 men control the high ground.
270
00:20:59,132 --> 00:21:00,632
When battle commences,
271
00:21:00,717 --> 00:21:04,137
Mitsunari aims to bring down
the wings of his formation,
272
00:21:04,221 --> 00:21:06,521
crushing Ieyasu from three sides.
273
00:21:07,516 --> 00:21:09,096
At the base of the valley,
274
00:21:09,184 --> 00:21:13,564
Ieyasu is in the weaker position
and outnumbered almost three-to-two.
275
00:21:14,564 --> 00:21:17,114
With his son and his forces still absent,
276
00:21:17,192 --> 00:21:21,152
all his hopes now depend
on Hideaki's promise of betrayal.
277
00:21:24,741 --> 00:21:26,741
[thunder rumbling in distance]
278
00:21:27,411 --> 00:21:29,411
[dramatic music plays]
279
00:21:31,123 --> 00:21:33,503
[Meyer] On the day of the battle
of Sekigahara,
280
00:21:33,583 --> 00:21:35,253
there's fog early in the morning,
281
00:21:35,335 --> 00:21:38,125
so the two sides cannot see each other
very clearly.
282
00:21:40,841 --> 00:21:43,761
When that fog starts
to lift early in the morning,
283
00:21:43,844 --> 00:21:46,474
Ieyasu sees precisely
what's in front of him.
284
00:21:48,473 --> 00:21:51,483
This entrenched position
held by Mitsunari.
285
00:21:53,645 --> 00:21:55,355
He is outnumbered, it's true.
286
00:21:55,439 --> 00:22:00,359
But on the flip side, Mitsunari does not
have very much battlefield experience.
287
00:22:00,444 --> 00:22:04,284
He's never directed a battle himself.
He's only ever been a subcommander.
288
00:22:04,364 --> 00:22:06,374
[suspenseful music plays]
289
00:22:13,123 --> 00:22:14,623
[dramatic music plays]
290
00:22:33,894 --> 00:22:35,104
[in Japanese] Attack!
291
00:22:35,187 --> 00:22:36,097
[all yelling]
292
00:22:42,903 --> 00:22:44,573
-[arquebuses fire]
-[blades clang]
293
00:22:46,323 --> 00:22:48,703
Mitsunari has had time
to prepare defenses.
294
00:22:48,784 --> 00:22:53,044
As a result, Ieyasu's forces
are forced to push forward at great cost.
295
00:22:53,121 --> 00:22:54,751
It's a tremendous slog.
296
00:22:54,831 --> 00:22:56,711
[all yelling]
297
00:22:57,584 --> 00:22:59,754
[Ledbetter] We have hand-to-hand fighting,
298
00:23:00,295 --> 00:23:03,215
spearmen and pikemen
fighting with each other.
299
00:23:03,298 --> 00:23:08,098
On the flanks, you have contingents
of arquebusiers firing at the enemy.
300
00:23:09,554 --> 00:23:12,474
The fighting devolves
into an intense slog.
301
00:23:12,557 --> 00:23:15,437
It is chaotic, it is confusing
and it is extremely brutal.
302
00:23:15,936 --> 00:23:17,976
[soldiers groan]
303
00:23:18,855 --> 00:23:20,685
[Ledbetter] It's controlled chaos.
304
00:23:20,774 --> 00:23:25,074
As the battle progresses, neither side is
really able to gain much of an advantage.
305
00:23:26,571 --> 00:23:32,081
This is simply going to be a contest to
see which side can outmuscle the other.
306
00:23:32,160 --> 00:23:33,620
[fighting continues]
307
00:23:34,413 --> 00:23:36,003
[in Japanese] Raise the signal.
308
00:23:37,207 --> 00:23:41,667
[Ledbetter] Ishida realizes that he needs
to force some of his troops
309
00:23:41,753 --> 00:23:43,383
to enter the battle.
310
00:23:44,881 --> 00:23:46,971
He gives the prearranged signal
311
00:23:47,050 --> 00:23:50,930
to Kobayakawa Hideaki to attack
the Tokugawa forces in the flank.
312
00:23:51,847 --> 00:23:52,847
However…
313
00:23:53,807 --> 00:23:55,307
[dramatic music plays]
314
00:23:56,435 --> 00:23:58,015
…Hideaki's troops don't move.
315
00:24:03,817 --> 00:24:07,947
Ieyasu also sees that
the Kobayakawa are not moving.
316
00:24:10,407 --> 00:24:13,197
The Kobayakawa forces
continue to hold position.
317
00:24:14,619 --> 00:24:15,829
And after a while,
318
00:24:15,912 --> 00:24:20,332
Ieyasu also becomes a bit nervous
about what they're going to do.
319
00:24:24,087 --> 00:24:26,917
Ieyasu then makes
a carefully calculated move
320
00:24:27,007 --> 00:24:29,677
that will go down
in the history of Japanese folklore.
321
00:24:30,844 --> 00:24:31,804
[in Japanese] Fire!
322
00:24:35,765 --> 00:24:39,685
He is supposed to have ordered his
arquebuses to fire at Hideaki's position,
323
00:24:39,769 --> 00:24:42,649
forcing Hideaki to choose
one way or the other.
324
00:24:42,731 --> 00:24:43,981
It's time to pick a side.
325
00:24:47,819 --> 00:24:49,399
[in Japanese] Attack!
326
00:24:49,488 --> 00:24:53,158
[Ledbetter] This has the effect
of shaking Hideaki out of his inaction,
327
00:24:53,867 --> 00:24:56,327
and the Kobayakawa troops
stream down the hill.
328
00:24:56,411 --> 00:24:57,541
[soldiers yelling]
329
00:24:58,121 --> 00:25:00,541
[Meyer] Imagine the reaction
of Ishida Mitsunari:
330
00:25:00,624 --> 00:25:03,174
"First, my order got through.
They're on their way."
331
00:25:03,251 --> 00:25:04,791
And then this mounting horror:
332
00:25:04,878 --> 00:25:08,168
"Wait, they're not going
towards Ieyasu's lines,
333
00:25:08,256 --> 00:25:11,256
they're coming towards my lines.
They're attacking me."
334
00:25:11,801 --> 00:25:15,681
[Ledbetter] They slam into the flank
of the western army.
335
00:25:18,391 --> 00:25:20,731
The commander of the flank unit
that's attacked
336
00:25:20,810 --> 00:25:24,440
turned his forces to meet Kobayakawa's
attack, but was soon overwhelmed.
337
00:25:26,858 --> 00:25:30,648
This double-punch
to Ishida Mitsunari's army
338
00:25:30,737 --> 00:25:33,197
had the effect of rolling up the sides…
339
00:25:34,616 --> 00:25:36,696
and forcing his resistance to crumble.
340
00:25:37,577 --> 00:25:38,997
Mitsunari now realizes…
341
00:25:39,079 --> 00:25:40,749
[in Japanese] Hideaki…
342
00:25:41,248 --> 00:25:43,078
…the battle is as good as lost.
343
00:25:45,627 --> 00:25:49,457
The western army's contingents remaining
did everything they could to escape.
344
00:25:50,632 --> 00:25:53,892
Many, of course, would be ridden down
345
00:25:53,969 --> 00:25:56,679
by the victorious opponents…
346
00:25:57,639 --> 00:25:58,719
-and killed.
-[groans]
347
00:26:00,517 --> 00:26:04,597
Immediately after the battle
would be a scene of chaos.
348
00:26:07,566 --> 00:26:11,736
[Segal] Many of the leading generals
of the losing side fled the scene,
349
00:26:11,820 --> 00:26:13,070
including Mitsunari,
350
00:26:13,154 --> 00:26:15,914
but Ieyasu's forces
were able to capture a number of them.
351
00:26:28,169 --> 00:26:31,669
[Michael Wert] Sekigahara was
a watershed moment for Ieyasu.
352
00:26:33,800 --> 00:26:36,890
Because now it's clear that,
militarily speaking,
353
00:26:36,970 --> 00:26:39,140
he's certainly
the greatest power in Japan.
354
00:26:40,265 --> 00:26:43,055
[Meyer] For Ieyasu,
the victory at Sekigahara
355
00:26:43,143 --> 00:26:46,353
puts him in what you'd call
one of the most dominant positions
356
00:26:46,438 --> 00:26:48,768
of any age of Japanese history.
357
00:26:49,441 --> 00:26:51,741
Most of the opposition
to his rule is gone.
358
00:26:51,818 --> 00:26:53,318
[triumphant music plays]
359
00:26:54,904 --> 00:26:57,494
[Auslin] Ieyasu's victory
in Sekigahara is complete,
360
00:26:57,574 --> 00:26:59,784
but he has to send a signal of his victory
361
00:26:59,868 --> 00:27:03,658
and Ieyasu orders the execution
of loyalists to Hideyoshi…
362
00:27:06,207 --> 00:27:08,167
including Ishida Mitsunari.
363
00:27:09,336 --> 00:27:12,416
Their heads are placed on stakes
to announce for all intents and purposes
364
00:27:12,505 --> 00:27:14,965
that the Toyotomi coalition is done
365
00:27:15,050 --> 00:27:18,470
and that the supreme power
in the land is now Tokugawa Ieyasu.
366
00:27:18,553 --> 00:27:20,563
[dramatic music plays]
367
00:27:27,937 --> 00:27:29,517
In the wake of Sekigahara,
368
00:27:29,606 --> 00:27:31,816
Ieyasu makes a controversial decision
369
00:27:31,900 --> 00:27:35,240
against the advice of his generals
and loyal retainers.
370
00:27:35,320 --> 00:27:37,490
Even though he's destroyed
the coalition that fought
371
00:27:37,572 --> 00:27:39,992
to protect Hideyoshi's young heir,
Hideyori,
372
00:27:40,075 --> 00:27:42,785
Ieyasu decides not to kill the young man.
373
00:27:42,869 --> 00:27:46,919
Instead, he lets him live in Osaka Castle
under the stewardship of his mother,
374
00:27:47,499 --> 00:27:48,629
Lady Chacha.
375
00:27:53,588 --> 00:27:56,678
[Meyer] Date Masamune will send
a letter to Tokugawa Ieyasu.
376
00:27:57,300 --> 00:27:58,260
He will say,
377
00:27:58,343 --> 00:28:03,143
"Ieyasu, if you do not keep this boy
at your side and raise him yourself…
378
00:28:04,057 --> 00:28:08,057
all of your enemies will gather around him
and pour poison in his ear,
379
00:28:08,144 --> 00:28:10,314
and that will turn him against you."
380
00:28:12,482 --> 00:28:15,362
Ieyasu, however,
seems to have felt differently.
381
00:28:15,443 --> 00:28:18,993
Keeping some distance and allowing
Hideyori to be his own man
382
00:28:19,072 --> 00:28:22,412
would allow Hideyori to accept
the idea of Tokugawa rule.
383
00:28:24,160 --> 00:28:27,330
That decision,
sentimental you might even call it,
384
00:28:27,414 --> 00:28:28,834
turns out to be a mistake.
385
00:28:31,376 --> 00:28:34,916
[narrator] Ieyasu now moves to tighten
his stranglehold on Japan.
386
00:28:36,047 --> 00:28:38,967
All daimyo who opposed him at Sekigahara
387
00:28:39,050 --> 00:28:41,970
are killed or stripped
of their lands and titles.
388
00:28:42,053 --> 00:28:44,643
They are then moved
to the fringes of the country,
389
00:28:44,723 --> 00:28:46,733
far from influence and power.
390
00:28:47,600 --> 00:28:52,230
All those who supported him are moved
closer to the center and richly rewarded.
391
00:28:53,273 --> 00:28:57,903
By doing so, Ieyasu has created
a buffer zone of loyal supporters
392
00:28:57,986 --> 00:28:59,986
to prevent any threat of attack.
393
00:29:01,781 --> 00:29:04,201
This far-reaching relocation system
394
00:29:04,284 --> 00:29:08,504
will protect Ieyasu and forever change
the political makeup of Japan.
395
00:29:11,583 --> 00:29:12,753
It was a genius scheme.
396
00:29:12,834 --> 00:29:16,594
We have to remember
that neither Nobunaga nor Hideyoshi
397
00:29:16,671 --> 00:29:21,341
had come up
with a viable political equilibrium.
398
00:29:21,426 --> 00:29:22,886
Uh, one that could last.
399
00:29:22,969 --> 00:29:24,049
And Ieyasu did.
400
00:29:25,972 --> 00:29:30,312
[Benesch] So, while many people benefited
greatly from the Battle of Sekigahara,
401
00:29:30,393 --> 00:29:33,693
the same cannot necessarily be said
for Kobayakawa Hideaki.
402
00:29:35,148 --> 00:29:38,778
[Meyer] Despite the fact that Kobayakawa's
defection sealed the deal…
403
00:29:38,860 --> 00:29:40,860
It's the reason Ieyasu won.
404
00:29:40,945 --> 00:29:42,695
…Ieyasu did not trust him.
405
00:29:42,781 --> 00:29:46,241
He betrayed one master.
What's to say he wouldn't betray another?
406
00:29:48,703 --> 00:29:51,413
[Kitagawa] Hideaki was tormented
407
00:29:51,498 --> 00:29:55,338
and also felt so guilty
of betraying his original house,
408
00:29:55,418 --> 00:29:59,668
which was the Toyotomi,
that he literally became insane.
409
00:30:04,969 --> 00:30:06,889
[Benesch] And within two years…
410
00:30:12,018 --> 00:30:13,688
he drank himself to death.
411
00:30:22,111 --> 00:30:25,911
[Meyer] Ieyasu has, really, in many ways,
secured his position.
412
00:30:25,990 --> 00:30:29,990
He's redistributed these lords
in a way that is beneficial to him,
413
00:30:30,078 --> 00:30:33,328
he's established
his dominance over the country,
414
00:30:33,414 --> 00:30:36,254
but Ieyasu, very importantly, I think,
415
00:30:36,334 --> 00:30:39,754
wants to establish himself
as a warrior leader first and foremost,
416
00:30:39,838 --> 00:30:43,968
not someone who is bound
too tightly to the old imperial court.
417
00:30:48,513 --> 00:30:52,683
In 1603, he takes the final step
to cement his legitimacy.
418
00:30:54,811 --> 00:30:57,401
He'll be invested
with this title of Shogun.
419
00:31:00,775 --> 00:31:03,435
[Wert] One thing to remember
about the Shogun title
420
00:31:03,528 --> 00:31:05,778
is that throughout
much of Japanese history,
421
00:31:05,864 --> 00:31:10,794
it was not a very influential,
powerful or even desirable title.
422
00:31:10,869 --> 00:31:13,579
Many of the Shogun were simply puppets.
423
00:31:15,748 --> 00:31:19,338
Ieyasu recreates the Shogun title
424
00:31:19,419 --> 00:31:22,129
as a position of power,
425
00:31:22,213 --> 00:31:26,053
invigorating it and allowing him
to control all of Japan.
426
00:31:26,134 --> 00:31:28,144
[dramatic music plays]
427
00:31:32,765 --> 00:31:35,475
Once Ieyasu is given the title of Shogun,
428
00:31:35,560 --> 00:31:40,020
he is, for the first time since
the collapse of central power
429
00:31:40,106 --> 00:31:42,526
in the mid-15th century,
430
00:31:42,609 --> 00:31:44,569
standing at the apex of power in Japan.
431
00:31:51,784 --> 00:31:54,914
[Auslin] It seems to everyone
that 130 years of civil war
432
00:31:54,996 --> 00:31:56,616
have finally come to an end.
433
00:31:56,706 --> 00:31:58,576
But just over a decade later,
434
00:31:58,666 --> 00:32:00,996
talk of full rebellion is brewing.
435
00:32:01,085 --> 00:32:04,665
Those who had never reconciled
themselves to the victory of the Tokugawa
436
00:32:04,756 --> 00:32:07,006
begin to coalesce around the one man
437
00:32:07,091 --> 00:32:09,891
who could legitimately challenge
Ieyasu for power…
438
00:32:12,347 --> 00:32:15,767
Toyotomi Hideyori,
Hideyoshi's trueborn heir.
439
00:32:17,352 --> 00:32:19,732
[Segal] After the victory at Sekigahara,
440
00:32:19,812 --> 00:32:23,322
Ieyasu did not take
any direct action against Hideyori,
441
00:32:23,399 --> 00:32:25,229
the heir to Hideyoshi's title.
442
00:32:25,818 --> 00:32:28,698
And the boy was able to grow up
retaining his position.
443
00:32:37,747 --> 00:32:40,787
Over the years,
many people came to see Hideyori
444
00:32:40,875 --> 00:32:43,705
as an alternative
to Ieyasu's rise to power.
445
00:32:45,588 --> 00:32:48,298
In particular,
some of the masterless samurai,
446
00:32:48,383 --> 00:32:50,843
the ronin,
who've been left without position
447
00:32:50,927 --> 00:32:53,427
following the Battle of Sekigahara.
448
00:32:58,184 --> 00:33:02,064
He also has, for lack of a better word,
"supporters" all over the country.
449
00:33:05,108 --> 00:33:08,488
[Benesch] Although Hideyori himself
becomes a rallying point
450
00:33:08,569 --> 00:33:11,569
for many dissatisfied
with the Tokugawa order…
451
00:33:12,281 --> 00:33:14,241
it is questionable to what extent
452
00:33:14,325 --> 00:33:17,195
he himself would have wanted
to challenge Ieyasu.
453
00:33:17,286 --> 00:33:21,706
Ieyasu was, obviously, militarily,
much more powerful,
454
00:33:21,791 --> 00:33:25,961
and it seems that Hideyori
would have wanted to avoid a conflict.
455
00:33:26,462 --> 00:33:27,592
[in Japanese] Silence!
456
00:33:27,672 --> 00:33:28,802
[dramatic music plays]
457
00:33:30,383 --> 00:33:33,093
Your Highness,
you must not listen to them.
458
00:33:35,930 --> 00:33:37,600
If you beg for your life,
459
00:33:38,266 --> 00:33:40,596
you'll be playing
right into Tokugawa's hands.
460
00:33:40,685 --> 00:33:43,515
Even his own mother,
one of his closest advisers,
461
00:33:43,604 --> 00:33:45,734
Lady Yodo, sometimes called Chacha,
462
00:33:45,815 --> 00:33:50,235
will begin to push her son
to more actively defy Tokugawa Ieyasu.
463
00:33:50,319 --> 00:33:53,949
Often, actually, in defiance
of advice from his own retainers,
464
00:33:54,032 --> 00:33:57,912
many of whom suggest
it's better to wait for Ieyasu to die
465
00:33:57,994 --> 00:34:01,754
and to challenge his younger son,
who may be less effective as a ruler.
466
00:34:03,249 --> 00:34:06,839
[in Japanese] If you are a samurai,
think about regaining Toyotomi rule!
467
00:34:07,420 --> 00:34:08,550
Mother…
468
00:34:09,839 --> 00:34:13,469
Chacha does not want to wait.
She wants the challenge to happen now.
469
00:34:14,260 --> 00:34:15,390
Please stop.
470
00:34:18,514 --> 00:34:19,894
I want all of you to leave.
471
00:34:21,350 --> 00:34:22,480
Get out!
472
00:34:33,946 --> 00:34:36,276
[Benesch]
Regardless of Hideyori's intentions,
473
00:34:36,365 --> 00:34:40,195
from the fact that tens of thousands
and perhaps up to 60,000 people
474
00:34:40,286 --> 00:34:44,116
were gathering
around Hideyori at Osaka Castle,
475
00:34:44,207 --> 00:34:47,997
seemed to Tokugawa Ieyasu
to show that a rebellion was brewing.
476
00:34:48,086 --> 00:34:50,126
-[birds chirping]
-[dramatic music plays]
477
00:34:52,006 --> 00:34:53,466
[suspenseful music plays]
478
00:34:57,678 --> 00:35:00,678
[Auslin] Ieyasu was blessed
with having a lot of sons.
479
00:35:00,765 --> 00:35:04,305
He knew that his family
was going to survive…
480
00:35:05,478 --> 00:35:08,188
if there were no credible
power alternatives,
481
00:35:08,272 --> 00:35:10,902
and Hideyori
is a credible power alternative.
482
00:35:10,983 --> 00:35:14,823
He has become a magnet
for those disaffected with Tokugawa rule.
483
00:35:17,990 --> 00:35:20,200
-[in Japanese] Kill Hideyori.
-Yes, sir.
484
00:35:20,910 --> 00:35:24,330
If Ieyasu wants to
leave this Earth assured
485
00:35:25,164 --> 00:35:28,544
that his family will survive
and his work will continue,
486
00:35:28,626 --> 00:35:30,456
he must destroy Hideyori.
487
00:35:30,545 --> 00:35:31,875
[birds chirping]
488
00:35:35,550 --> 00:35:37,640
[Meyer] He determines now to do something
489
00:35:37,718 --> 00:35:40,138
he begins to think
he should have done years ago.
490
00:35:41,848 --> 00:35:45,348
Wipe out the last traces
of the Toyotomi bloodline.
491
00:35:45,434 --> 00:35:47,064
[dramatic music plays]
492
00:35:52,483 --> 00:35:57,993
[narrator] Ieyasu marches 194,000 troops
to besiege Osaka Castle.
493
00:35:58,948 --> 00:36:02,908
Joined by loyal allies,
including Date Masamune,
494
00:36:02,994 --> 00:36:07,124
thousands die as Ieyasu's forces
lay siege to the fortress.
495
00:36:08,166 --> 00:36:11,626
The fighting is ferocious,
but the defenders hold fast.
496
00:36:12,170 --> 00:36:17,800
But, finally, in June 1615,
Osaka Castle's formidable defenses fall.
497
00:36:18,426 --> 00:36:19,506
[crackling]
498
00:36:22,722 --> 00:36:26,142
[Benesch] After many months
of fighting and siege,
499
00:36:26,225 --> 00:36:30,935
the Tokugawa cannons
are raining down on Osaka Castle.
500
00:36:31,022 --> 00:36:33,022
Parts of the castle are burning.
501
00:36:34,400 --> 00:36:35,610
[chokes]
502
00:36:35,693 --> 00:36:37,703
[cannons firing in distance]
503
00:36:44,118 --> 00:36:46,618
[Auslin] Hideyori must have known
that it was over.
504
00:36:51,667 --> 00:36:55,457
He'd become a pawn for those
dissatisfied with Tokugawa rule,
505
00:36:55,546 --> 00:36:58,666
and he'd been manipulated
into starting a war he could not win.
506
00:36:58,758 --> 00:37:00,258
[crackling]
507
00:37:01,928 --> 00:37:04,428
The flames are rising
through Osaka Castle.
508
00:37:04,513 --> 00:37:07,233
It's clear that any more resistance
is futile.
509
00:37:09,185 --> 00:37:10,845
[cannons firing in distance]
510
00:37:39,340 --> 00:37:41,130
[dramatic music plays]
511
00:37:42,760 --> 00:37:43,930
[groans]
512
00:37:55,147 --> 00:37:56,517
[groans softly]
513
00:38:02,071 --> 00:38:03,611
[choking cough]
514
00:38:03,698 --> 00:38:04,738
[gasps]
515
00:38:04,824 --> 00:38:06,034
[coughs]
516
00:38:09,537 --> 00:38:10,657
[thuds]
517
00:38:17,586 --> 00:38:19,046
[flames crackling]
518
00:38:24,260 --> 00:38:26,550
[Auslin] The destruction of Osaka Castle
519
00:38:26,637 --> 00:38:29,427
was as if all of the final energies
520
00:38:29,515 --> 00:38:32,885
of the civil war period
were being played out,
521
00:38:32,977 --> 00:38:34,687
that there would be nothing left.
522
00:38:34,770 --> 00:38:38,400
It all had to be destroyed
in order that a new era could be born.
523
00:38:44,655 --> 00:38:48,695
There's no more fighting to be done.
It's finally over.
524
00:38:48,784 --> 00:38:50,374
Everyone understands that.
525
00:38:50,453 --> 00:38:53,253
And Ieyasu has outlasted everyone.
526
00:38:55,791 --> 00:38:59,001
[Meyer] The Tokugawa now have
a complete stranglehold on power.
527
00:39:06,802 --> 00:39:08,802
[somber music plays]
528
00:39:15,895 --> 00:39:19,395
[Auslin] Ieyasu didn't have long
to see the fruits of his last victory.
529
00:39:19,982 --> 00:39:22,402
A year after the fall of Osaka Castle,
530
00:39:22,485 --> 00:39:25,315
he lays dying
from probably stomach cancer.
531
00:39:28,407 --> 00:39:30,617
[Spafford] When Ieyasu is on his deathbed,
532
00:39:30,701 --> 00:39:34,411
many of the great figures of the land
come and visit to pay their respects.
533
00:39:34,497 --> 00:39:35,957
[somber music plays]
534
00:39:41,170 --> 00:39:43,420
And among these is Date Masamune,
535
00:39:43,506 --> 00:39:47,336
who is said to have visited Ieyasu
and read him poetry.
536
00:39:50,346 --> 00:39:53,676
[Auslin] It appears they had
a great mutual respect for each other.
537
00:39:53,766 --> 00:39:57,846
And clearly Date had acted as a loyal ally
in the years after Sekigahara.
538
00:39:57,937 --> 00:39:59,267
[somber music continues]
539
00:40:17,665 --> 00:40:20,785
Tokugawa Ieyasu, an old badger,
540
00:40:20,876 --> 00:40:27,166
a wily old creature who had survived
the storms and battles…
541
00:40:33,639 --> 00:40:34,809
passed away…
542
00:40:36,225 --> 00:40:39,345
having simply outlived all of his enemies.
543
00:40:45,109 --> 00:40:47,109
[wind whistling]
544
00:40:50,865 --> 00:40:52,945
[Auslin] The great warlords,
545
00:40:53,033 --> 00:40:54,663
through this entire period,
546
00:40:54,743 --> 00:40:58,753
were the ones who understood
that there was something beyond war.
547
00:40:58,831 --> 00:41:02,421
That's what Tokugawa Ieyasu gives them,
is that chance.
548
00:41:03,711 --> 00:41:08,761
He's created an incredibly durable system
for governing Japan
549
00:41:08,841 --> 00:41:10,971
in an era after war.
550
00:41:11,051 --> 00:41:13,101
He was lucky in that he had many sons.
551
00:41:13,179 --> 00:41:15,179
He had a line that could continue on.
552
00:41:15,264 --> 00:41:18,774
So, he had luck, but he had wisdom.
553
00:41:18,851 --> 00:41:20,021
And because of that,
554
00:41:20,102 --> 00:41:23,732
the system that he created
lasted for two and a half centuries.
555
00:41:26,775 --> 00:41:28,395
It's an incredible achievement.
556
00:41:33,866 --> 00:41:35,276
[dramatic music plays]
557
00:41:35,367 --> 00:41:38,747
[Meyer] Tokugawa Ieyasu's death
marks the passing of this era,
558
00:41:38,829 --> 00:41:42,629
where, all of a sudden,
this military order is falling away
559
00:41:42,708 --> 00:41:46,798
and the samurai now are warriors
who rule over a country at peace.
560
00:41:47,171 --> 00:41:49,171
-[groans]
-[soldiers yelling]
561
00:41:49,256 --> 00:41:51,506
[Auslin] They have known
nothing but battle
562
00:41:51,592 --> 00:41:53,092
-for a century.
-[screams]
563
00:41:53,177 --> 00:41:55,887
[Auslin] They are born into it,
raised into it.
564
00:41:55,971 --> 00:41:57,311
They are educated into it.
565
00:41:57,389 --> 00:42:00,889
These are probably the greatest warriors
history has ever known.
566
00:42:01,810 --> 00:42:03,600
All of a sudden, there's no war.
567
00:42:03,687 --> 00:42:05,357
[dramatic music plays]
568
00:42:08,359 --> 00:42:09,319
[thunder cracks]
569
00:42:09,401 --> 00:42:13,491
[Meyer] Very quickly, you see this
incredible transformation of the samurai.
570
00:42:14,990 --> 00:42:19,330
Instead of focusing purely on war
and conflict and strategy…
571
00:42:20,788 --> 00:42:24,668
there's an increasing focus on philosophy,
duty, honor.
572
00:42:24,750 --> 00:42:26,170
What does it mean to serve?
573
00:42:26,252 --> 00:42:29,842
What does it mean
to be a warrior in an age of peace?
574
00:42:30,381 --> 00:42:32,931
And so, within just a couple of decades,
575
00:42:33,008 --> 00:42:36,598
the samurai are in many ways
unrecognizable from what they had been.
576
00:42:38,973 --> 00:42:40,643
[Auslin] But the samurais' legacy
577
00:42:40,724 --> 00:42:44,404
in the transformation of a country
from one of bloody civil war to peace
578
00:42:44,478 --> 00:42:46,728
stands like a colossus over Japan.
579
00:42:51,986 --> 00:42:54,606
The century of warfare,
580
00:42:54,697 --> 00:42:58,987
as tragic as it was,
and as destructive and brutal as it was,
581
00:42:59,076 --> 00:43:02,576
provided 250 years of peace,
582
00:43:02,663 --> 00:43:06,543
and that's an achievement that is
actually quite rare in human history.
583
00:43:13,299 --> 00:43:15,299
[closing theme plays]