NHK Reunites with GEDEON for The Lost Castle of Azuchi

NHK has re-teamed with GEDEON Programmes to co-produce the documentary The Lost Castle of Azuchi, uncovering the mysteries of one of Japan’s lost architectural wonders.

With Terranoa and NHK Enterprises distributing, the documentary explores Japan’s first true samurai castle built by a 16th-century warlord who unified the country and redefined its cultural identity. The program seeks to resurrect the castle by using clues from historical archives and ancient records left by Christian missionaries and using ICVFX technology and reenactments.

It also investigates the fate of a gold folding screen depicting the castle that the warlord gifted to the Pope, now missing.

“From the early stages of development, we worked closely with our respected partner, GEDEON Programmes, whose insight and expertise have enabled us to shed light on the beautiful history of the samurai warlords,” said Yuko Fukuyama, senior producer of NHK’s international co-production team. “They not only supported us by securing access to the Vatican, a key element in our documentary, but also guided us in creating a documentary with universal appeal.”

Isabelle Graziadey, deputy general manager of Terranoa, part of GEDEON Media Group, commented, “The samurais and their legendary castles have always fascinated audiences, and this film reveals Japan at a historical turning point when Shiga became the center of a country on the path to unification. This is yet another example of the rich and fruitful creative collaboration where GEDEON has benefited from NHK’s access to the latest research, lavish reenactments and best historians to bring this fascinating story to an international audience.”