News Terra X: Azuchi

In 1579, the Japanese warlord Oda Nobunaga had Azuchi Castle completed as a spectacular monument to his supremacy over central Japan. Just three years later, the castle lay in ruins and Nobunaga had taken his own life—a symbol of the turbulent Warring States period (sengoku jidai).

In the French documentary “Azuchi – Die Burg des Samurai,” broadcast by ZDF as part of the Terra X series, the castle is reconstructed using state-of-the-art digital methods (including drones and AI). At the same time, the program also explores the political, social, and cultural context of the Warring States period. Hans Martin Krämer, professor of Japanese studies at Heidelberg University, was interviewed as an expert for this program and is featured extensively.