"Memoirs of a Secret Empire" is a PBS mini-series about Japan from just before the beginning of the Tokugawa Shogunate until the end of this regime. This spans, roughly, from the end of the 16th century to just after the US Civil War. An interesting choice was having Richard Chamberlain narrate, as he was the star of the American mini-series, "Shogun"--which was a fictionalize account of the early days of the Tokugawa Shoguns. Everything about this series screams 'Quality'. The many interviewees are quite good (though they could have used captions), the use of paintings and pictures typical of a PBS series and the overall package very nice. Plus, this is one of the most important and formative periods in Japanese history--and SHOULD be known and understood by everyone. Well worth seeing and quite interesting. Well done!