Cannes, October 14, 2025 – Japanese public media organization NHK and French Production Company GEDEON Programmes are happy to announce that the two parties have signed a deal to team up again to co-produce an exciting new documentary titled “The Lost Castle of Azuchi.” This project blends history and science to uncover the mysteries surrounding one of Japan’s most enigmatic architectural wonders.

Following their successful collaboration on “Run Against Time: The Snowman Race in Bhutan,” co-produced with Bhutanese public broadcaster BBS, NHK and GEDEON Programmes continue to build on their strong creative synergy. “The Lost Castle of Azuchi” promises to captivate global audiences with its innovative storytelling, cutting-edge research, and cinematic visuals.

The Lost Castle of Azuchi
(Distributed by Terranoa and NHK Enterprises)
＊Distributed by NEP under title "Samurai Secrets: The Castle Revolution"
 

This captivating documentary explores the tantalizing mysteries of the lost Azuchi Castle, Japan’s first true samurai castle built by the 16th century visionary warlord Oda Nobunaga, who not only unified the country but redefined its cultural identity. His Azuchi Castle marked a turning point in Japanese architecture—evolving from simple forts into majestic complexes with high-rise towers and lavish interiors. Its legacy endures, but the shape, color, and interior of this game-changing castle have remained largely unknown, as it was destroyed shortly after Nobunaga’s assassination. This riveting program attempts to resurrect the enigmatic Azuchi Castle by seeking clues from historical archives and ancient records left by Christian missionaries, who expressed their sheer amazement in Nobunaga’s tremendous feat. It also investigates the fate of a gold folding screen depicting the castle that Nobunaga gifted to the Pope, now missing. With the help of advanced ICVFX technology and vivid reenactments, this program brings Nobunaga’s long-lost castle to life, immersing viewers in the ambition, innovation, and cultural exchange that defined an era.

Yuko Fukuyama, Senior Producer of NHK’s International Co-production team, expresses her NHK and GEDEON Programmes Reunite for History-Science Documentary “The Lost Castle of Azuchi” excitement in the collaboration: “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. 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, GEDEON Media Group comments: “The Samurais and their legendary castles have always fascinated audience and this film reveals Japan at an 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.”

About NHK
NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) is Japan’s sole public service media organization. Funded by receiving fees from Japanese households, it has a reputation for impartial, high-quality programs including news, documentaries, children’s and educational programs, music, entertainment, culture, animation, and drama. Known as the pioneer of HD broadcast, NHK now actively produces programs in 4K and 8K.
www.nhk.or.jp/corporateinfo/

About GEDEON Programmes
GEDEON Programmes is a production company of the GEDEON Media Group. GEDEON Media Group is one of Europe’s leading coproduction partner. It has built its reputation for high production value and exclusive access stories, covering a wide range of topics from science and adventure to history, wildlife, human stories and culture. With 4,000 hours of TV documentaries, 20 feature-length documentaries and 500 awards garnered internationally over three decades. The group initiates and participates in numerous co-productions every year with top broadcasters and production companies across Europe, America, Asia and, the Middle East.

For further information, please contact
Fumina Koike (koike.f-ge@nhk.or.jp) 
International Media Relations 
NHK