For a thousand years the sole occupation for the country of Japan was perfecting the art of war. The warrior who personified that perfection was the Samurai. Of those millions of Samurai there is one that stands above and beyond all others… one man who literally wrote the book on how to be and what it is to be a Samurai; Miyamoto Musashi. He was a man, who at the age of 13, in 1596 killed his first man. He was a man who was never defeated in one on one combat. A man, who was in an occupation that a 30 year old would be considered ancient, he died at the age of 61.

This documentary, that debuted on the History Channel in 2010, follows Mark Dacascos (Yes, that Mark Dacascos, the ‘Chairman’ from Iron Chef America) on a journey around Japan. He follows in the footsteps of Miyamoto Musashi to try and find the spirit of the Samurai and discover the man who wrote “The Book of Five Rings”, which contain the sacred teachings of Musashi.

‘Samurai” is endlessly fascinating and worth watching if you have any interest in Samurai or Japanese culture. It is well made and deftly executed. I know I was enthralled when I first saw it two years ago and was still spellbound re-watching it recently.

Below you will find the documentary in its entirety. Take the time and watch it.