Skip to main content
Back to Show
Secrets of the Dead

Preview | A Samurai in the Vatican

In 1613, feudal lord Date Masamune sent a Japanese diplomatic mission to Europe to negotiate with the Pope and the King of Spain in hopes opening a new trade route. Led by samurai Hasekura Tsunenaga and Franciscan monk Luis Sotelo, the expedition spent seven years traveling one-third of the globe.

Support Provided By
Season
The Civil War's Lost Massacre
Unlock with PBS Passport
55:23
A search for the remains of Black Union soldiers murdered toward the end of the Civil War.
The Herculaneum Scrolls
Unlock with PBS Passport
55:15
Scientists attempt to read ancient scrolls carbonized by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius.
Mozart's Sister
Unlock with PBS Passport
55:15
Learn the untold story of Maria Anna Mozart, Wolfgang’s older sister and collaborator.
Returning to Babylon
Unlock with PBS Passport
54:45
Archaeologists search for Assyrian artifacts that survived the Isis occupation of Mosul.
The Princes in the Tower
Unlock with PBS Passport
55:15
Find out if the 15th-century murder of two princes in the Tower of London can be solved.
Death in Britannia
Unlock with PBS Passport
55:15
Uncover the only evidence of crucifixion in Roman-occupied Britain.
Eiffel's Race to the Top
Unlock with PBS Passport
54:45
Discover the untold story of Paris’ most famous landmark and the race to top 1,000 feet.
Jurassic Fortunes
Unlock with PBS Passport
55:01
Discover the world of dinosaur fossil collecting, an unusual hobby with a growing market.
The Sunken Basilica
55:15
Explore the sunken remains of an early Christian basilica in western Turkey.
Abandoning the Titanic
Unlock with PBS Passport
55:15
Learn about the captain of a “mystery ship” who turned away from the "unsinkable" Titanic.
World War Speed
Unlock with PBS Passport
55:41
Follow historian James Holland as he unearths the truth about amphetamine use in WWII.
Egypt's Darkest Hour
Unlock with PBS Passport
55:11
Archaeologists discover a mass grave with the bones of nearly 60 people near Luxor, Egypt.
Active loading indicator