What the Ancients Knew - Japan

Japan an island group roughly 120 million people strong with a recorded history of only 1600 years is the second largest economic power in the world today in the eye of history Japan's success happened overnight and yet it didn't come out of the blue cultivating an ancient legacy modern Japan continues to hold on to its past influenced by Shinto and Buddhism the two major religions the Japanese have developed many unique methods and techniques that they handed down from one generation to the next for centuries Japanese craftsmen strove to become one with their chosen materials gradually perfecting their methods and while many traditional crafts are struggling to survive in the modern marketplace the essence of that knowledge lives on it was the key to Japan's success and it still is I will show you how what the ancients knew helps explain the industrial marvel of modern Japan [Music] to understand Japan's sudden advance in science and technology it is necessary to understand the countries close relationship with nature and its enduring ties with ancient traditions the ancients believed that a spirit or kami lived in everything especially in trees because according to an ancient legend the first Japanese descended from the heavens by climbing down on cypress trees [Music] but Buddhism and Shintoism Japan's two major religions permeate every aspect of life rooted in Shinto the native religion the Japanese have developed a way uniquely their own spurring techniques and methods dedicated to finding the spirit the essence of things [Music] they search for essence which shaped modern technology flourished in the ancient capital of Kyoto it's here where the ancient and the modern world meet the buildings in the old part of the city are a testament to the Japanese love for wood the spiritual connection with trees inspired Japan's ancient construction techniques I went to this family home on the outskirts of Kyoto to take a look at something you don't get to see very often respected construction expert Kyoshi Yasui has made it his personal mission to preserve houses that were built using the ancient carpentry techniques Mr Yasui had just started the dismantling process he was taking the entire house apart piece by piece to rebuild it someday in a new site this was a rare opportunity to see the details of the construction mr. Yasui pointed out some of the key construction features the main pillar like the shaft of an umbrella a traditional Japanese house is built around a central pillar that is connected to supporting beams with intricate joints the framing is a system of uprights and horizontals the backbone the backbone of the house because this is one piece big indeed the beam is a single tree nearly 60 feet long influenced by Shinto traditional Japanese carpenters like to incorporate the natural shape of wood into the design you know if they even include branches a natural curvature to elicit the spirit the kami they believed lives inside each beam mr. Yasuo explained the technique in detail that the ancient builders developed to accommodate the varying shapes and angles the ancients called it the interlocking technique in which slats and grooves fit together like a puzzle yeah yeah it moves yeah move I see I see so if there's an earthquake it can it can bend yeah flexibility and durability of the structure rely on these ingenious interlocking joints this whole joint business is a bit of a jigsaw puzzle but these guys are gonna show me how and the guys she must at this point my high school Japanese came in handy y'all know what it's not a lot okay these are the deku the experts of traditional Japanese carpentry techniques historically their profession is somewhat mystical because for centuries their knowledge was only transmitted from master to apprentice they ascend to hold it in place as well many pagodas shrines and private homes are built in this interlocking technique because surprisingly the Japanese didn't use metal screws in wood fastening until the 18th century pillars are usually constructed from cypress for beauty and durability which is a major issue in a country with roughly 1,800 earth tremors each year ancient methods incorporate other natural materials that enhance it these internal walls are just made of mud straw and bamboo and when there's a really strong earthquake that's what cracks but they're easily fixed [Music] just a few days later they dismantled the gigantic horizontal beam it was the 25th house mr. Yasui saved from demolition preserving yet another piece of japan's history for his children and grandchildren [Music] but mister Yasui knows that time is not the only threat to the ancient buildings he so cherishes 1995 a six point nine earthquake in Kobe destroyed 100,000 private homes built in the traditional style in only 20 seconds leaving 300,000 people homeless and killing thousands however in the same quake the taller pagodas remained standing although hundreds of years older and built using the same interlocking technique they didn't collapse intrigued by the mystery I wanted to know more so I went to the pagoda at kiyomizu temple in Kyoto to meet an expert hila kazoo Nishizawa is professor of structural engineering at kyoto university out of the work he explained that while the flexibility of the interlocking technique increased the earthquake resistance the more crucial component was inside according to Professor nisshin's our earthquake resistance is a matter of movement and harmonics surprisingly the secret turned out to be a central pillar unlike the one in mr. your Suez preserved house this one didn't provide the central support but stood like a huge telephone pole in the center of the pagoda incredibly this vertical pillar was attached only to the first floor but not to any of the walls so that's the bottom of the pillar yes so it's not actually at the bottom of the pagoda as out some theorists yes and ee the first spri you know and this were actually connected and then it's just floating out there look it's moving yes and how does that work how does how does the pillar absorb all of that all of that force vibration motor order outer frame quite different from the center Peter I say so it absorbs the force from the rest of the building and yes takes it in sighs yes this is how it works when the earth moves the pagoda sways like a snake leaning against the rigid central pillar which then counters the movement of the outer structure and prevents it from toppling over this is the secret to their earthquake resistance right can we that's astonishing yeah Japan is known not only for massive earthquakes but for towering skyscrapers Tokyo especially is famous for them I had heard that the pagoda design had found a new application there until 1968 height restrictions kept Tokyo skyline well below the current scale but then Yoshimoto put the Kasumi gazecki building the city's first skyscraper inspired by the pagoda mr. Muto designed his building to sway like a willow since mr. Muto's time many of the principles used in pagoda construction have been applied here in Tokyo's ever-growing forest of skyscrapers with the earthquake resistance this gives them only the sky is the limit the ancient pagoda technology has been incorporated into the construction of one of Tokyo's newest skyscrapers you can tell from the outside but I knew where to look I met mr. Tatsu Ranade head of technology in research for the construction company he took me behind the scenes to show me the skyscrapers backbone mr. inada pointed out that the central pillar concept had been directly adapted to the four pillars supporting this building and the contact man can come back to you it's in Basia central periodic or the neighbors look when you are I don't even know this absorbs the force and then the force goes up the pillar for massive steel pillars form the flexible core of this 37 storey skyscraper today's engineers modified the pagoda free-standing pillar concept using flexible steel plates they connected the pillars to the building's superstructure the model shows them as elastic strips that allow the building to sway when the earth moves so far no earthquake damage has been recorded really works I was fascinated with the Japanese way during repeated periods of isolation the Japanese had incorporated and perfected various foreign technologies whether from across Asia Europe or later the US on the surface Tokyo struck me as pretty futuristic with Japan's ancient roots are visible all across the country [Music] one period in history has left a deep mark on modern Japan the time of the samurai warriors the symbol of this era became world-famous the samurai sword today its secrets are used to save life rather than take it there are many ways to keep in touch with history the ancient art of Edo grew out of the sword testers group through yato each sword was tested for balance flexibility and to see if it would do the job to look at the others you'd think it was effortless in fact the sword is rather heavy this one was approximately 29 inches long and weighed over two pounds to master the various strokes gracefully requires years of practice but one move demanded immediate proficiency I had no idea how difficult it would be to put the sword back into the scabbard [Music] without slicing my thumb off [Music] samurai were known for their swords because no one but a samurai could carry one the samurai were also known as bushy and their way of life Bushido was a way of life whose highest ideals were honesty incorruptibility and frugality a scorn for material possessions besides this sword the samurais most prized possessions were his pride and his honor the Japanese reverence for the samurai and that legendary swords goes back a thousand years one sort maker passed his secrets on to the next generation initially the knowledge of metallurgy was introduced to Japan by Korea and China possibly even India Yoshikazu Yoshihara is carrying on the family tradition now in his 20th year of training he is well on his way to becoming a master the steel he uses was melted in an ancient process which produces tamahagane II or joules steel it is particularly high in carbon which is one of the secrets to forging a keen blade a sword begins as an ingot of carefully selected two mahogany chips which have been forged together by selecting the perfect mix of Steel's mr. Yoshihara is able to take advantage of the Steel's natural variations that might sound surprising but it's the variations that give the sword its beauty its personality and its effectiveness the ingot is folded hammered and cooled repeatedly creating thousands of layers forged welded to one another judging by the color of the heated metal the swordsmith knows when the temperature is just right already the tenth generation master craftsman Yoshihara senior is one of japan's living national treasures the Japanese government recognizes him as exemplary in carrying on the ancient tradition of sword making what is the secret to making the perfect sword [Music] today's your place you can merit evil master Yoshihara believes that first you must follow your own nature if you are natural and firm in your beliefs yet flexible in the way you encounter life then your spirit will inhabit the blade and make it perfect [Music] each sword maker has his own formula Yoshikazu only admits that his father taught him that at least 13 folds are required other secrets include strict standards for heating and cooling the formula produces an obsidian heart played with winner light flexibility finally it's polished to perfection today the swords deadly history is easily forgotten in light of its remarkable beauty three hundred years later the same razor-sharp technology that once took countless lives is transformed to help relieve suffering Kai industries in second in Nagoya a world famous for their surgical blades the manager mr. cutter Aki Yamada told me that they spent a lot of time and effort replicating the samurai steel and forging process mr. Yamada asked me to try for myself I was surprised how soft steel could be in a proprietary process of heating and cooling the soft and flexible steel is turned rigid it's all about the carbon under the electron microscope carbon particles are clearly present on the surface of unprocessed steel after a series of heating and cooling the carbon particles have been moved inside the blade giving the steel its strength as with the samurai sword the finished steel shows layers produced by folding lending the blades their flexibility these precision instruments used for microsurgery are the lasting legacy of the ancient sword smiths in Japanese history ancient know-how and modern technology often stands side by side here in Seki City a traditional center of samurai sword making Chi corporation is today japan's premier manufacturer of cutting tools just as in the days of the samurai the best blade is both flexible and one that keeps its edge warfare marked the samurai era ingenious security measures protected the supreme commander or Shogun from sneak attacks it sounds like a birdhouse in here even in Kyoto's Nijo castle the Shogun could never feel entirely secure so to prevent any unwelcome intruders he had a nightingale floor installed that is the floor that sings like a nightingale here's how it works mounted beneath the floorboards forged iron clamps rubbed together creating a chirping sound when anyone walks on them innovation underscored the samurai era right to the end it was a time of peace without the constant threat of war the life of a samurai continued to be defined by ritual it was then that the famous tea ceremony developed the tea ceremony became so popular it sparked an industry especially in the ancient capital Kyoto [Music] adorning the tea ceremonies of the samurai thousands of cups and bowls could cure yaki where was shaped by hand to embody the special spirit of the ceremony while ceramics are among mankind's oldest natural materials the production method has remained consistent throwing clay for centuries gave the Japanese profound insights into the materials capabilities our electricity has replaced the kick wheel a few Potter's like Master mi keep the ancient kyriaki tradition alive he gave me a lesson in the ancient art of throwing he's just being polite it's a very polite country the trick is to keep it even as the market got bigger and more sophisticated there was a demand for new and unusual forms and one of the qualities that they most prized was a tiny irregularity because it was the irregularity that made the piece unique and the one I've made is certainly irregular but I should get a second opinion tell me this guy Dino not bad fish big enough for this man yeah talk about their course if you're not careful this stage really hard work and go to waste shapes and styles change from one master to the next but what remains consistent are the properties of ceramics basically there's not much difference between these roof tiles and this fine ceramic bowl what the ancient ceramic masters learned was the essence of their materials by varying the raw ingredients they could determine the qualities of the end product some were rough and porous while others were white smooth and crystalline the final factor was the heat using only wood for fuel the early kyoto potters designed versatile technology that took the basic heat principle one step further this is a climbing kiln a survivor of a technology over a thousand years old during the Edo period in the early 17th century there was a huge upsurge in demand for ceramics both in variety and volume kilns such as this one met both needs big enough to hold hundreds of pieces each chamber received a different amount of heat that was the key to this ancient innovative design in a climbing kiln the heat from the main fire gradually diminishes as it rises up the kiln at the same time the oxygen content increases with that variation there are changes in the properties of the ceramics that come out the other end tea bowls that were finished with glass like glazes required higher temperatures so they're fired at the bottom earthenware like that of master mi doesn't require a hard finish so they would have been fired higher in the kiln where the temperature was lower the more I looked for the role of ceramics and everyday applications the more I was struck by how much every culture around the globe has relied upon this material throughout history [Music] yes it was the Japanese who expanded their ancient knowledge of ceramics into an entirely new generation of materials that changed our lives forever many ancient technologies are dying out in Japan older new live side-by-side what their ancestors new is utilized by the Japanese of today to pioneer new applications when it comes to electronics Japan revolutionized our world [Music] searching for the essence gave the Japanese our conceptual and eventually an economic advantage in Japan miniaturization is an ancient tradition and so far no one can tell me exactly why what is clear though is that in the electronic age this philosophy gave Japan the edge at a modern ceramics factory I saw how some of the ancient techniques contributed to the most recent advances in miniaturization the founders of Murata manufacturing proudly traced the origins of their company back to the 17th century to the ancient ceramic traditions of Kyoto instead of crockery and now make electronic components mr. Tetsuya Ikeda Murata's head of development introduced me to one of their basic ceramic products Tetsu can you tell me what where what are we looking at yeah here the ceramic circuit board circuit board yeah after centuries of working with clays scientists and Murat has changed the course of technological history they developed innovative ceramics just like the classic material they can be molded into any shape but what's more they have electrical properties [Music] the ancient wood-burning kilns have been replaced with electronic ones that operate at precise temperatures for mixing the components to the cooling of the finished boards precision control is the key to success is it really hot when it comes out I'm not falling but because they're quitting zone 2 here it's cold huh yeah let's see that obviously these circuit boards have fine-tuned ceramics with added properties that's completely this thing is ready to go yeah our computer hired yes here's the difference classic ceramics are not electrically useful but when Murata combines suitable ceramic metal oxides they created a variety of technical ceramics with exploitable electrical properties the internal micro structures of these dielectric ceramics react in different ways when voltage is applied while some ceramic compounds block electron flow others respond mechanically causing a component to vibrate or pulse and do things like make your cell phone ring my next stop was a controlled research area okay in this contamination free area they're working on a brand new experimental component the base is a mixture of technical ceramics which is sparingly applied to a thin plastic film once fired in the kiln section of the processor the already super thin ceramic film shrinks and becomes thinner still in the secret process layers of micro thin ceramic films are used to build up complex electronic components [Music] one such component lies in these fantastically tiny capacitors that will provide increasingly smaller memory circuits from crockery to electronics it's really amazing how Japan was able to transfer an ancient technology into our modern times but the ancient origin of a tool used to inspect today's powerful microchips is even more amazing [Music] [Music] Tokyo's bustling Akihabara district is one gigantic electronic bazaar where you can find the latest in compact personal electronics here it's clear have a small approach gave Japan an edge you can find a miniature anything in Akihabara this year range of gadgetry is mind-boggling even the features on the cellphone can make you dizzy what makes them all possible is an essential component of miniaturization the microchip microchips are basically tiny silicon wafers with circuits edged onto them the surface has to be perfectly flat to ensure reliable connections at Yamashiro Denso corporation mr. Misaki Yamashita the chairman introduced me to a surprising modern application of an ancient technique this machine called magic mirror checks polished silicon wafers for any imperfections here's how it works light sprays hitting a flat surface bounce off at the same angle any deviation in the surface causes them to bounce off in different angles these imperfections are so slight you can't see them with the naked eye it looks good using this reflective principle the machine can detect surface imperfections down to two to three nanometers that is 2 to 3 billions of a meter they're shown as dark areas wherever the surface isn't flat for the wafer to be used for chips the image must be completely white that is free of any deviations like this one magic mirror or Macchio technology has become a world standard but why is it called magic mirror once again the answer lies in the past [Music] an ancient technology imported from China the magic mirror had a revival in mid 16th century Japan at this time Christianity was considered a foreign influence and an obstacle to establishing absolute control over the people to be Christian was illegal showing your faith in public could cost you your head however during this dark period the magic mirror saved lives the magic began with a copper plate that was cast and polished under a master's hand the real magic of the mirror is its precision the image is carved on the reflecting surface so subtly that if you look at yourself in the mirror all you see is yourself but if the mirror reflects white light it tells a different story thanks to the magic mirror Christians could secretly identify themselves to those who shared their faith the light reflecting principle of the wafer analyzer goes back centuries to this ancient technology to find out how the image got inside the mirror I visited a traditional workshop in Kyoto the Yamamoto family has been making magic mirrors for nearly 200 years they follow an ancient process with a few modern touches copper is melted at about 1300 degrees centigrade in this small gas furnace while it's a secret family recipe some say that the best mirrors are made of five parts LED 15 parts tin and eighty parts copper a little burnt stroll filters out any surface impurities as it is poured into the mold it looks simple enough so I thought I'd give it a try okay this makes me a little bit nervous oh it is unbelievably hot other than a thousand barbecues and now the trick is to pour it without spilling it and burning my feet off I feel like I'm building my face up and there we go let's see if that one comes out magic so no I don't think so two hours later the mold has cooled and the cast is broken out the copper plate is blank on one side today the other side displays a Buddha however during the persecution a false back concealed the Christian image then the magical process of finishing begins mr. Yamamoto is the fifth generation in a family of magic mirror makers he's been studying the craft here in his father's workshop for eight years but he still has another two years to go before he can call himself a master that's how long it takes to learn the touch [Music] scraping and polishing creates microscopic surface variations on the front that produce a reflected image similar to the one on the back it takes weeks in a progression of ever finer scrapers to create the image on the mirror surface mr. Yamamoto uses a piece of charcoal like this for the final stage in the polishing process you can actually see when he's got it right he has to feel it the entire process takes about three months start to finish even for the most skilled craftsmen only an experienced touch will eventually reveal the magical image once the mirrors been polished it's coated with a thin film of nickel at which point it looks exactly like an ordinary mirror for the final stage in the process it's taken outside to check that the image on the back reflects through the front if the light is right it does [Music] the ancients quest for essence a deep understanding of the materials and their reverence for tradition paved the road from classic ceramics to electronic ceramics from magic mirrors to state-of-the-art inspection devices and surprisingly from the 17th century samurai doll to the 21st century robot [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] many of Japan's modern technologies are based on adaptations that go back 300 years to the Edo period in the 17th century a European mechanical clock was brought as a gift to Japan it would spark a none imagined innovation during the Edo period Science and Technology focused on the search for read the underlying principle of nature when craftsman got a look at the clock they were so awed by its movements that they dismantled it to uncover the force that drove it Springs and gears were concealed inside lending the clock its wondrous magic this was the beginning of karakuri a tradition of mechanical devices designed to take you by surprise their belief was that technology should be an extension of human actions and so the ancients designed humanoid dolls and puppets based on the clock they mechanism stores energy when it's wound up which when released translates into motion in the curry curry tradition the technology is concealed so you don't know why a device does what it does to the ancients that was magic in this case the surprise is that the chaco bean ingu or tea serving dolls mechanism is triggered by a teacup designed to evoke a feeling of wonder and mystery during samurai tea ceremonies it was Japan's first home entertainment robot today the kuru kuru doll might be nothing more than an expensive collector's item were it not for one modern engineers reverence for the ancient technology [Music] the karakuri doll has a new home in the aisin aw company here it's been reinvented as a state-of-the-art energy-saving device mr. xie haru Ikeda Ison's chief engineer explain to me why he'd become interested in the karriker Adal this plant heavy transmissions are moved from one assembly point to another on complex electric trolleys for such a simple job he thought there had to be a better way we're calling a clever mechanism from the past mr. Ikeda copied the ancient wooden karakuri doll using modern materials to properties of the Karakoram mechanism drew his attention first mr. Ikeda realized the enormous energy that can be stored in the spring secondly how weight can be used to release that energy to power a set of gears reconstructing the ancient mechanism inspired a nifty adaptation this is the dahle mechanisms new function so now you're going to explain to me how this one works [Music] to move his heavy transmissions mr. akkada built a charactery cart pájaro or Moya the cart is driven by industrial Springs and gears the weight of the transmission forces down a drive gear and compresses the springs in essence storing energy so the ways of assessing worn the transmission slides onto the cart releasing a catch that allows it to move [Applause] when the cart reaches the point of transfer on impact the momentum carries the weight onto the conveyor the springs are released turning the gears that move the cart back to its starting position [Music] no external energy like electricity is needed sorry adding a welcome side effect to the karakuri doll mechanism by cutting energy costs significantly [Music] so after 300 years the spirit of the Caracara doll lives on in this modern factory if you think that's cool wait till you see this at the expo in Nagoya Japan's vision of the future became apparent the exhibition's theme centered on the spirit of nature and humanity in their relationship with modern machines robots will be a part of our world no where is Japan's ancient fascination with the character a doll more obvious than here it's rather amazing but they told me these robots really played this music [Applause] the Japanese belief INRI the hidden force inside a machine has triggered a gigantic industry to produce humanoid robots Japanese kids love them from an early age they learn how to interact with them for me on the other hand talking to a robot was a totally foreign experience according to his resume this guy speaks four different languages hello robot do you speak English maybe he's a little shy Robert can you tell me where the theater is please this is robot theater correct correct leave through the rear exit and turn left turn right at the T Junction and you will see it in front of you thank you very much while the robots at the expo were fascinating a glimpse of our future relationship with machines required a visit to an already legendary humanoid dr. Hiroshi kobayashi built Saye the receptionist these are the words she knows yeah can we track them it took him 12 years to create her emotions konnichiwa I need you up tying up an open-top but as science we take an ID Chema's dying saya luciani she must are pinky thank you she's fine Sakura Donna Parker taka denying saguaros it a ya know that I feel bye bye bye bye in the spirit of karakuri the robots mechanism is hidden on you but it was something straight out of a sci-fi movie ok I'm sorry there are almost 20 points on the face after processing by a computer the spoken word triggers a sequence of mechanical actions 19 compressed air lines with special constricting sleeves are attached behind the robot's face compressed air causes the sleeve to contract and elicit 12 facial expressions by cooing the boolean yeah but why do you go to such trouble to produce something that looks like a human being why not just have a box that talks yeah because the really is very important for the communication between human robots mm-hmm that's why I concentrate on developing the barrier robots okay in a sense you want to convince someone that they're talking to a real human being well you will well on the way if history is any indication sires example shows just how far ancient technologies can go certainly 2,000 years ago Japan's silk weavers would not have imagined the impact of their craft particularly not in the field of biopharmaceuticals and yet it was their ancient knowledge that provided genetic engineers with the clues for a life-saving protein the northern parts of Japan's countryside aligned with rows of trees like these at one time they were the source of the nation's wealth the miracle of silk begins with the mulberry what goes into the silkworm as a leaf comes out as silk a process the Japanese have been exploiting and studying for centuries but now in the days of cotton and polyester the process itself is being transformed it's amazing to think that silk has been a part of Japan's culture for over 2,000 years sericulture was brought to japan around 300 BC from that time on families throughout Japan produced the treasured fabric by hand a kimono created out of handmade silk is a cherished heirloom that can run as high as 40 thousand dollars the cost lies in the craftsmanship in the ancient silk producing center of Yuki a few traditional workshops remain here silk fabrics with intricate patterns are woven on looms inspired by the ancient Chinese technology the generations of masters like Akira sudo have perfected this unique knot-tying process he's preparing the thread for the various dyeing phases that eventually create these subtle patterns but first you've got to have a thread it's the secret of Japanese silk silk fiber is a secretion from two glands in the silkworms head which creates the cocoon to make the cocoon it only takes the worm two to three days to spin a thread that is more than a mile long the silk dries when it comes in contact with air missus Murata showed me how in the ancient tradition that thread is loosely twisted and not tightly spun gonna need to you are we gather together it takes real skill to unravel silkworm cocoons once the cocoons have been boiled the silk is pulled and twisted into a thread saliva makes it smooth it's actually harder than it looks at the real trick getting the silk always the same thickness it takes a long time to master after a year of hard work these pieces of art of the reward for the highly skilled craftsman and as more synthetic thread is used traditional silk is becoming increasingly precious the miracle is that the silkworms may hold a new promise which science is just beginning to explore the National Institute of agra by illogical sciences isn't far from the ancient silk town of yuki but it is light-years away in terms of silkworm production I met with dr. tashaki Tamura the labs chief geneticist and here they are the little wonder worms there are more than 1,000 different kinds around the globe and Japan is familiar with over 600 of these given Japan's history it is no wonder that it's scientists are leading the decoding of the silkworms genome turns out that silk is a protein scientists here in the insect Factory of the ni is experimenting with genetically modified silkworms that produce not silk but proteins that can be used for medical purposes a revealing test shows they're making progress the first challenge is to redesign the silkworms DNA to accept a new gene to test the concept doctor Tamara's team is injecting the jellyfish gene for luminescence they can splice it into their DNA worms from these eggs will glow green under ultraviolet light these genetically engineered silkworms could produce useful proteins such as interferon which is used to fight cancer if successful the new biotechnology could make Japan a major player in the hugely profitable pharmaceutical market to deceive us here dr. Tamara explained that the green glow is proof that the fluorescent jellyfish gene was successfully introduced into the silkworms DNA the next stage is crucial to the team success the key is to get a new gene to affect the silkworms protein what is this the fear valve kaboom the glowing cocoon means the biotech splice has been a success okay so this is the proof that the process works yeah as you can see here the team is well on its way to transforming the silkworm into a cancer fighter adding yet another innovation to our modern world based on what the ancients knew walking around Tokyo that night I was amazed at how much modern Japanese technology is rooted in ancient traditions whether tea serving dolls transformed into robots for ancient carpentry techniques built into earthquake resistant skyscrapers Japan's ingenuity seems to recharge itself by looking into the past taking ancient traditions and projecting them into the future today many of Japan's traditional crafts are dying out but what remains is their essence the effect they have on us translating ancient knowledge into modern technology Japan has gained a unique edge thanks to what the ancients knew Japan is pushing open new doors into a whole new era of Science and Technology

Channel: Mantikore420

Views: 2,332,164

Rating: 4.8460245 out of 5

Keywords: what the ancients knew, japan, ancient japan, japanese, ancient japanese culture, japanese culture, history, Documentary, Culture, ancient history

Id: A3at1K-SzCk

Length: 49min 33sec (2973 seconds)

Published: Sat Dec 29 2012

Reddit Comments

[u/swarvy_swang]

This was a really informative documentary -- it really sparked my interest in Japan. They seem to be doing it right in every regard over there. The ones carrying on traditional views maintain a spiritual philosophy that makes sense and insists on preservation and compliance with the natural balance. Also, the Japanese approach to innovation and dynamism is amazing. They seem to really appreciate new and novel methods of making life better.

Not to mention how cool it all is.

That host was such a chill noodle. I'd kick it with him anytime. He was actually interested in the subject of the documentary, which made the whole thing so much better.

Thanks for sharing, man.