History of Japan

Latest Episodes:

Episode 313 - The Doctor is In Nov 08, 2019

Show notes

This week, we're going to zoom in on the kind of life that doesn't usually make the big picture history of Japan. It's time to look at the story of a single medical student during the final years of the Tokugawa era and explore everything from his education to his drinking habit, and to ask ourselves just what we can learn from such a focused examination of the past.

Show notes here.

Episode 312 - Freedom and People's Rights, Part 3 Nov 01, 2019

Show notes

This week, we look at the violent incidents that eventually undermined the Freedom and People's Rights Movement, and the legacies of the movement for Japan today.

Episode 311 - Freedom and People's Rights, Part 2 Oct 25, 2019

Show notes

How do you talk about a movement without clear leaders? By breaking down its different levels. Plus, a look at how things came to a head between the Freedom and People's Rights Movement and the government.

Episode 310 - Freedom and People's Rights, Part 1 Oct 18, 2019

Show notes

This week, we're starting a look at the Jiyu Minken Undo -- the Freedom and People's Rights Movement -- by talking a bit about its ideological origins as well as some of the movement's early leaders.

Episode 309 - Flying High Oct 11, 2019

Show notes

This week: the battle against the construction of a new international airport in Chiba prefecture. Who fought against the airport, why, and how did it all go so very wrong?

Episode 308 - The Prisoners of Nanbu, Part 3 Oct 04, 2019

Show notes

This week, the crew of the Breskens is freed at last. Plus some final thoughts on Tokugawa diplomacy.

Episode 307 - The Prisoners of Nanbu, Part 2 Sep 27, 2019

Show notes

The Breskens crew arrive in Edo, with the question of how they are to be treated looming over them. At the same time, another group of very different Europeans arrive there as well. This week, we'll talk about the interwoven fates of both groups, and what they tell us about the concerns of the shogunate and Tokugawa Iemitsu.

Episode 306 - The Prisoners of Nanbu, Part 1 Sep 20, 2019

Show notes

This week, we're taking a look at the foreign policy of Edo Japan by starting a deep dive into a complex case study: the tale of the 10 prisoners of Nanbu domain!

Episode 305 - The American Interlude, Part 2 Sep 13, 2019

Show notes

This week, we'll cover the end of USCAR and the legacies of 27 years of foreign rule over Okinawa Prefecture.

Episode 304 - The American Outpost, Part 1 Sep 06, 2019

Show notes

This week, we start off some coverage of the period of American rule over the Ryukyus, and the entwined histories of USCAR - the US Civil Administration for the Ryukyu Islands -- and the GRI, the Government of the Ryukyu Islands. How did this arrangement work? What were the issues between them? And why did so many Okinawans come to despise American rule?

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