History of Japan

Latest Episodes:

Episode 303 - The History of the Geisha Aug 30, 2019

Show notes

Finally, a long overdue look at one of the most romanticized and exocitized parts of traditional Japanese culture. What are geisha? Where do they come from? Aren't they basically fancy prostitutes? And haven't I learned everything I need to know about them from reading Memoirs of a Geisha?

Episode 302 - Stand Up For Your Rights, Part 2 Aug 23, 2019

Show notes

This week, we take a look at the peasant uprisings in Aizu domain in 1868 to continue our exploration of the question: where were all the peasants in the Meiji Restoration?

Bonus Episode - Sakakibara Seito/"Boy A" Aug 19, 2019

Show notes

What's this? Another cross-posted Criminal Records episode?

That's right! Check it out, and if you like it go to criminalrecordspodcast.com for more.

Episode 301 - Stand Up For Your Rights, Part 1 Aug 16, 2019

Show notes

While the Meiji Restoration was going on, where was everybody else? We'll start trying to answer that question today with a look at an uprising in 1866 in the region of Shindatsu.

Episode 300 - The 300th Episode! Aug 09, 2019

Show notes

It's a shame you can't embed gifs in the episode descriptions, because otherwise this would just be the Ron Paul It's Happening! gif.

Thank you all for enjoying the show; it would not be what it is without you.

Episode 299 - The Rebellion that Never Was Aug 02, 2019

Show notes

This week, we cover an obscure bit of samurai history: the Keian Incident, a planned coup against the Tokugawa Shoguns that was foiled by a lucky bit of happenstance. What can we learn from something that, in a certain sense, didn't actually happen?

Episode 298 - The Ghost of Japan Past Jul 26, 2019

Show notes

This week, we profile one of the great Western interpreters of Japan: Lafcadio Hearn. How did some Anglo-Greek kid end up in Japan by way of New Orleans, and why do we still care about him today?

Episode 297 - As I Crossed a Bridge of Dreams, Part 2 Jul 19, 2019

Show notes

This week, we round out our look at the celebrated women of Heian Japan with two very different careers: that of the celebrated poet Akazome Emon and the recluse known either as Takasue's daughter or Lady Sarashina. Plus some final thoughts on women in the Heian era.

Episode 296 - As I Crossed a Bridge of Dreams, Part 1 Jul 12, 2019

Show notes

This week: the start of a two-part series on women in Heian Japan. What makes the social position of women in the Heian Era so distinct from later points of Japanese history, and from the East Asian cultural sphere more generally? How do we know what we know about the lives of women? And what can we learn from the story of one particularly badass woman: the poet and "femme fatale" Izumi Shikibu?

Episode 295 - Into Thin Air Jul 05, 2019

Show notes

This week, we cover the true story of North Korea's abduction of Japanese civilians. Who was taken, and why? What do we know about their lives in the north? And how does their disappearance still affect the relationship between Japan and North Korea today?

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

History of Japan

Related Podcasts

1

2

3

4

5

6