Episode 34 - Japan and Okinawa, Part II | History of Japan Podcast

Episode 1 - Introduction: Welcome to our introductory episode! Today we will be covering the basic ideas behind this podcast, including: Who I am What I'm planning to do here Why you should care about history Why Japanese history is important What I need from you, my... by History of Japan

5 min listen

Episode 3 - The First Capitol: Today we will be discussing the Asuka and Nara periods, and the formation of a centralized, Chinese-style government based in a permanent capitol city. There's intrigue, backstabbing, and stories about poop; should be fun! by History of Japan

18 min listen

Episode 5 - Dream on a Spring Night: This week, we will be covering the fall of the Heian system, the massive Genpei War between the Minamoto and Taira families, and the rise of the first shogunal government (called a bakufu) under the auspices of the brutal Minamoto no Yoritomo. by History of Japan

19 min listen

Episode 24 - In Buddha's Name: The Rise and Fall of the Ikko Ikki, Part 2: We'll be wrapping up our discussion of the Ikko Ikki this week, as the unstoppable force of the militant wing of Jodo Shinshu meets the immovable objects of Tokugawa Ieyasu and Oda Nobunaga. What follows is a tale of treachery, war, and revenge worthy... by History of Japan

25 min listen

Episode 34 - Japan and Okinawa, Part II: This week we'll finish up our two-parter on Japanese-Okinawan relations with a look at Okinawa during the Imperial Period. We'll be focusing heavily on the bloody Battle of Okinawa, and then wrap things up by looking at the relationship between the... by History of Japan

21 min listen

Episode 4 - The Golden Age of Heian: This week's episode will discuss the Heian Period (794-1185), one of the golden ages of Japanese history. We'll talk about the politics and culture of the period, covering the structure of government, literary styles, and why it is that I think the... by History of Japan

18 min listen

Episode 2 - A Kingdom Called Wa: In this second episode, we discuss the earliest periods of Japanese history (the Jomon, Yayoi and Tumulus/Kofun periods), covering the years from prehistory to 538 AD. It's a long haul to cover! by History of Japan

13 min listen

Episode 18 - Enduring the Unendurable: This week's episode is an overview of the Allied Occupation of Japan. In just seven years (1945-1952), the Allies undertook a massive effort to overhaul Japan's politics, economy, and society. We'll discuss the ways in which they tried to do so, and... by History of Japan

28 min listen

Episode 8 - The Three Unifiers: This week, we will be discussing the reunification of Sengoku Japan under the three Sengoku Unifiers -- Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and Tokugawa Ieyasu. We will be discussing the trajectory of their careers and the nature of their characters.... by History of Japan

27 min listen

Episode 10 - A Day in the Life of Edo Japan: This week, I'll be talking about the life of the average city-dweller in the Edo Period. This is a very wide-ranging episode, covering everything from the schools in which young samurai were trained to the kabuki-based prostitution which those same... by History of Japan

28 min listen

Episode 13 - Take Me Out to the Shiai: This week, it's time for a story of triumph and tragedy, racism and acceptance, international relations, and most importantly: baseball! by History of Japan

21 min listen

Episode 7 - Descent into Chaos: This week, we're going to cover the fall of the Ashikaga and the early Sengoku period (rougly 1400-1550 AD). I'll also be briefly discussing the arrival of Westerners and the rise of the militant Ikko Ikki movement. Enjoy! by History of Japan

19 min listen

Episode 33 - Japan and Okinawa, Part 1: This week, we'll begin a two-part series on the relationship between Japan and what is now her southernmost province: Okinawa. We'll cover the founding of the Kingdom of the Ryukyus, its relationship with Japan, and finally its incorporation into the... by History of Japan

20 min listen

Episode 19 - Rising from the Ashes: This week, we're going to discuss the postwar strategy that enabled Japan to revive itself after World War II. In 1952, most observers believed Japan would become a mid-rank regional power on the same order as Sweden; by 1970 it was clear that would... by History of Japan

21 min listen

Episode 9 - Pax Tokugawa: This week we will be covering the social and political structure of Edo Japan. There's a lot of interesting material to go through, ranging from the social system (hint: it's good to be a samurai [but not as good as you might think]) to the foreign... by History of Japan

23 min listen

Episode 53 - The Sun Queen: This week, we're going to take a look at the first figure in recorded Japanese history: Himiko, queen of Yamatai. Despite the fact that the records on her are extremely brief, she's assumed a position of tremendous importance in our thinking about the... by History of Japan

25 min listen

Episode 6 - A New Order: This week we will cover the structure of the Kamakura bakufu, the Hojo triumph over the Mongols, the fall of the Hojo, and their replacement by the Ashikaga family. We'll also cover some cultural developments in the fields of Buddhism and Noh... by History of Japan

23 min listen

Episode 15 - The Homefront: This week, we'll be discussing domestic developments in Japan, and the path by which a reasonably (if not totally) liberal democracy in the 1910s and 1920s morphed into a military dictatorship in the 1930s. We'll talk about the various means by which... by History of Japan

21 min listen

Episode 41 - Striking from the Shadows: This week, we're going to discuss the ninja, or at least what we can discern about them from the limited information that's out there. We'll discuss their origins, historic exploits, and the mythologization that turned them into the pop culture... by History of Japan

23 min listen

Episode 20 - Japan as Number One: This week, we'll be talking about the height of postwar Japan during the 1970s and 1980s. On the surface, it's a time of great accomplishment when the dream of catching up to the West had finally been realizing. Looking deeper, however, we find the... by History of Japan

25 min listen

Episode 21 - The Crash: For our final outline episode, we'll be tackling the origins and effects of the real-estate bubble which devastated the Japanese economy in 1991, and which so brutally halted the story of Japanese growth. In particular, we'll be focusing on the ways... by History of Japan

24 min listen

Episode 11 - The End of an Era: This week, we'll be talking about the period called the Bakumatsu, or the end of the Bakufu. We'll be tracing a complex, but very interesting narrative describing how the Tokugawa went from masters of all they surveyed to defeat and destruction in a... by History of Japan

27 min listen

Episode 12 - Civilization and Enlightenment: This week, we're going to cover the early Meiji Period (1868-1900 or so). We'll be covering a wide range of topics, ranging from international relations to politics to social developments. This is one of the most interesting and tumultuous periods in... by History of Japan

27 min listen

Episode 30 - A Review of Shogun: This week we'll be tackling our first media review and discussing by far the most influential piece of historical fiction ever written about Japan: Shogun, by James Clavell. Listen to the episode here, and be sure to give me feedback on this one so I... by History of Japan

21 min listen

Episode 17 - He Who Saves One Life, Saves an Entire World: This week we're going to be taking another break from the forward march of history to discuss the life of a man named Sugihara Chiune. Sugihara worked as a bureaucrat in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs prior to World War II, and in 1940 he gave up his... by History of Japan

24 min listen

Episode 35 - Christmas and New Years: For our last podcast of 2013, I thought it'd be fun to do something light-hearted; so let's talk about traditions surrounding Christmas and New Years in Japan. We'll cover how these holidays came to be celebrated in Japan and talk a bit about the... by History of Japan

16 min listen

Episode 16 - And Then the War Came: We've arrived, finally, at the Pacific War -- this week, we'll be charting the course Japan took to war, briefly summarizing the cours of said war, and then discussing how the war ended. by History of Japan

33 min listen

Episode 27 - The Way of Yin and Yang: This week, we're discussing Onmyodo, the mystical study of divination based off of the theories of yin and yang (in-yo or on-myo in Japanese). We'll be covering the entire history of the practice, including its most famous practitioner: Abe no Seimei.... by History of Japan

19 min listen

Episode 25 - The Shadow Shogun: This week we will be discussing the great political wheeler and dealer of modern Japanese politics: Tanaka Kakuei. We will trace the rise of this man of the people, the heights of his power, and his eventual fall from grace, as well as discussing his... by History of Japan

29 min listen

Episode 26 - The History of Manga: This week, we're going to talk about the evolution of manga. We'll discuss the roots of the comic form in Japan, both Eastern and Western, and its rapid explosion in popularity after World War II. by History of Japan

22 min listen

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Episode 34 - Japan and Okinawa, Part II

Episode 34 - Japan and Okinawa, Part II

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