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Episode 203 – The Old Man and the Sea

July 29, 2017 ijmeyer

This week: one of Japan’s most famous Buddhist masters, Kukai, takes center stage! Listen to the episode here. Sources Winfield,…

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Posted in: History of Japan Podcast, Uncategorized Filed under: Buddhism, Kukai, Shingon

Episode 202 – The Old Man Mad About Art

July 22, 2017 ijmeyer 2 Comments

Today we discuss Japan’s greatest artistic genius, Katsushika Hokusai! Listen to the episode here. Sources Katsushika Hokusai – The complete…

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Posted in: History of Japan Podcast, Uncategorized Filed under: Art, Hokusai, woodblock

Episode 201 – The Green Archipelago

July 15, 2017 ijmeyer 3 Comments

This week: Japan’s a pretty verdant place, but how did it stay that way when so many other places were…

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Posted in: History of Japan Podcast, Uncategorized Filed under: environment

Episode 200 – The 200th Episode

July 8, 2017 ijmeyer

All you could ever want to know about podcast recording, UW’s graduate program, and why the Japanese definitely are not…

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Posted in: History of Japan Podcast, Uncategorized Filed under: dokdo, Judaism, kuril islands, takeshima, whaling

Episode 199 – Fist of Legend, Part 6

June 25, 2017 ijmeyer

In which we bring things to a close by considering the fall of the Butokukai, the spread of budo beyond…

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Posted in: History of Japan Podcast, Uncategorized Filed under: budo, MMA, Olympics

Episode 198 – Fist of Legend, Part 5

June 17, 2017 ijmeyer

This week: can a martial art be a philosophy of life? Can it rise to the level of a religion?…

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Posted in: History of Japan Podcast, Uncategorized Filed under: aikido, budo, kempo

Episode 197 – Fist of Legend, Part 4

June 10, 2017 ijmeyer

This week: karate comes to mainland Japan (and gets a rebrand in the process), and the Butokukai’s attempts to militarize…

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Posted in: History of Japan Podcast, Uncategorized Filed under: budo, Karate, naginata, shotokan

Episode 196 – Fist of Legend, Part 3

June 3, 2017 ijmeyer 3 Comments

This week: the rise of judo and of the modern budo, and karate strikes back! Listen to the episode here.…

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Posted in: History of Japan Podcast, Uncategorized Filed under: budo, Japan, judo, Karate

Episode 195 – Fist of Legend, Part 2

May 27, 2017 ijmeyer

This week: who wants to swing a sword when you can just shoot a gun? Listen to the episode here.…

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Posted in: History of Japan Podcast, Uncategorized

Episode 194 – Fist of Legend, Part 1

May 20, 2017 ijmeyer 1 Comment

This week: where do Japan’s traditional martial arts come from? Listen to the episode here. Sources Read, Paul. One Last Thing:…

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Posted in: History of Japan Podcast, Uncategorized Filed under: budo, martial arts

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About Me

My name is Isaac Meyer, and I’m a  former PhD student at the University of Washington, specializing in modern Japan (with sub-specializations in modern China, modern Europe, and international relations). Today, I work as a teacher at an independent school in the Seattle area.

I also have a tendency to go off on random historical tangents. One day, I decided to combine these two traits in podcast form, and thus was born the History of Japan Podcast!

In 2018, I decided start the Criminal Records Podcast with my wife, Demetria Spinrad. This podcast gives me the chance to talk about world history–and the weird, wonderful world of historical crime and punishment.

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Recent Posts

  • Episode 438 – From the Deep, Part 1
  • Introducing the podcast!
  • The Luddites
  • Episode 437 – The Fist of the Buddhas, Part 2
  • Episode 436 – Fist of the Buddhas, Part 1
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