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Author: Isaac Meyer

Episode 425 – The City on the Edge of Forever, Part 4

February 11, 2022 Isaac Meyer

This week, Hideyoshi’s death seems to suggest an end to the persecution of Nagasaki’s Christians. However, the city quickly finds…

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Posted in: History of Japan Podcast, Podcasts Filed under: Christianity, History, Japan, Nagasaki, Tokugawa

Episode 424 – The City on the Edge of Forever, Part 3

February 4, 2022 Isaac Meyer

This week: Hideyoshi’s ‘friendship’ proves less useful than hoped, resulting in a 1587 ban on Christianity and Nagasaki losing its…

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Posted in: History of Japan Podcast, Podcasts Filed under: Christianity, History, Japan, Nagasaki, Sengoku

Episode 423 – The City on the Edge of Forever, Part 2

January 28, 2022 Isaac Meyer

This week, Christian Nagasaki survives its early trials and tribulations to become a Jesuit fortress-town, and a centerpiece of some…

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Posted in: History of Japan Podcast, Podcasts Filed under: Christianity, History, Japan, Kyushu, Nagasaki, Sengoku

Steve Durbano

January 27, 2022 Isaac Meyer

One of the most violent players in the NHL got famous for his illegal moves, bench-clearing brawls, and on-ice mooning. But his real criminal career got started after his hockey career ended.

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Posted in: Criminal Records Podcast

Episode 422 – The City on the Edge of Forever, Part 1

January 21, 2022 Isaac Meyer 4 Comments

This week, we’re covering the founding of Japan’s most unusual city: Nagasaki, unique among major Japanese cities in being founded…

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Posted in: History of Japan Podcast, Podcasts Filed under: History, Japan, Jesuit, Nagasaki, Sengoku

Episode 421 – In the Eye of the Beholder

January 14, 2022 Isaac Meyer 2 Comments

Today, we’re discussing the evolution of a unique form of modern Japanese art: shin hanga, or new woodblocks, which attempted…

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Posted in: Uncategorized Filed under: Art, hanga, History, Japan, nishiki-e, ukiyo-e

Episode 420 – A History of Drugs in Japan

January 7, 2022 Isaac Meyer 3 Comments

Sometimes you just have to take advantage of a cheap joke about a silly number to take a look at…

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Posted in: History of Japan Podcast, Podcasts Filed under: drugs, History, Japan, meth, opium

Episode 419 – A Tale as Old as Time

December 31, 2021 Isaac Meyer 3 Comments

For our final episode of 2021, we’re looking at the origin of one of Japan’s most famous pieces of literature:…

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Posted in: History of Japan Podcast, Podcasts Filed under: Genji, heike, History, Japan, medieval, Minamoto, Samurai, Taira

Episode 418 – The Bucket and the Moon

December 17, 2021 Isaac Meyer 3 Comments

This week, we have a biography of one of the rare women of medieval Japan who was prominent not just…

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Posted in: History of Japan Podcast, Podcasts Filed under: Buddhism, History, Japan, medieval, Women, Zen

Episode 417 – The Forgotten Past, Part 2

December 10, 2021 Isaac Meyer 3 Comments

This week: how did the overseas slave trade from Japan continue despite a Portuguese ban? How was the trade finally…

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Posted in: History of Japan Podcast, Podcasts Filed under: History, Japan, medieval, Sengoku, slavery

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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.

Support the Show

Support the Facing Backward network on Patreon to get access to our bonus features, including our bonus episodes about historical fiction.

The History of Japan Patreon is still live, and subscribers will be able to get the weekly newsletter there as well.

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Recent Posts

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