This week, we do a deep dive on the life of Ashikaga Yoshimasa and the lead up to the Onin…
This week, Isaac and Demetria discuss the story of Margaret Clap, proprietor of a coffee house with a big secret. What was a molly house, why was the government prosecuting men for buggery, and why are trial records some of our best surviving documents about gay culture in 1720s England?
This week we turn away from politics to discuss religion, art, and the economy during the age of the Ashikaga.…
This week, Isaac and Demetria tackle the case of Govinda Mainali, a Nepalese man accused in Japan of a murder he obviously didn’t commit. But obviously he didn’t do it, so there’s no way he could end up serving 12 years in prison just to make the Japanese government look more efficient at solving crimes than it really is, right?
This week: war in the Ashikaga age. Plus; the reign of Ashikaga Yoshimitsu is generally considered the zenith of Ashikaga…
This week we start a multipart series on the Muromachi period and the reign of the Ashikaga family. How did…
This week we cover the life and career of the legendary judge Oka Tadasuke, who rose from minor samurai to…
This week, we cover the fascinating tale of Sei Shonagon and the Makura no Soushi, or Pillow Book. Why is…
This week, we cover the life and work of one of Japan’s most famous authors: the 11th century courtier Murasaki…
This week, we cover the little-known “Chichibu Incident,” an uprising against the Meiji government in 1884 that saw several thousand…