This week, we cover an obscure bit of samurai history: the Keian Incident, a planned coup against the Tokugawa Shoguns…
This week we cover the life and career of the legendary judge Oka Tadasuke, who rose from minor samurai to…
This week, we start a look at the history of the city of Tokyo. How did the frontier fishing village…
This week, we take on the legend of Miyamoto Musashi. How is it that a person we know very little…
This week, we delve into the life, legacy, and style of Matsuo Basho, Japan’s most famous poet. Who was he?…
This week we take on the history of the von Siebold family — father Philip Franz, son Alexander, and daughter…
This week, we cover the story of Engelbert Kaempfer, who wrote one of the most thorough and best known accounts…
This week: was Japan’s 5th Tokugawa shogun really as crazy as everybody says? Spoilers: no. Listen to the episode here.…
This week we’re covering one of the great tales of Japanese history: 47 warriors without a master who engaged in…
This week, we’re going to talk about the evolution of manga. We’ll discuss the roots of the comic form in…