The Jokyu Rebellion is one of the more minor conflicts in Japanese history; yet it also represents a tipping of…
This week: whaling during the modern era in Japan, and the circumstances that have led to Japan being one of…
This week: where does our stock image of the sohei come from, and why does it tell us more about…
This week: what does the historical record have to say about the veracity of the image of the warrior-monk, or…
This week, we’re wrapping up our look at Sakamoto Ryoma’s life and legacy to see how he was transformed from…
This week: Sakamoto Ryoma commits fully to the loyalist cause, but ends up on a turbulent journey that will take…
This week, we return to the turbulent age of the Bakumatsu–the collapse of the Tokugawa state–with a biography of one…
This week: just what sort of scandal sent Nakanoin Nakako to the far end of Japan, and how did fate…
This week on the podcast, we’re exploring the life of a woman whose story would normally be confined to the…
How can a man who was terrible as a ruler also be one of the most important tastemakers in Japanese…