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Tag: Japan

Episode 431 – The Tale of Nakako, Part 1

March 25, 2022 Isaac Meyer

This week on the podcast, we’re exploring the life of a woman whose story would normally be confined to the…

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

Episode 429 – The Glorious Fool

March 11, 2022 Isaac Meyer 1 Comment

How can a man who was terrible as a ruler also be one of the most important tastemakers in Japanese…

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Posted in: History of Japan Podcast, Podcasts Filed under: Art, Ashikaga, History, Japan, Muromachi

Episode 428 – The Highest Bidder

March 4, 2022 Isaac Meyer

Today, we’re looking at a rather unusual scandal from early 20th century Japan, and what it shows us about the…

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Posted in: History of Japan Podcast, Podcasts Filed under: History, Imperial Navy, Japan, scandal, Taisho

Episode 427 – The Ones Who Walked Away

February 25, 2022 Isaac Meyer 1 Comment

This week, we’re taking some material from the cutting room floor of last series to talk about the stories of…

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

Episode 426 – The City on the Edge of Forever, Part 5

February 18, 2022 Isaac Meyer 1 Comment

Our final episode of this miniseries will detail the early decades of the Christian persecutions in Nagasaki. Once the religion…

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

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

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

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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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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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