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Tag: Kyoto

Episode 459 – The Empty Throne, Part 2

October 28, 2022 Isaac Meyer

This week: Emperor Komei attempts to protect tradition in a nation beset by crisis. However, his efforts will be brought…

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Posted in: History of Japan Podcast, Podcasts Filed under: Bakumatsu, Edo, History, Japan, Komei, Kyoto, Meiji, Tokugawa

Episode 458 – The Empty Throne, Part 1

October 21, 2022 Isaac Meyer 1 Comment

This week: the beginning of a multipart biography of two of the best documented figures we know very little about:…

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Posted in: History of Japan Podcast, Podcasts Filed under: Edo, History, Japan, Komei, Kyoto, Meiji, Tokugawa

Episode 454 – That All My Dreams Might Not Prove Empty

September 16, 2022 Isaac Meyer 1 Comment

This week: in 1940, a manuscript lost for over 600 years is recovered from the archives of the Imperial family.…

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Posted in: History of Japan Podcast, Podcasts Filed under: Heian, History, Japan, Kamakura, Kyoto, Women

Episode 436 – Fist of the Buddhas, Part 1

May 6, 2022 Isaac Meyer

This week: what does the historical record have to say about the veracity of the image of the warrior-monk, or…

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Posted in: History of Japan Podcast, Podcasts Filed under: Buddhism, Heian, History, Japan, Kyoto, medieval

Episode 432 – The Tale of Nakako, Part 2

April 1, 2022 Isaac Meyer

This week: just what sort of scandal sent Nakanoin Nakako to the far end of Japan, and how did fate…

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

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 369 – The Wandering Brush

December 18, 2020 Isaac Meyer 1 Comment

This week, we’re taking a deep dive into a distinctly Japanese literary genre (zuihitsu, or ‘wandering brush’) by looking at…

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Posted in: History of Japan Podcast, Podcasts Filed under: Buddhism, History, hojoki, Japan, Kyoto, literature, Tsurezuregusa

Episode 321 – The Regent

January 17, 2020 Isaac Meyer 2 Comments

This week, take a deep dive with me into the life of one of the regents of the Heian Era,…

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

Episode 4 – The Golden Age of Heian

April 20, 2013 Isaac Meyer 2 Comments

This week’s episode covers the Heian Period (794-1185 AD). We will be discussing the political structure of the Heian government,…

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Posted in: History of Japan Podcast, Uncategorized Filed under: Fujiwara, Genji, Heian, Kyoto, Murasaki, Shonagon

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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