This week: how does the Taiheiki depict its most famous characters? How does it describe the downfall of the Hojo?…
The Taiheiki is arguably one of the most dismissed works of literature in Japanese history, doomed to always exist solely…
This week, we cover how the legend of Yoshitsune as told in Gikeiki describes his demise. Which is how his…
This week, we come to the text that more than any other helps build the Yoshitsune legend: Gikeiki. Here, at…
This week, the Yoshitsune legend finds its legs with Heike Monogatari–one of the most epic works in Japanese history. Except…
This week: the Muromachi bakufu comes crashing down, thanks to a combination of structural weaknesses and a shogun who is…
This week: Go-Daigo’s regime collapses, and a second samurai government, the Muromachi bakufu, emerges. How did Ashikaga Takauji successfully establish…
How can a man who was terrible as a ruler also be one of the most important tastemakers in Japanese…
This week, we arrive at the end of the Ashikaga. What were the final 100 years of Ashikaga “rule” like,…
This week, we do a deep dive on the life of Ashikaga Yoshimasa and the lead up to the Onin…