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Tag: Samurai

Episode 476 – To Have My Deeds Known

March 10, 2023 Isaac Meyer Leave a comment

How did one man’s determination to get paid end up producing one of the best records we have of a…

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Posted in: History of Japan Podcast, Podcasts Filed under: History, Japan, Kamakura, mongols, Samurai

Episode 464 – The Wolves of Mibu

December 9, 2022 Isaac Meyer 1 Comment

This week: a long-requested dive into the ronin police force known as the Shinsengumi. Who were the members of this…

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Posted in: History of Japan Podcast, Podcasts Filed under: Bakumatsu, History, Japan, Meiji, Postwar, Samurai

Episode 440 – Tipping the Balance

June 3, 2022 Isaac Meyer 1 Comment

The Jokyu Rebellion is one of the more minor conflicts in Japanese history; yet it also represents a tipping of…

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Posted in: History of Japan Podcast, Podcasts Filed under: History, Hojo, Japan, Kamakura, medieval, Samurai

Episode 435 – The Wrong Kind of Hero, Part 3

April 22, 2022 Isaac Meyer 3 Comments

This week, we’re wrapping up our look at Sakamoto Ryoma’s life and legacy to see how he was transformed from…

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Posted in: History of Japan Podcast, Podcasts Filed under: Bakumatsu, History, Japan, Meiji, Samurai, Tokugawa

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 419 – A Tale as Old as Time

December 31, 2021 Isaac Meyer 3 Comments

For our final episode of 2021, we’re looking at the origin of one of Japan’s most famous pieces of literature:…

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Posted in: History of Japan Podcast, Podcasts Filed under: Genji, heike, History, Japan, medieval, Minamoto, Samurai, Taira

Episode 411 – If You Can’t Do the Time…

October 22, 2021 Isaac Meyer 1 Comment

This week, we’re taking a quick detour into Isaac trolling fans of Michel Foucault-er, the Edo period criminal justice system.…

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Posted in: History of Japan Podcast, Podcasts Filed under: crime, Edo, History, Japan, Samurai, Tokugawa

Episode 410 – A Man of His Times

October 15, 2021 Isaac Meyer 1 Comment

This week: Isaac spends 30 minutes unpacking the 400+ page ramblings of a cranky retiree who died about 200 years…

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Posted in: History of Japan Podcast, Podcasts Filed under: Edo, History, Japan, Samurai, Tokugawa

Episode 405 – The Road Not Taken

September 10, 2021 Isaac Meyer 1 Comment

This week, we’re talking about one of the last attempts to save the Tokugawa shogunate: the Tenpo Reforms of the…

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Posted in: History of Japan Podcast, Podcasts Filed under: Edo, History, Japan, Samurai

Episode 393 – The Lords of the Sea, Part 4

June 4, 2021 Isaac Meyer 1 Comment

This week, we’re wrapping up our month on piracy by looking at how the image of “Japanese pirates” became so…

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

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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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Recent Posts

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  • Episode 476 – To Have My Deeds Known
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