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Tag: Samurai

Episode 511 – Tipping the Balance

December 8, 2023 Isaac Meyer

This week: the rise of the Minamoto clan, the destruction of the Taira clan, and the birth of a new…

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

Episode 510 – The Rise of the Warriors

December 1, 2023 Isaac Meyer

This week, we’re covering the beginnings of the rise of the samurai class by looking at the wars of the…

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

Episode 509 – The Golden Age of Heian

November 17, 2023 Isaac Meyer

This week, we turn our attention to two of the defining institutions of the Heian period, both of which will…

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Posted in: History of Japan Podcast, Podcasts Filed under: classical, Heian, History, Japan, Samurai, shoen

Episode 476 – To Have My Deeds Known

March 10, 2023 Isaac Meyer

How did one man’s determination to get paid end up producing one of the best records we have of a pivotal moment in Japanese history?

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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

A long-requested dive into the ronin police force known as the Shinsengumi. Who were the members of this group, and how, despite their rather marginal role in the history of the 1860s, have they become one of the most famous organizations in Japanese history?

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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

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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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Recent Posts

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