Episode 212 - The Scourge of the Gods, Part 3
This week I promise we'll actually get to the 1274 invasion. But first, how were the samurai who defended Japan organized, and what weapons did they use?
Episodes
History of Japan
This podcast, assembled by a former PhD student in History at the University of Washington, covers the entire span of Japanese history. Each week we'll tackle a new topic, ranging from prehistoric Japan to the modern day.
Episodes
Episode 211 - The Scourge of the Gods, Part 2
This week: why did Kublai go to Japan? A quick overview of the tensions that led to the first invasion, and a look at the armies of Mongols and Chinese that would fight it.
Episode 210 - The Scourge of the Gods, Part 1
This week: where did the Mongol Empire come from, and who was in charge when they decided to come after Japan? Also, why is the Kamakura shogunate the most convoluted form of government in a history of convoluted governments?
Episode 209 - Across the Sea, Part 5
Today, we wrap our look at immigrants from Japan with a brief discussion of Nikkei communities in the Philippines and China, and with a look at Japan's own attempts to have Nikkei return "home."
Episode 208 - Across the Sea, Part 4
This week: why did the American government think it was necessary to round up Nikkei on the West Coast? And what did that policy mean for the people who actually lived it?
Episode 207 - Across the Sea, Part 3
This week, we're headed south to take a look at Nikkei communities in Brazil and Peru.
Episode 206 - Across the Sea, Part 2
This week, we take a closer look at early communities of Nikkeijin -- people of Japanese descent -- in the United States and Hawaii.
Episode 205 - Across the Sea, Part 1
This week, we begin a new series on the Japanese diaspora!
Episode 204 - No Peace Without War
This week we tackle the question of Japanese fascism by looking at one of Japan's foremost fascists, the authoritarian scholar Kita Ikki.
Episode 203 - The Old Man and the Sea
This week: one of Japan's most famous Buddhist masters, Kukai, takes center stage!
Episode 202 - The Old Man Mad About Art
Today we discuss Japan's greatest artistic genius, Katsushika Hokusai!
Episode 201 - The Green Archipelago
This week: Japan's a pretty verdant place, but how did it stay that way when so many other places were ravaged by human development?
Episode 200 - The 200th Episode!
All you could ever want to know about podcast recording, UW's graduate program, and why the Japanese definitely are not part of the 10 lost tribes of Israel! That and more! Thank you all for 200 great episodes!
Episode 199 - Fist of Legend, Part 6
In which we bring things to a close by considering the fall of the Butokukai, the spread of budo beyond Japan, the role of martial arts in the African-American community, the question of Olympic sport status, and the challenge of the UFC. It's gonna be a busy week.
Episode 198 - Fist of Legend, Part 5
This week: can a martial art be a philosophy of life? Can it rise to the level of a religion?
Episode 197 - Fist of Legend, Part 4
This week: karate comes to mainland Japan (and gets a rebrand in the process), and the Butokukai's attempts to militarize the martial arts backfire when the Americans come to town.
Episode 196 - Fist of Legend, Part 3
This week: the rise of judo and of the modern budo, and karate strikes back!
Episode 195 - Fist of Legend, Part 2
This week: who wants to swing a sword when you can just shoot a gun?
Episode 194 - Fist of Legend, Part 1
This week: where do Japan's traditional martial arts come from?
Episode 193 - No Country for Young Women, Part 2
This week: what are three educated women to do in a society that doesn't value their education?
Episode 192 - No Country for Young Women, Part 1
This week: the beginning of a two parter on Japan's first ever female exchange students.
Episode 191 - Lifting the Lost, Part 9
This week: what, in the end, did the Occupation mean -- for both the occupied and the occupier?
Episode 190 - Lifting the Lost, Part 8
This week: what was it like to live through the Occupation? How did people get by? And why is Kurosawa Akira objectively the greatest director ever?
Episode 189 - Lifting the Lost, Part 7
This week: the social reforms of the Occupation. Economic policy, education policy: it's like our very own C-SPAN screening!
Episode 188 - Lifting the Lost, Part 6
This week, we talk about what it took to make a peace on paper a peace in fact. With millions of Japanese civilians and soldiers scattered across Asia, what would it take to get them all home again?
Episode 187 - Lifting the Lost, Part 5
This week, we discuss the course of the Tokyo War Crimes Trials and their legacy in Japan. How did they go from a vision of international optimism to despised by people on both sides of the political spectrum?
Episode 186 - Lifting the Lost, Part 4
This week, we'll begin a discussion of the International Military Tribunal for the Far East, better known as the Tokyo War Crimes Trials. Who is being tried, what for, and why?
Episode 185 - Lifting the Lost, Part 3
This week: where did Japan's constitution come from, and how the hell did it get done in only six days?
Episode 184 - Lifting the Lost, Part 2
The Occupation begins! This week, we'll set the stage with a focus on the relationship between Supreme Commander Douglass MacArthur and Emperor Hirohito.
Episode 183 - Lifting the Lost, Part 1
This week, we turn our attention to the US Occupation of Japan. When did Americans first start thinking seriously about taking Japan over and remaking its whole society?