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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 Jap... Read more

Ranked #1

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Episode 303 - The History of the Geisha

Episode 303 - The History of the Geisha

Finally, a long overdue look at one of the most romanticized and exocitized parts of traditional Japanese culture. What ... Read more

30 Aug 2019

42mins

Ranked #2

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Episode 146 - The Birth of the Samurai, Part 1

Episode 146 - The Birth of the Samurai, Part 1

This week, we'll be starting a short series about the advent of the samurai class. First, what came before the samurai, ... Read more

23 Apr 2016

27mins

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Ranked #3

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Episode 107 - The Lair of the Wolves

Episode 107 - The Lair of the Wolves

How does a nation ruled by warriors descend into over 100 years of civil war? Find out this week as we discuss the cause... Read more

27 Jun 2015

28mins

Ranked #4

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Episode 22 - The Way of the Warrior

Episode 22 - The Way of the Warrior

For our first listener-submitted topic, we're tackling Bushido: the warrior code of the samurai class. We'll discuss the... Read more

8 Sep 2013

22mins

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Ranked #5

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Episode 258 - The City that Never Sleeps, Part 1

Episode 258 - The City that Never Sleeps, Part 1

This week, we start a look at the history of the city of Tokyo. How did the frontier fishing village of Edo go from back... Read more

29 Sep 2018

29mins

Ranked #6

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Episode 183 - Lifting the Lost, Part 1

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 ... Read more

4 Mar 2017

27mins

Ranked #7

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Episode 103 - The Path of the Righteous Man

Episode 103 - The Path of the Righteous Man

What do you get when you cross radical Confucianism with armed samurai? Japan's first samurai rebellion since the 1630s,... Read more

30 May 2015

25mins

Ranked #8

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Episode 194 - Fist of Legend, Part 1

Episode 194 - Fist of Legend, Part 1

This week: where do Japan's traditional martial arts come from? 

20 May 2017

26mins

Ranked #9

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Episode 184 - Lifting the Lost, Part 2

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 Douglas... Read more

11 Mar 2017

27mins

Ranked #10

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Episode 117 - The Fall of the Samurai, Part 1

Episode 117 - The Fall of the Samurai, Part 1

This week, we're starting our new longest ever series on the collapse of the Tokugawa shogunate and the birth of modern ... Read more

5 Sep 2015

32mins

Ranked #11

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Episode 108 - Rain of Ruin, Part 1

Episode 108 - Rain of Ruin, Part 1

In our first of six episodes on the atomic bombs, we start to answer an important question; where did the idea for the b... Read more

4 Jul 2015

27mins

Ranked #12

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Episode 99 - The Tiger and the Dragon

Episode 99 - The Tiger and the Dragon

This week: what does it take to be part of Japan's most infamous warlord duo? We explore the lives of Takeda Shingen and... Read more

2 May 2015

24mins

Ranked #13

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Episode 101 - Fighting Monks and Burning Mountains

Episode 101 - Fighting Monks and Burning Mountains

This week, we've got our first ever interview with author and Shikoku pilgrimage survivor Paul Barach. You can find his ... Read more

16 May 2015

35mins

Ranked #14

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Episode 97 - The North Remembers

Episode 97 - The North Remembers

This week, we turn to Japan's "native outsiders" -- the Ainu, the aboriginal people of Hokkaido. We'll trace their relat... Read more

18 Apr 2015

25mins

Ranked #15

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Episode 273 - The House of Cards, Part 1

Episode 273 - The House of Cards, Part 1

This week we start a multipart series on the Muromachi period and the reign of the Ashikaga family. How did they come to... Read more

26 Jan 2019

35mins

Ranked #16

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Episode 98 - The Comfort Women

Episode 98 - The Comfort Women

This week, we're going to discuss one of the most reprehensible aspects of a war littered with horrible acts; the system... Read more

25 Apr 2015

26mins

Ranked #17

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Episode 186 - Lifting the Lost, Part 4

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 W... Read more

25 Mar 2017

28mins

Ranked #18

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Episode 192 - No Country for Young Women, Part 1

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. 

6 May 2017

28mins

Ranked #19

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Episode 287 - The Drunken Demon

Episode 287 - The Drunken Demon

This week, we're taking a look at a specific oni tale, and probably the most famous one; the story of the Demon King of ... Read more

3 May 2019

32mins

Ranked #20

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Episode 314 - Responsibility, Accountability, and the Imperial Throne

Episode 314 - Responsibility, Accountability, and the Imperial Throne

Since Japan just got itself a new emperor, this is a good time to go back and look at an incident from the enthronement ... Read more

15 Nov 2019

35mins

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