History of Japan

This week, we tackled the origin of one of Japan's new religious movements: Oomoto, or The Great Origin. Where did it come from, and how did the unique combination of two very different people with the right set of circumstances lead it to prominence?

This week, we cover postwar Tokyo as it recovers from the devastation of war in remarkable time, and take some time to think about what we've learned from the history of Japan's most central city.

This week: the Great Kanto Earthquake, the firebombing campaign, and Tokyo during the Occupation.

This week, from Edo to Tokyo: how the shogun's city became the emperor's!

This week, we start a look at the history of the city of Tokyo. How did the frontier fishing village of Edo go from backwater nowhere to the heart of the nation in only a few short generations?

This week, we cover the life and legacy of one of the great bridges between Japan and China -- the Christian bookseller of Shanghai, Uchiyama Kanzo.

This week, we take a look at the history of pro wrestling in Japan, and its unlikely progenitor: a Korean-born sumo wrestler named Rikidozan.

This week, we close out our time with Taiwan with a look at its return to the Republic of China, and at the modern day relationship between the "renegade province" and Japan.

This week, Japan's attempt to assimilate Taiwan finds some success, and one big stumbling block: the Musha Incident, the last and largest rebellion against Japanese rule on the island. Plus, the beginnings of Taiwan's mobilization for war.

Exploring Japan's conquest of Taiwan, the podcast covers topics such as demographic shifts, governing challenges, military tactics, insurgent uprisings, and education policies under Japanese rule. It delves into the complexities of Taiwan as Japan's first real colony, the treatment of Taiwanese as second-class citizens, and the rise of nationalist sentiments against Japanese rule.