

History of Japan
Isaac Meyer
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
Mentioned books

Jul 22, 2017 • 29min
Episode 202 - The Old Man Mad About Art
Today we discuss Japan's greatest artistic genius, Katsushika Hokusai!

Jul 15, 2017 • 31min
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?

Jul 8, 2017 • 38min
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!

Jun 24, 2017 • 31min
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.

Jun 17, 2017 • 32min
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?

Jun 10, 2017 • 29min
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.

Jun 3, 2017 • 28min
Episode 196 - Fist of Legend, Part 3
This week: the rise of judo and of the modern budo, and karate strikes back!

May 27, 2017 • 29min
Episode 195 - Fist of Legend, Part 2
This week: who wants to swing a sword when you can just shoot a gun?

May 20, 2017 • 26min
Episode 194 - Fist of Legend, Part 1
This week: where do Japan's traditional martial arts come from?

May 13, 2017 • 30min
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?


