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
Jan 16, 2016 • 31min
Episode 132 - The Fall of the Samurai, Part 15
This week, we'll cover the military campaigns of 1868. Edo will (surprisingly anticlimactically) fall, the north will rebel, and Matsudaira Katamori's domain of Aizu will be overrun after a brutal two month siege. In the end, only the small splinter territory of the Ezo Republic will be left standing.
Jan 9, 2016 • 31min
Episode 131 - The Fall of the Samurai, Part 14
In early 1868, the armies of the loyalists and the Tokugawa bakufu will clash outside Kyoto. We'll discuss the factors that led to the Battle of Toba-Fushimi, and why what was supposed to be a walk in the park for the Tokugawa turned into a complete disaster.
Jan 2, 2016 • 31min
Episode 130 - The Fall of the Samurai, Part 13
This week, we cover 1867: the final year of the Tokugawa shogunate (sort of). Caught between a loyalist rock and an imperial hard place, Tokugawa Yoshinobu will consider the unthinkable: resignation, and an end to 260 years of bakufu tradition.
Dec 19, 2015 • 29min
Episode 129 - The Fall of the Samurai, Part 12
Choshu vs the Tokugawa, round 2! Only two years after being defeated by the Tokugawa, Choshu is back at war with Japan's leading family. This time, they've got far more cards to play, though. Can Choshu defeat the Tokugawa and put them into a slow death spiral from which they will never recover? Hint: yes!
Dec 12, 2015 • 28min
Episode 128 - The Fall of the Samurai, Part 11
The podcast discusses civil wars, gunrunning, and financial tips leading to the fall of the Tokugawa. Topics include power struggles in the Tokugawa Bakufu, Show-Tai Uprising, American surplus rifle sale, military modernization, and arms deals in 19th-century Japan.
Dec 5, 2015 • 28min
Episode 127 - The Fall of the Samurai, Part 10
1864 is probably the most important year in the Meiji Restoration that nobody really has heard of; the Tokugawa will come as close to winning their fight for control of Japan as they ever will, and the shishi movement will end up on the ropes. So, how did the Tokugawa stage such an effective comeback, and why did Tokugawa victories end up laying the groundwork for Tokugawa defeats down the line? All that and more, this week!
Nov 28, 2015 • 25min
Episode 126 - The Fall of the Samurai, Part 9
This week, we'll move into the tumultuous events of 1863. Challenges foreign and domestic are going to upset the balance of power that has existed since the death of Ii Naosuke, and drive Japan ever closer to civil war.
Nov 21, 2015 • 32min
Episode 125 - The Fall of the Samurai, Part 9
Exploring the power struggles in the Tokugawa bakufu and the rise of Tokugawa Yoshinobu. Yoshinobu's diplomacy with Western countries and challenges in balancing modernization. The emergence of radicalized samurai in Kyoto and the Shogun's visit preparations.
Nov 13, 2015 • 31min
Episode 124 - The Fall of the Samurai, Part 8
Discussing the rise of the radical shishi groups in Japan after the death of Ii Naosuke, and the violence they introduced to Japanese politics. Analyzing the power vacuum and leadership void that followed the assassination, leading to a fundamental change in Japanese politics. Exploring the emergence of the discontented lower-ranked samurai forming militant groups with the goal of overthrowing the Tokugawa government, and the contrasting reactions of different domain governments to the Shishi activism.
Nov 7, 2015 • 28min
Episode 123 - The Fall of the Samurai, Part 7
Explore the rise of Yi Nausuke in Tokugawa government, Anse purges to eliminate threats, Samurai encountering America's culture shock, Revenge plot against powerful figure E, repercussions of assassination in Japan's political landscape
