<p>In this episode, Greg Jenner is joined in seventeenth-century Japan by Dr Satona Suzuki and comedian Ahir Shah to learn all about the Edo period and the Tokugawa shogunate. When he came to power in 1603, Tokugawa Ieyasu became the first shogun to rule over all Japan. He made Edo – later renamed Tokyo – his power base, and over the 250 years of Tokugawa ru ... Show More
May 2025
Emperor Meiji and the Meiji Jingu Shrine
Emperor Meiji of Japan’s reign began in 1867, and it marks a time of significant change in the country’s history. After the emperor and his consort died in the early 20th century, the Meiji Jingu shrine was built to memorialize them. Research: Atsushi, Kawai. “Prefectures, Power, ... Show More
39m 8s
Jun 2024
Kyoto: Japan's Imperial City
During the Onin Wars of the early Sengoku period, Kyoto was razed as civil war struck the Imperial capital. Only with unification did the city begin to rebuild. This episode will explore the rise and fall and rise again of Kyoto, what life in the city might have looked like, and ... Show More
45m 40s
Apr 2025
560. The Golden Age of Japan: Lady Murasaki and the Shining Prince (Part 1)
At the height of Imperial Japan, during a golden age of court intrigue, obsessive hierarchy, and fabulous sophistication, who was the legendary lothario and emperor’s son, Genji? What can the Tale of Genji - a great masterpiece of Japanese literature - tell us about this remarkab ... Show More
56m 14s
May 2022
Susan Westhafer Furukawa, "The Afterlife of Toyotomi Hideyoshi: Historical Fiction and Popular Culture in Japan" (Harvard UP, 2022)
Popular representations of the past are everywhere in Japan, from cell phone charms to manga, from television dramas to video games to young people dressed as their favorite historical figures hanging out in the hip Harajuku district. But how does this mass consumption of the pas ... Show More
41 m
May 2025
Mount Hiei: Home of Japan's Warrior Monks
Assassin's Creed: Shadows gives players the chance to visit the imperial capital of medieval Japan. But today, we're heading to a mountain lying just northeast of the capital: Mount Hiei, a sacred site that was protected by a powerful army of warrior monks.Dr Chris Harding, Senio ... Show More
38m 4s
Oct 7
Inside Imperial Japan's Brothels
After the first licensed brothel opened in the 17th century, how was sex work thought of in Japan throughout the following centuries?From the brothels in the pleasure quarters, to the rise and popularity of male sex workers and where geishas fit into the picture, Kate is joined b ... Show More
50m 34s
Feb 2025
Episode 385 - Killer Geisha: Abe Sada
The sex-mad geisha who sliced off her lover’s genitals, strangled him with a kimono belt, and carved her name into his arm, is perhaps Japan’s most famous criminal of the 20th century.Today, Abe’s story is practically a part of Japanese folklore. So how did this brutal killer bec ... Show More
1h 16m