Episode 156 - Best of Frenemies, Part 2
This week, Korea encounters the West. We'll introduce the early Western forays into Korea, explain how Japan came to sign the first unequal treaty with its neighbor, and look into the factionalization...
9 Jul 201628min
Episode 155 - Best of Frenemies, Part 1
This week: we get up to speed on Korean history, so that we can begin exploring the turbulent Korean-Japanese relationship. Pirates, coups, Mongols, poetry battles -- we've got it all!
2 Jul 201632min
Episode 154 - Zen at War
This week: what happens when Buddhists go to war? We'll explore the relationship between the Japanese Empire and the Zen Buddhist establishment.
25 Jun 201630min
Episode 153 - The Birth of the Samurai, Part 8
This week, we conclude our series on the rise of the samurai with murder, intrigue, political reform, and gratuitous Game of Thrones references.
11 Jun 201629min
Episode 152 - The Birth of the Samurai, Part 7
The Genpei War comes to a close in this action packed episode! Kyoto will fall! The Taira will burn! Oxen will be deployed as tactical weapons!
4 Jun 201628min
Episode 151 - The Birth of the Samurai, Part 6
This week, we let slip the dogs of war as Japan plunges into a new phase of conflict. Though Prince Mochihito will not make it out of 1180, the rebellion he starts will catch on in eastern Japan. Youn...
28 Mai 201628min
Episode 150 - The Birth of the Samurai, Part 5
We're live, folks! Sorry for the delay. It's time for the career of Taira no Kiyomori, the man whose talent and ambition was matched only by his temper and his ego.
24 Mai 201627min
Episode 149 - The Birth of the Samurai, Part 4
This week: patricide, rebellions, and royal incest. Oh, also the increasing destabilization of the Heian government as ever more power falls into the hands of Taira no Kiyomori.
14 Mai 201625min
