Samurai Archives Japanese History Podcast

In this episode, we take a short break from Japanese history to touch on another related interest - Japanese movies. With hundreds of Japanese movies now easily available in the West, it can be tough to filter through what is worth watching. So, we thought we'd put together a Japanese Movie podcast where we could recommend to you movies that we think you should see. Rather than recommend "the best" Japanese movies, we decided to focus on less known movies that are great for their own specific reasons that we touch on in the podcast. After all, everyone interested in Japan and Japanese movies has already seen every Kurosawa movie out there. Since listing the movies we recommend here would defeat the purpose of the podcast, you'll have to listen to find out our recommendations - we hope you find this both interesting and informative! If you have another movie you'd like to recommend, feel free to add a comment on the podcast blog. Mentioned in this podcast: Flickchart: http://www.flickchart.com Chris's Flickcha

On October 11th, 2011, a symposium entitled "Why Ryoma Now?" was held at the Hawaii Convention Center in Honolulu, Hawaii, and was attended by Chris and Travis. The symposium was moderated by the head of the Sakamoto Ryoma museum in Kochi prefecture, and the panel included the 9th generation head of the Sakamoto family, a descendant of Katsu Kaishu, a John Manjiro researcher, and others. In this episode of the Samurai Archives Japan History Podcast, they report on what their expectations of the symposium were, and what the symposium actually consisted of - and why the expectations didn't match with reality. Mentioned in this podcast: Beasley, W. The Meiji Restoration Stanford University Press; 1 edition (June 1, 1972) http://astore.amazon.com/samurai-20/detail/0804708150 Hillsborough, Romulus. Ryoma: Life of a Renaissance Samurai Ridgeback Pr (May 1999) http://astore.amazon.com/samurai-20/detail/0966740165 Ichimujin - Official Site http://www.ichimujin.com Japanese Castle Explorer - http://www.japanese-castle

This episode of the Samurai Archives Japan History Podcast, your hosts Nate, Chris, Travis, and Joseph talk about who they are and why they got interested in Japanese history. The hosts also comment on their interests and favorite books and historians. Mentioned in this Podcast: Astor, Gerald. A Blood-Dimmed Tide: The Battle of the Bulge by the Men Who Fought It Dell (December 3, 1993) http://www.amazon.com/Blood-Dimmed-Tide-Battle-Fought-Library/dp/0440215749/ Conlan, Thomas D.  State of War: The Violent Order of Fourteenth-Century Japan Univ of Michigan Center for; illustrated edition edition (July 2003) http://astore.amazon.com/samurai-20/detail/1929280238 Farris, William Wayne. Japan's Medieval Population: Famine, Fertility, and Warfare in a Transformative Age Univ of Hawaii Pr (August 1, 2009) http://astore.amazon.com/samurai-20/detail/0824834240 Farris, William Wayne. Heavenly Warriors: The Evolution of Japan's Military, 500-1300 Harvard University Asia Center, April 15, 1996 http://astore.amazon.com/sa

This episode of the Samurai Archives Japanese History Podcast, we tackle  a recurring question that comes up time and again: the misunderstanding of "strategy" vs. "tactics" as used in military history.  Most people seem to think the words are interchangeable.  However, when you're discussing military history, it's important to use the correct terms because they imply completely different things.  This examination of the meaning and application of strategy, operations, and tactics is illustrated by both modern examples, as well as the battle of Okehazama and the battle of Nagashino. Mentioned in this podcast: Conlan, Thomas. Weapons & Fighting Techniques of the Samurai Warrior 1200-1877 AD By Thomas, D Conlan, Amber Books Ltd, 2008 http://astore.amazon.com/samurai-20/detail/1906626073 Von Clausewitz, Carl. On War Princeton University Press; 1St Edition edition (June 1, 1989) http://www.amazon.com/War-Carl-von-Clausewitz/dp/0691018545 Samurai Archives Blog: Strategical Buffoonery http://shogun-yashiki.blog

For our final Introduction to Japanese History series podcast, we cover the last part of the Sengoku period. We start with the assassination of Oda Nobunaga by Akechi Mitsuhide in Kyoto while all of his other generals are scattered about the country. Toyotomi (Hashiba) Hideyoshi gets back to Kyoto first and avenges Nobunaga's death, and the unification of Japan continues under him, and then ultimately under Tokugawa Ieyasu. We cover the events and battles of this period, as well as answer some listener Q&A about the Sengoku period. Mentioned in this podcast: Berry, Mary E. Hideyoshi (Harvard East Asian Monographs) Council on East Asian Studies, Harvard University (January 1, 1989) http://astore.amazon.com/samurai-20/detail/0674390261 Farris, William Wayne. Heavenly Warriors: The Evolution of Japan's Military, 500-1300 Harvard University Asia Center, April 15, 1996 http://astore.amazon.com/samurai-20/detail/067438704X Friday, Karl. Samurai, Warfare and the State in Early Medieval Japan (Warfare and History

From the 1550's until his death in 1582, Oda Nobunaga was involved in constant warfare. One by one, the major Daimyo of his era - the Imagawa, the Takeda, the Asai and Asakura and others - fell before his armies. This episode, we give a concise history of Nobunaga's ambition to unify the country under his rule, from the pivotal battle of Okehazama that first put him on the national stage, to his betrayal at the hands of Akechi Mitsuhide. Mentioned in this podcast: Lamers, Jeroen. Japonius Tyrannus: The Japanese Warlord Oda Nobunaga Reconsidered Hotei Publishing (November 2001) http://astore.amazon.com/samurai-20/detail/9074822223 Neilson, David Society at War: Eyewitness Accounts of Sixteenth Century Japan PhD Dissertation University of Oregon, 2007 http://gradworks.umi.com/32/85/3285619.html Yoshikawa, Eiji. Taiko: An Epic Novel of War and Glory in Feudal Japan Kodansha Amer Inc; 1st edition (September 1992) http://astore.amazon.com/samurai-20/detail/4770026099 Support this podcast: Shop Amazon.com, suport t

For the 13th episode of our Introduction to Japanese History series, we present a "Who's Who" of Daimyo of the later Sengoku period.  We cover the big names of the Sengoku, the Daimyo that anyone who has an interest in the Samurai would have heard of, and is a primer for those who are new to the Samurai.  Introduced in this podcast are Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Tokugawa Ieyasu, Takeda Shingen, Uesugi Kenshin, and others. Mentioned in this podcast: Lamers, Jeroen. Japonius Tyrannus: The Japanese Warlord Oda Nobunaga Reconsidered Hotei Publishing (November 2001) http://astore.amazon.com/samurai-20/detail/9074822223 Neilson, David Society at War: Eyewitness Accounts of Sixteenth Century Japan PhD Dissertation University of Oregon, 2007 http://gradworks.umi.com/32/85/3285619.html Samurai Archives Blog: The Death of Takeda Shingen - A Translation http://shogun-yashiki.blogspot.com/2011/04/death-of-takeda-shingen-translation.html Samurai Archives Blog: Interview with John Bender, Sengoku Student and Analyst

After the Onin war in the mid-late 15th century, the centralized power of the Ashikaga Shogunate collapsed, leaving the field open to anyone ambitious and powerful enough to make a grab for power. During the first half of the Sengoku period (approximately 1477-1560) there was massive consolidation as daimyo across Japan solidified their power bases and battled for land and resources. The lack of central government left individual clans to fend for themselves, and in the ensuing chaos many would rise and fall in epic battles that anyone familiar with the pop-culture representations of the Samurai in Movies and Anime would recognize. Mentioned in this podcast: Morillo, Stephen. Guns and Government: A Comparative Study of Europe and Japan Journal of World History, Vol. 6, No. 1 (Spring, 1995), pp. 75-106 http://www.jstor.org/pss/20078620 Neilson, David Society at War: Eyewitness Accounts of Sixteenth Century Japan PhD Dissertation University of Oregon, 2007 http://gradworks.umi.com/32/85/3285619.html Toby, Ronal

In this episode of our Introduction to Japanese History series, we look at the 15th century and the build up to the Onin war, and what would ultimately lead to the age of the country at war - the Sengoku period. Mentioned in this podcast: Durston, Diane. Old Kyoto: The Updated Guide to Traditional Shops, Restaurants, and Inns Kodansha USA; 2 edition (April 1, 2005) http://astore.amazon.com/samurai-20/detail/4770029942 Grossberg, Kenneth. From Feudal Chieftain to Secular Monarch: The Development of Shogunal Power in Early Muromachi Japan Monumenta Nipponica, Vol. 31, No. 1 (Spring, 1976), pp. 29-49 http://www.jstor.org/stable/2384184 Grossberg, Kenneth. Japan's Renaissance - The Politics of the Muromachi Bakufu Cornell University, New York, 2001 http://astore.amazon.com/samurai-20/detail/1885445083 Mason, Penelope. History of Japanese Art Prentice Hall; 2nd edition (October 4, 2004) http://astore.amazon.com/samurai-20/detail/0131176013 Souryi, Pierre. The World Turned Upside Down: Medieval Japanese Society (As

For the 10th episode in our Intro to Japanese History podcast series, we examine the events that lead to the fall of the Kamakura Shogunate. Emperor Go-Daigo, deciding he wants a return to imperial rule without a Shogunate, enlists various warrior families to support him in overthrowing the Kamakura Bakufu and the Hojo regents - however not all goes as planned as Ashikaga Takauji, his ally turned enemy, ends his dream of imperial rule and establishes the Ashikaga Shogunate. Unfortunately for the Ashikaga clan, it's not all rainbows and lollipops for the first 60 years of the Ashikaga Shogunate, as Go-Daigo's supporters set up an alternate imperial line and engage in decades of guerrilla and outright war on behalf of the emperor. Mentioned in this podcast: Arnesen, Peter. The Medieval Japanese Daimyo: The Ouchi Family's Rule of Suo and Nagato Yale University Press (1979) http://astore.amazon.com/samurai-20/detail/B000PSGVY6 Grossberg, Kenneth. From Feudal Chieftain to Secular Monarch: The Development of Shogun

Part nine of our Introduction to Japanese History series gives a brief overview of the two attempted Mongol Invasions of Japan during the 13th century, and the effect it had on the country in general, and the Hojo regents and Bakufu specifically. Mentioned in this podcast: Conlan, Thomas. In Little Need of Divine Intervention: Takezaki Suenaga's Scrolls of the Mongol Invasions of Japan Cornell Univ East Asia Program (August 2002) http://astore.amazon.com/samurai-20/detail/188544513X Sansom, George. A History of Japan to 1334 Stanford University Press; 1 edition (June 1, 1958) http://astore.amazon.com/samurai-20/detail/0804705232 Scrolls of the Mongol Invasions of Japan, from Bowdoin College: http://www.bowdoin.edu/mongol-scrolls/ Support this podcast: Shop Amazon.com, suport the podcast: http://amzn.to/wnDX2j Samurai Archives Bookstore: http://astore.amazon.com/samurai-20 Samurai Archives Shop (T-Shirts, etc) http://www.cafepress.com/samuraiarchives Contact Us: Twitter @SamuraiArchives https://twitter.com/#!/

In part 8 of our Introduction to Japanese History podcast, we examine the early Kamakura period. Once Minamoto Yoritomo became Shogun, he began using the authority given to him by the emperor to solidify his power. Over the course of the next 20 years the Minamoto would usurp much of the power of the imperial court, only to be replaced completely by a line of puppet shoguns controlled by the Hojo Regents. Mentioned in this podcast: Brownlee, John. Crisis as Reinforcement of the Imperial Institution. The Case of the Jokyu Incident, 1221 Monumenta Nipponica, Vol. 30, No. 2 (Summer, 1975), pp. 193-201 http://www.jstor.org/pss/2383842 Mass, Jeffrey (Ed). Court and Bakufu in Japan: Essays in Kamakura History Stanford University Press (January 1, 1995) http://astore.amazon.com/samurai-20/detail/0804724733 Mass, Jeffrey. Yoritomo and the Founding of the First Bakufu: The Origins of Dual Government in Japan Stanford University Press; 1 edition (January 1, 2000) http://astore.amazon.com/samurai-20/detail/0804735913 Ma

An important development in the history of Japan and the Heian period, was the rise of the warrior class, which would eventually bring about a true feudal system run by warriors. As more and more military responsibility was delegated to provincial warlords who were out of the sphere of influence of the capital, these warrior houses grew in power. The transition from a central government run by the Heian court to the rise of the warrior class as the controlling group began with the Taira clan, led by Taira Kiyomori, who usurped the power of the Fujiwara clan. Eventually, the only alternative for people who were at odds with the Taira clan, was to throw in their lot with the Minamoto clan of Eastern warriors, which would eventually lead to civil war. Mentioned in this podcast: Friday, Karl. Samurai, Warfare and the State in Early Medieval Japan (Warfare and History) Routledge; New edition edition (December 29, 2003) http://astore.amazon.com/samurai-20/detail/0415329639 Hall, John W. Government and Local Power i

In this episode of our Introduction to Japanese history series, we examine the rise of the warrior class during the Heian period. As the Heian period began, there was not a distinct warrior class, but armies were raised on an ad hoc basis when needed by the court to put down rebellions, bandits, and pirates. As the Heian period went on, provincial lords began to maintain professional warrior bands to protect their lands and legitimacy, and to go to war on behalf of the court. The court would continue to give these provincial lords legitimacy through bestowing titles and lands. But, as the Heian period went on, court control of these provincial lords and their armies began to weaken. Support the podcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/samuraiarchives Mentioned in this podcast: Friday, Karl. Hired Swords: The Rise of Private Warrior Power in Early Japan Stanford University Press, March 1, 1996 http://astore.amazon.com/samurai-20/detail/0804726965 Friday, Karl. Samurai, Warfare and the State in Early Medieva

Part five of our Introduction to Japanese History series covers the Heian period. The Heian period (794AD-1185AD) is named after Heian-kyo (present day Kyoto). The Heian period is known for it's art, literature, and poetry, as well as the spread of Tendai and Shingon Buddhism. Support the podcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/samuraiarchives Mentioned in this podcast: Mason, Penelope. History of Japanese Art Published jointly by Prentice Hall and Harry N. Abrams, Inc. October 4, 2004 http://astore.amazon.com/samurai-20/detail/0131176013 Ooms, Herman. Imperial Politics and Symbolics in Ancient Japan: The Tenmu Dynasty, 650-800 Univ of Hawaii Press, October 2008 http://astore.amazon.com/samurai-20/detail/0824832353 Support this podcast: Shop Amazon.com, suport the podcast: http://amzn.to/wnDX2j Samurai Archives Bookstore: http://astore.amazon.com/samurai-20 Samurai Archives Shop (T-Shirts, etc) http://www.cafepress.com/samuraiarchives Contact Us: Twitter @SamuraiArchives https://twitter.com/#!/samuraiarc

Continuing our Introduction to Japanese History series is part 2 of our Asuka-Nara podcast. The Asuka-Nara period (538AD-794AD) is known for it's classic art and architecture, the introduction of Buddhism, and the Taika reforms and Ritsuryo system. Japan adopted many Chinese style institutions, began to form a national government, and started to assert itself internationally in East Asia. Support the podcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/samuraiarchives Mentioned in this podcast: Brown, Delmer (Editor). The Cambridge History of Japan, Vol. 1: Ancient Japan Cambridge University Press, July 30, 1993 http://astore.amazon.com/samurai-20/detail/0521223520 Farris, William Wayne. Heavenly Warriors: The Evolution of Japan's Military, 500-1300 Harvard University Asia Center, April 15, 1996 http://astore.amazon.com/samurai-20/detail/067438704X Friday, Karl. Hired Swords: The Rise of Private Warrior Power in Early Japan Stanford University Press, March 1, 1996 http://astore.amazon.com/samurai-20/detail/0804726965

Continuing our Introduction to Japanese History podcast series, we will examine the Asuka-Nara period over two episodes. The Asuka-Nara period (538AD-794AD) is known for it's classic art and architecture, the introduction of Buddhism, and the Taika reforms and Ritsuryo system. Japan adopted many Chinese style institutions, began to form a national government, and started to assert itself internationally in East Asia. Support the podcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/samuraiarchives Mentioned in this Podcast: Hall, John W. Government and Local Power in Japan 500-1700: A Study Based on Bizen Province ACLS Humanities E-Book, August 1, 2008 http://astore.amazon.com/samurai-20/detail/1597405957 Support this podcast: Shop Amazon.com, suport the podcast: http://amzn.to/wnDX2j Samurai Archives Bookstore: http://astore.amazon.com/samurai-20 Samurai Archives Shop (T-Shirts, etc) http://www.cafepress.com/samuraiarchives Contact Us: Twitter @SamuraiArchives https://twitter.com/#!/samuraiarchives Facebook: http://w

For part two of our Introduction to Japanese History series, we'll be covering the Yayoi period which was a sharp change from the culture of the Jomon period, where there was a massive influx of NE Asians into the Japanese archipelago. This was followed by the Kofun period, where Japan began to slowly consolidate and unify into a confederacy. The name of the Kofun period comes from the huge keyhole shaped burial mounds known as "Kofun". Support the podcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/samuraiarchives Mentioned in this podcast: Edwards, Walter. Event and Process in the Founding of Japan: The Horserider Theory in Archeological Perspective Journal of Japanese Studies, Vol. 9, No. 2 (Summer, 1983), pp. 265-295 http://www.jstor.org/pss/132294 Farris, William Wayne. Heavenly Warriors: The Evolution of Japan's Military, 500-1300 Harvard University Asia Center, April 15, 1996 http://astore.amazon.com/samurai-20/detail/067438704X Hudson, Mark. Ruins of Identity: Ethnogenesis in the Japanese Islands Univ of Hawa

For part one of our Introduction to Japanese History series, we’ll be starting at the beginning of the earliest history of the Japanese archipelago and the changes that took place in culture and technology from the Paleolithic period to the Jomon period, which takes us from prehistory to approximately 300BC. Support the podcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/samuraiarchives Mentioned in this podcast: http://japanesearchaeology.com/ Aikens, C. Prehistory of Japan (Studies in Archaeology) Academic Pr, September 1982 http://astore.amazon.com/samurai-20/detail/0120452804 Barnes, Gina. The Rise of Civilization in East Asia Thames & Hudson, July 1, 1999 http://astore.amazon.com/samurai-20/detail/0500279748 Batten, Bruce. Gateway to Japan: Hakata in War And Peace, 500-1300 Univ of Hawaii Press, March 2006 http://astore.amazon.com/samurai-20/detail/0824830296 Hudson, Mark. Ruins of Identity: Ethnogenesis in the Japanese Islands Univ of Hawaii Press, March 2006 http://astore.amazon.com/samurai-20/detail/08248

After Japan closed its borders and kicked the Christian missionaries out of Japan, it was forced to undertake a national maritime defense to protect against any potential foreign threats. In this podcast, we examine the defense of the port of Nagasaki, from the political and military structure to the actual defenses constructed at the port. We also examine the successes and failures that occurred in Nagasaki, starting with the torching of a Portuguese ship and execution of most of its sailors in 1640, to the drastic failure to defend the port against the British Navy ship Phaeton in 1808. Support the podcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/samuraiarchives Mentioned in this podcast: Arima, Seiho. The Western Influence on Japanese Military Science, Shipbuilding, and Navigation Monumenta Nipponica, Vol. 19 No. 3/4 Sophia University, 1964 http://www.jstor.org/stable/2383177 Wilson, Noell. Tokugawa Defense Redux: Organizational Failure in the Phaeton Incident of 1808 Journal of Japanese Studies, Vol. 36 No. 1,