Best Tokugawa Podcasts (2024)

1
A Lady's Life in Tokugawa Japan, Part III: Fashion & Fun with the Glamorous Geisha 55:22

14d ago55:22

55:22

In this four-part series, we're time traveling back to Tokugawa Japan (1603-1868) to find out what life was like there for the ladies. If you've been binging Shogun lately, then this one's for you! For show notes, including a list of sources and some cool images, go to The Exploress website (If you're dying for a full transcript, you'll find it ove…

1
First Shogun - Extra! 12:20

2h ago12:20

12:20

As we've reached the halfway point in the rise to power of Yoritomo, in this episode we take a break from the main story to look at some of the main books, films, TV shows, and podcasts that deal with this period of early Japanese history. The episode includes tips and suggestions for anyone who's interested to know more about the Gempei War and th…

1
0201 - Midweek Debrief - The Denial of Death 1:05:51

3h ago1:05:51

1:05:51

No matter how much we love the city, or our home, or the land, they will never love us back. They do not give birth to hope. They destroy us in the pursuit of it. And so, to survive you must learn to recognize those who don’t hope, who aren’t really alive, and be wary of their doomed decisions. They are to be avoided at all costs because their fear…

1
Episode 534 - The Imperial Democracy 37:36

2h ago37:36

37:36

This week on the Revised Introduction to Japanese History: during the 1920s, Japan's political system became more democratic and representative--an "imperial democracy" that evolved out of the Meiji system. How did this happen, and why did those democratic gains prove to be so unstable in the long term? Show notes here.…

1
The Fires of Mount Fuji 23:58

7d ago23:58

23:58

Lord Kiyomori has sent a massive army to suppress the Genji uprising in the east led by Minamoto no Yoritomo. But for now Yoritomo has a more immediate threat: outnumbered ten to one, he prepares to confront a force of 3,000 samurai on the slopes of Mount Ishibashi. Yoritomo's response to this attack will pass into legend - and will lead to the war…

1
0200: Midweek Debrief - The War on Self in a Can-Do Society 1:33:35

6d ago1:33:35

1:33:35

The complaint of the depressive individual, “Nothing is possible,” can only occur in a society that thinks, “Nothing is impossible.” No-longer-being-able-to-be-able leads to destructive self-reproach and auto-aggression. The achievement-subject finds itself fighting with itself. The depressive has been wounded by internalized war. Depression is the…

1
Episode 533 - At the Table or On the Table 37:59

6d ago37:59

37:59

This week on the Revised Introduction to Japanese History: Japan joins the ranks of the great powers by building its own colonial empire. How did Japan come to be a great colonial power, what made its empire different from the others of the age, and more importantly: what made it the same? Show notes here.…

1
Assassins in the Night 17:26

16d ago17:26

17:26

Japan, 1180: The samurai warlord Kiyomori is at the height of his power - he has exiled or executed his opponents, imprisoned the retired Emperor, and has begun his grandest project - the creation of a new capital city in his image. But hundreds of miles to the east, the exiled Yoritomo is planning to strike back against Kiyomori's Heike. He launch…

1
0199: Midweek Debrief - Friendly Big Brother 1:03:45

16d ago1:03:45

1:03:45

Like is the digital Amen. When we click Like, we are bowing down to the order to domination. The smartphone is not just an effective surveillance apparatus; it is also a mobile confessional. - Byung-Chul Han, Psychopolitics --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/donavon-riley/messageSupport this podcast: https://podcas…

1
0198: Midweek Debrief - Kindness Is Invincible 1:22:06

25d ago1:22:06

1:22:06

“That kindness is invincible, provided it's sincere- not ironic or an act. What can even the most vicious person do if you keep treating him with kindness and gently set him straight” ― Marcus Aurelius, Meditations --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/donavon-riley/messageSupport this podcast: https://podcasters.spot…

1
The Battle of Uji Bridge 28:50

26d ago28:50

28:50

An imperial decree urges rebellion against the Heike clan. As the Genji heir Yoritomo considers his response, a veteran Genji living in the capital - Minamoto no Yorimasa - takes matters into his own hands, and leads the first serious challenge to Lord Kiyomori's authority. The uprising will lead to the first pivotal moment of the Gempei War - the …

1
Episode 532 - Cash Rules Everything Around Me 38:37

1M ago38:37

38:37

This week on the Revised Introduction to Japanese History: the economics of Meiji Japan, and a brief foray into social attitudes towards Westernization. How did Japan transform itself from being largely cut off from the world economy to central to it within half a century, and what impact did all this change have on the national self-image and cult…

1
0197: Midweek Debrief - A New Telling of Three Ancient Tales 1:09:25

1M ago1:09:25

1:09:25

We are mud people with a holy breath sweeping through us. That is a comfort, Jesus says. Not tree people so much, or zebra people, or pomegranate people, but mud people. There is a primality in it. It is an image we can get behind. It is not nice. It is not a florid Renaissance sketch, but something we can imagine seeing daubed on a cave wall befor…

1
A Lady's Life in Tokugawa Japan, Part II: Home, Duty, Marriage, and Tea 50:35

29d ago50:35

50:35

In this four-part series, we're time traveling back to Tokugawa Japan (1603-1868) to find out what life was like there for the ladies. If you've been binging Shogun lately, then this one's for you! For show notes, including a list of sources and some cool images, go to The Exploress website (If you're dying for a full transcript, you'll find it ove…

1
0196: Midweek Debrief - The Plight of Addiction 1:10:04

1M ago1:10:04

1:10:04

“What is addiction, really? It is a sign, a signal, a symptom of distress. It is a language that tells us about a plight that must be understood.” Alice Miller, Breaking Down the Wall of Silence --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/donavon-riley/messageSupport this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/don…

1
Exiles and Lovers (part 2) 19:47

1M ago19:47

19:47

In this episode Yoritomo - the future First Shogun of Japan - falls in love with Hojo Masako - one of the most famous women in Japan's history. As they celebrate a secret wedding, Yoritomo hears of a strange dream that may be a prophesy of his future. Meanwhile, Kiyomori executes a conspirator with a brutality that shocks even his own supporters, a…

1
Exiles and Lovers (part 1) 15:13

1M ago15:13

15:13

In this episode we follow the teenager Yoritomo - the future First Shogun of Japan - as he begins his exile on Leech Island in Izu province, where he experiences both love and tragedy in the household of his captor. Meanwhile, back in the Capital, Lord Kiyomori of the Heike continues to secure his position as the country's most powerful landlord. B…

1
Episode 531 - The New Japan 35:53

1M ago35:53

35:53

This week on the Revised Introduction to Japanese History: the politics of the Meiji Period! After a coalition of samurai, nobles, loyalists, and others succeed in overthrowing the Tokugawa shogunate, they must ask themselves: what comes next? And, in the time honored tradition of revolution, they answer that question by killing off or removing fro…

1
Of Gods and Goblins 25:07

1M ago25:07

25:07

In this episode we follow the early life of Yoshitsune, the Luke Skywalker of medieval Japan! Saved from execution by his mother's courage, Yoshitsune was exiled at an early age to a remote temple, where, according to legend, he learned swordsmanship and battle strategy from the great Goblin King Sojobo. It was the start of a long journey that will…

1
0195: Midweek Debrief - Rage Against The New God 1:26:26

1M ago1:26:26

1:26:26

Technology is our new god. What would a refusal to worship look like? Paul Kingsnorth offers a vision of resistance, which I discuss in this week's episode. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/donavon-riley/messageSupport this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/donavon-riley/support…

1
Episode 530 - Bakumatsu, Part 3 37:55

2M ago37:55

37:55

This week: the age of feudalism comes crashing down, as in the span of just two years the Tokugawa shogunate goes from victory to crushing defeat. How did the final years of Tokugawa rule play out? Show notes here.

1
A Lady's Life in Tokugawa Japan, Part I: Welcome to the Edo Era 34:17

1M ago34:17

34:17

In this four-part series, we're time traveling back to Tokugawa Japan (1603-1868) to find out what life was like there for the ladies. If you've been binging Shogun lately, then this one's for you! For show notes, including a list of sources and some cool images, go to The Exploress website (If you're dying for a full transcript, you'll find it ove…

1
The Red and The White 28:12

2M ago28:12

28:12

It is now the year 1160 and Yoshitomo, the head of the Genji samurai clan, is preparing an audacious plot to topple the Emperor's chief advisor Shinzei, the man who ordered the deaths of his father and brothers. But can he carry out his plan in time before his deadliest rival, Lord Kiyomori of the Heike Clan, returns to the Capital? Key figures in …

1
Episode 529 - Bakumatsu, Part 2 37:24

2M ago37:24

37:24

This week on the Revised Introduction to Japanese History: the sudden assassination of the tairo Ii Naosuke sparks the rapid ascension of imperial loyalism, an ideology devoted to the undoing of the unequal treaties and the overthrow of the shogunate. How did loyalism come to be a dominant force in the politics of the early 1860s, and how did its f…

1
194: Midweek Debrief - Unlocking Reality 1:10:56

2M ago1:10:56

1:10:56

If God gave us what we asked for all at once, it would wipe us out. Too much reality. We have to chew on one piece of manna at a time. God’s announcements to the heart are so prestigious that too much and we are floored. And there are lots more that feel nutty and restrictive in their eccentricity. Then a year later or more and that, in turn, bloss…

1
The Hour of the Tiger 29:51

2M ago29:51

29:51

It is the year 1156 in the Japanese imperial capital. Two rival Emperors face each other across the Kamo river, each supported by warriors of the Heike and Genji clans. Watching is the nine-year-old Yoritomo. One day he will become Japan’s first Shogun. But for now, all he can do is hope that his father has chosen the right side. Key figures in thi…

1
Episode 528 - Bakumatsu, Part 1 39:13

2M ago39:13

39:13

This week on the Revised Introduction to Japanese History: the beginning of the end of the Tokugawa shogunate. Commodore Perry's expedition to Edo will begin a process of radical political change as a teetering Tokugawa shogunate is forced to confront a challenge of Western imperialism that it will not prove equal to resisting. Show notes here.…

1
Crusader Queens: The Royal Women of Medieval Outremer, Part II 29:09

2M ago29:09

29:09

Once upon a time, back in the Middle Ages, four sisters would come to shape the Crusader States called Outremer. One would rebel (several times) against their father; another would come to rule more or less in her own right. All would see a healthy heaping of conflict while living in a chaotic time and place. In Part 2, we'll rejoin our royal siste…

1
The Rumbling Giant 24:19

2M ago24:19

24:19

The first Shogun - Yoritomo of the Genji - was born more than 800 years ago. In this episode we explore the amazing background of Yoritomo's Genji clan - a real-life medieval mix of Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones. And then we see how his father Yoshitomo prepared to protect the samurai honor, by standing against his own family... Places ment…

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Tokugawa Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Quick Reference Guide