Newly anointed chief of the roju Matsudaira Sadanobu wanted to set Japan back on course after the devastating Great Tenmei Famine. However, some of his more restrictive policies would prove unpopular. Support the Show.By Justin Hebert

The forced isolation of the Edo Period was part of a larger strategy by the Bakufu to ensure the removal of any possible rivals. However, Japan greatly benefited from foreign import and foreign learning, in spite of the shogunate's insistence that the nation needed no such outside interference. Support the Show.…

The reigns of shoguns Tokugawa Ieshige and Tokugawa Ieharu caused further weakness in the Bakufu at a critical time. Rampant corruption was encouraged by one chief of the Roju named Tanuma Okitsugu. The Great Tenmei Famine, however, would bring all of his schemes crashing down. Support the Show.By Justin Hebert

All three of Japan's unifiers attempted to merge secular strength with spiritual authority, with varying degrees of success. After his death, however, Tokugawa Ieyasu would continue to be venerated by future shoguns as a shining avatar of Buddha watching over the nation from the heavens. Support the Show.…

Near the beginning of the Edo Period, a samurai from Sendai Domain in Tohoku took a globe-spanning journey which took him across two oceans and included Mexico, Spain, France, Italy, and the Philippines. Support the Show.By Justin Hebert

While some Ronin chose to lay aside their swords and take up artisinal crafts, some found new purpose in teaching the way of the warrior to the next generation. Miyamoto Musashi embodied the twilight of the Sengoku samurai in walking the path of dueling, teaching, creating, and ultimately leaving a legacy of strategy, tactics, and wisdom. Support t…

In this episode, we discuss the founder of Kabuki theatre Izumo Okuni, playwright Chikamatsu Monzaemon, legendary sculptor Hidari Jingoro, poet Matsuo Basho, and the birth of Ukiyo-e painting. Here is a link to a short film about Hidari Jingoro (CONTENT WARNING: EPIC STOP-MOTION VIOLENCE): https://youtu.be/DpefYPLH67A?si=qpVZHtEncVs9WnPT Support th…

After the brief reigns of Tokugawa Ienobu and his young son Ietsugu, the Bakufu selected a new shogun from the Kii Branch of the Tokugawa Clan. Tokugawa Yoshimune inherited a national government in the midst of multiple crises and introduced the Kyoho Reforms to try and set the ship of state back on its proper course. Support the Show.…

The Early Edo Period was a time of newfound stability for the formerly chaotic Japanese archipelago. Although the samurai were the official ruling class of the nation, however, in many ways they were not the principle beneficiaries of the new national status quo. Support the Show.By Justin Hebert

The tenure of Tokugawa Tsunayoshi was marked by a fervent support of Neo-Confucian reforms, some of which were extremely radical and some of which were downright wacky. It was during his reign that the events surrounding the tale of the forty-seven ronin occurred. Support the Show.By Justin Hebert

The Kings of Joseon were faced with many difficult decisions throughout the 1600s as their nation faced Manchurian invasion, internal military coups, and a tumultuously factional political class. Support the Show.By Justin Hebert

As the Ming Dynasty faced utter collapse in the face of famines, plagues, and peasant rebellions, the Qing Dynasty of Manchuria would surge and, eventually, take its place as the ruling dynasty of China. Support the Show.By Justin Hebert

Under pressure from outside and within, the Ming Dynasty of China gradually lost control after a series of famines, plagues, and peasant rebellions. By the early 1600s, however, the Later Jin Dynasty began to take charge after unifying Manchuria and soon set its sights on claiming the Mandate of Heaven for themselves. Support the Show.…

The reign of Tokugawa Iemitsu proved to be a stabilizing force in Japanese politics, as he defined the duties of the various office-holders throughout the Bakufu which helped make the Edo Shogunate the longest-lasting samurai government in Japanese history. Support the Show.By Justin Hebert

The reign of Tokugawa Iemitsu was marked by a general trend toward increasing the shogunate's power through self-perpetuating bureaucracy. His son Ietsuna's reign would prove to be a test of the Bakufu's machinery. Support the Show.By Justin Hebert

As the Bakufu continued to persecute Christianity, and certain daimyo continued taxing their subjects at punitive rates, a rebellion broke out in Kyushu in 1637 which would prove to be the end of any remaining tolerance the Shogunate had for foreign elements in Japan. Support the Show.By Justin Hebert

When conflict erupted at last between Toyotomi Hideyori and Tokugawa Ieyasu, the resulting battles would decide the political future of Japan for hundreds of years to come. However, in spite of the reduction they had experienced at the Shogun's hands, the Toyotomi Clan was still able to raise significant numbers of troops. Support the Show.…

Shortly after the foundation of the new shogunate, Tokugawa Ieyasu gradually makes his fortified city Edo into the new unofficial political capital of Japan. He needed to proceed carefully, however, to avoid offending the powerful daimyo who still supported young Toyotomi Hideyori. Support the Show.By Justin Hebert

Throughout Japanese history, there were people called "Nonhumans" who specialized in removing spiritual pollution. While their descendants would face discrimination during the Edo Period, in this episode we explore their origins and discuss why they became segregated and oppressed. Support the Show.By Justin Hebert

In this special bonus episode, we follow the career of Date Masamune, a daimyo from Tohoku who consolidated power in the north and became one of the most feared warriors and battle leaders in the nation during the Azuchi-Momoyama Period. Support the Show.By Justin Hebert

After the Battle of Sekigahara, Tokugawa Ieyasu continued carefully and gradually accumulating his own power and was named Seii-tai-shogun in 1603. This episode also features the adventures of William Adams, the first Englishman to come to Japan. Support the Show.By Justin Hebert

Ishida Mitsunari gathered the various factions that composed his Western Army, hoping to face off against Tokugawa Ieyasu in Mikawa Province. Ieyasu had other plans, however, and confronted Mitsunari in Mino Province instead. The battle that ensued was legendary, and the winner would gain control over the entire nation. Support the Show.…

After the death of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the Go-Tairo, or Council of Five Elders, would contend with one another over how best to interpret and execute the Taiko's final commands. Support the Show.By Justin Hebert

After a few years of uneasy ceasefire, the fighting resumes between the Japanese and the Koreans and their Ming allies. After a massive setback when the new-and-improved Japanese Navy nearly annihilates the Korean fleet at Chilcheollyang, Admiral Yi Sun-sin would once more bring his martial prowess to bear against his foes on the high seas with stu…

The Imjin War takes on a new dimension as fully-equipped armies from the Ming Dynasty arrive to take on the Japanese invasion. What began as an easy conquest for Toyotomi Hideyoshi soon became an intractable quagmire and gradually settled into a stalemate. Support the Show.By Justin Hebert

As the 1592 invasion of Korea continued, the Japanese armies enjoyed a rapid sequence of victories on land, dominating the peninsula in sieges and battles. Their quick success would soon become a liability, however, when the superior Joseon Navy started sinking supply ships and overcoming Japanese battle fleets. Support the Show.…

In 1592, the armies of Toyotomi Hideyoshi invaded Korea, engaging in wanton slaughter, merciless plundering, and surprisingly rapid success. Because the Joseon Kingdom was almost completely unprepared for this incursion, they would need to rely on the aid of Ming China to win back control of the peninsula. Support the Show.…

After campaigning in Shikoku and Kyushu, the only remaining regions still just outside of Hideyoshi's grasp were Kanto and Tohoku, who would both soon be brought into line. Support the Show.By Justin Hebert

In this episode we explore the many social and economic innovations spearheaded by Toyotomi Hideyoshi during his time at the nation's helm. Support the Show.By Justin Hebert

The islands of Shikoku and Kyushu were both in the process of their own unification when Hideyoshi brought his armies to bear against their major powers and forced their submission. Support the Show.By Justin Hebert

Hashiba Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu face off in Owari Province with massive armies to determine who would be the official protector of Nobunaga's rightful heir. Although it appeared that a massive, dramatic battle was imminent, the months-long standoff turned into a stalemate in which neither side could gain a significant advantage. Support the S…

Now that his retainers had successfully avenged his betrayal, one of them would manage to seize power now that the great daimyo was gone. However, the question of who would take up Nobunaga's Mantle would ultimately be decided on the battlefield. Support the Show.By Justin Hebert

In the wake of Oda Nobunaga's death, Hashiba Hideyoshi rushed to finalize a truce with the Mori Clan before racing back to Kansai with his army to face off against the forces of Akechi Mitsuhide. Support the Show.By Justin Hebert

By 1582, Oda Nobunaga's efforts at unification were gaining momentum as he increasingly consolidated power for himself. Just when it appeared that he couldn't be stopped, he was betrayed by a subordinate and assassinated. Support the Show.By Justin Hebert

Oda Nobunaga became the most politically powerful daimyo in all of Japan by the early 1580s. In this episode, we explore his governance, economic management, and personal style. Support the Show.By Justin Hebert

Oda Nobunaga and Tokugawa Ieyasu team up against their mutual enemy the Takeda Clan and Nobunaga wins one of the most decisive victories of his entire career. When facing off against the Uesugi Clan two years later, however, Nobunaga surprisingly lost a battle against a smaller army. Support the Show.…

Oda Nobunaga seized absolute power in the capital in 1573, but he still had many enemies to contend with in Kansai and beyond. Support the Show.By Justin Hebert

Many centuries before their current pop-culture fame, the Ninja of Japan were quietly performing their subtle arts to both secure their confederations' independence and earn some coin. In this episode, we discuss the people behind the legends and sort fact from fantasy. Support the Show.By Justin Hebert

The way of the warrior in an age filled with betrayals, backstabbings, and gekokujo was, to put it mildly, kind of complicated. Support the Show.By Justin Hebert

Although Uesugi Kenshin had forged an impressive domain along the north coast of Honshu, he never gave up on his dream of making his title of Kanto Kanrei into an office with real power in Japan's fertile east. Support the Show.By Justin Hebert

Beleaguered and surrounded by enemies, Oda Nobunaga nearly fell into a deadly trap while seeking battle against the Asakura Clan of northern Omi Province. Then the Takeda Clan started stabbing westward, seeking to liberate the shogun from the grasp of Nobunaga. The drama would end, however, with Yoshiaki's removal and subsequent exile from Kyoto, t…

After conquering Mino Province, Oda Nobunaga needed to not only carve a path to the capital itself, but extend his control over a broad section of the Kansai region. Support the Show.By Justin Hebert

After finally conquering his foes in Mino Province, Oda Nobunaga established a new headquarters in the newly-rebuilt Gifu Castle and introduces a new official motto for his regime - Tenka Fubu. Support the Show.By Justin Hebert

Oda Nobuhide, the famous "Tiger of Owari," passed away unexpectedly in 1551, leaving his branch of the Oda Clan in the hands of his son, a rude young man with little sense of propriety or politics called "The Fool of Owari." Throughout the 1550s, however, Nobunaga would consolidate his rule over the province and even defend it from a terrifying inv…

Rival daimyo holding long-term grudges and engaging in massive feuds was a common feature of Sengoku Jidai, but there were two daimyo in particular whose rivalry would become the stuff of legend. Support the Show.By Justin Hebert

The continuing adventures of the ambitious Miyoshi Clan leaders led to a series of destructive conflicts throughout Kansai that eventually left the remnant of the Bakufu wholly dependent upon powerful daimyo to prop up their withering government. Support the Show.By Justin Hebert

In spite of suffering through the occasional violent coup, cruel tyrant, and political purge, the Joseon Dynasty showed real staying power throughout the 14- and 1500s and would even manage some impressive national accomplishments. Support the Show.By Justin Hebert

The Ming Dynasty approached its peak, before rapidly declining due to corruption, graft, and a gradual decline in the quality of its burueacucrats. Support the Show.By Justin Hebert

In the mid-1500s, a Portuguese ship sought safe harbor from Tsukushima Island and thus began a robust, vibrant trade relationship between two distant powers. In addition to guns, silks, and exotic foreign goods, however, these "Southern Barbarians" also brought missionaries preaching a religion heretofore unknown to the Japanese: Roman Catholic Chr…

In this third installment of the Sengoku States series, we follow the activities of the Shimazu Clan on Kyushu, the Chosokabe Clan on Shikoku, and the Miyoshi Clan on Shikoku and in Kansai during the early-to-mid 1500s. Support the Show.By Justin Hebert