Episode 295 - Into Thin Air

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Episode 295 - Into Thin Air

FromHistory of Japan

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34 minutes

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Jul 5, 2019

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This week, we cover the true story of North Korea's abduction of Japanese civilians. Who was taken, and why? What do we know about their lives in the north? And how does their disappearance still affect the relationship between Japan and North Korea today?

Released:

Jul 5, 2019

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Podcast episode

Titles in the series (100)

A weekly podcast on Japanese history, covering everything from prehistory to the modern era. Additional information available at the podcast blog, at www.historyofjapan.wordpress.com

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Episode 6 - A New Order: This week we will cover the structure of the Kamakura bakufu, the Hojo triumph over the Mongols, the fall of the Hojo, and their replacement by the Ashikaga family. We'll also cover some cultural developments in the fields of Buddhism and Noh... by History of Japan
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Episode 23 - In Buddha's Name: The Rise and Fall of the Ikko Ikki, Part 1: For our first two-part episode, we're going to discuss the Ikko Ikki, a militant insurrection of believers in the faith of Jodo Shinshu, or True Pure Land Buddhism. We'll discuss the rise of the movement to political and military prominence during the... by History of Japan
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Episode 20 - Japan as Number One: This week, we'll be talking about the height of postwar Japan during the 1970s and 1980s. On the surface, it's a time of great accomplishment when the dream of catching up to the West had finally been realizing. Looking deeper, however, we find the... by History of Japan
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Episode 62 - New Masculine Identities and Pop Culture in 1980s Japan: This week, Sam Timinsky will be joining us for another guest podcast, covering changes in masculine identity in the wake of Japan's economic bubble and bust in the 1980s and 1990s. As a reminder, there will be no new episode next week; the... by History of Japan
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Episode 3 - The First Capitol: Today we will be discussing the Asuka and Nara periods, and the formation of a centralized, Chinese-style government based in a permanent capitol city. There's intrigue, backstabbing, and stories about poop; should be fun! by History of Japan
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Episode 2 - A Kingdom Called Wa: In this second episode, we discuss the earliest periods of Japanese history (the Jomon, Yayoi and Tumulus/Kofun periods), covering the years from prehistory to 538 AD. It's a long haul to cover! by History of Japan
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Episode 5 - Dream on a Spring Night: This week, we will be covering the fall of the Heian system, the massive Genpei War between the Minamoto and Taira families, and the rise of the first shogunal government (called a bakufu) under the auspices of the brutal Minamoto no Yoritomo. by History of Japan
19 min listen
Episode 19 - Rising from the Ashes: This week, we're going to discuss the postwar strategy that enabled Japan to revive itself after World War II. In 1952, most observers believed Japan would become a mid-rank regional power on the same order as Sweden; by 1970 it was clear that would... by History of Japan
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Episode 7 - Descent into Chaos: This week, we're going to cover the fall of the Ashikaga and the early Sengoku period (rougly 1400-1550 AD). I'll also be briefly discussing the arrival of Westerners and the rise of the militant Ikko Ikki movement. Enjoy! by History of Japan
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Episode 14 - The Course of Empire: Our podcast this week will turn to the subject of Japanese foreign policy from the end of the Sino-Japanese War in 1895 to the middle of the war against Nationalist China in 1940. We will cover the Russo-Japanese War, the steady split of the military... by History of Japan
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Episode 54 - The Great Change: This week, we'll be talking about Japan's first great political reform: the Taika, or Great Change. We'll discuss its causes, effects, its parallels with the Meiji Restoration some 1200 years later, and its legacy -- which reaches a lot farther than... by History of Japan
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Episode 4 - The Golden Age of Heian: This week's episode will discuss the Heian Period (794-1185), one of the golden ages of Japanese history. We'll talk about the politics and culture of the period, covering the structure of government, literary styles, and why it is that I think the... by History of Japan
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Episode 1 - Introduction: Welcome to our introductory episode! Today we will be covering the basic ideas behind this podcast, including: Who I am What I'm planning to do here Why you should care about history Why Japanese history is important What I need from you, my... by History of Japan
5 min listen
Episode 16 - And Then the War Came: We've arrived, finally, at the Pacific War -- this week, we'll be charting the course Japan took to war, briefly summarizing the cours of said war, and then discussing how the war ended. by History of Japan
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Episode 25 - The Shadow Shogun: This week we will be discussing the great political wheeler and dealer of modern Japanese politics: Tanaka Kakuei. We will trace the rise of this man of the people, the heights of his power, and his eventual fall from grace, as well as discussing his... by History of Japan
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Episode 11 - The End of an Era: This week, we'll be talking about the period called the Bakumatsu, or the end of the Bakufu. We'll be tracing a complex, but very interesting narrative describing how the Tokugawa went from masters of all they surveyed to defeat and destruction in a... by History of Japan
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Episode 9 - Pax Tokugawa: This week we will be covering the social and political structure of Edo Japan. There's a lot of interesting material to go through, ranging from the social system (hint: it's good to be a samurai [but not as good as you might think]) to the foreign... by History of Japan
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Episode 22 - The Way of the Warrior: For our first listener-submitted topic, we're tackling Bushido: the warrior code of the samurai class. We'll discuss the evolution of the bushido ideology, the role it played during the ages of warfare in Japan as well as during the Tokugawa, and its... by History of Japan
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Episode 37 - Women Warriors: This week, we'll be tackling an oft-requested topic; women warriors in the samurai class. Contrary to what you might think, women were actually very active in the roughly 800 years that make up the dominant time of the samurai class. Today, we'll be... by History of Japan
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Episode 17 - He Who Saves One Life, Saves an Entire World: This week we're going to be taking another break from the forward march of history to discuss the life of a man named Sugihara Chiune. Sugihara worked as a bureaucrat in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs prior to World War II, and in 1940 he gave up his... by History of Japan
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Episode 8 - The Three Unifiers: This week, we will be discussing the reunification of Sengoku Japan under the three Sengoku Unifiers -- Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and Tokugawa Ieyasu. We will be discussing the trajectory of their careers and the nature of their characters.... by History of Japan
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Episode 32 - The Way of the Sword in the Age of the Gun: This week, we're going to discuss the topic of swordsmanship and kendo in modern Japan. We'll talk about where modern traditions of swordsmanship came from, and why kendo retains such a popular grip on modern Japan. by History of Japan
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Episode 15 - The Homefront: This week, we'll be discussing domestic developments in Japan, and the path by which a reasonably (if not totally) liberal democracy in the 1910s and 1920s morphed into a military dictatorship in the 1930s. We'll talk about the various means by which... by History of Japan
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Episode 10 - A Day in the Life of Edo Japan: This week, I'll be talking about the life of the average city-dweller in the Edo Period. This is a very wide-ranging episode, covering everything from the schools in which young samurai were trained to the kabuki-based prostitution which those same... by History of Japan
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Episode 21 - The Crash: For our final outline episode, we'll be tackling the origins and effects of the real-estate bubble which devastated the Japanese economy in 1991, and which so brutally halted the story of Japanese growth. In particular, we'll be focusing on the ways... by History of Japan
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Episode 12 - Civilization and Enlightenment: This week, we're going to cover the early Meiji Period (1868-1900 or so). We'll be covering a wide range of topics, ranging from international relations to politics to social developments. This is one of the most interesting and tumultuous periods in... by History of Japan
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Episode 27 - The Way of Yin and Yang: This week, we're discussing Onmyodo, the mystical study of divination based off of the theories of yin and yang (in-yo or on-myo in Japanese). We'll be covering the entire history of the practice, including its most famous practitioner: Abe no Seimei.... by History of Japan
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Episode 24 - In Buddha's Name: The Rise and Fall of the Ikko Ikki, Part 2: We'll be wrapping up our discussion of the Ikko Ikki this week, as the unstoppable force of the militant wing of Jodo Shinshu meets the immovable objects of Tokugawa Ieyasu and Oda Nobunaga. What follows is a tale of treachery, war, and revenge worthy... by History of Japan
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Episode 31 - The First Shogun: This week, we're going to take a look at the man credited with one of the greatest epochal changes in Japanese history: the shift from imperial to samurai government in the late 12th century. It's time for the life and legacy of Minamoto no Yoritomo! by History of Japan
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Episode 295 - Into Thin Air

Episode 295 - Into Thin Air

Description

Titles in the series (100)

More Episodes from History of Japan

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