History of Japan

Isaac Meyer
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History of Japan

This podcast, assembled by a former PhD student in History at the University of Washington, covers the entire span of Japanese history. Each week we'll tackle a new topic, ranging from prehistoric Japan to the modern day.

  1. 20 HR AGO

    Episode 554 - Laying on Hands, Part 2

    This week is a continuation of our exploration of the history of reiki. How did Takata Hawayo, a poor woman from Hawaii's Nikkei community, become the foundational figure of one of the most popular New Age practices in the world? And in the end, what sense can we make of the history of a practice founded on pseudoscientific medical claims? Show notes here.

    41 min

  2. 8 NOV

    Episode 553 - Laying on Hands, Part 1

    This week: the origins of one of the most popular pseudo-medical traditions out there. Where does reiki, the notion that one can manipulate energy in the human body using their hands to heal people, come from? And why does studying the history of practices like this matter? Show notes here.

    37 min

  3. 1 NOV

    Episode 552 - The Road Less Traveled

    This week: what can we learn about the past if we look not at elite literature, but at the lowbrow faire of the masses? We'll explore this question using one of the most popular works of its day: Tokaidochu Hizakurige.  Show notes here.

    35 min

  4. 25 OCT

    Episode 551 - Dog Days, Part 3

    This week, we conclude our look at canine history in Japan with the nation's most famous dog: Hachiko. You might know the story, but you probably don't know how tied up it is in the establishment of Japan's first dog breeding programs, or in the militarist rhetoric of the war years. Show notes here.

    36 min

  5. 18 OCT

    Episode 550 - Dog Days, Part 2

    This week we continue our footnote on the history of dogs in Japan. How did  public perceptions of dogs change during the Meiji period? How did the adoption of modern notions of dog ownership and pet keeping help remake Japan's cities? And what impact did all of this have on Japan's existing canine population? Show notes here.

    34 min

  6. 11 OCT

    Episode 549 - Dog Days, Part 1

    In the final footnote for our Revised Introduction, we turn our attention to a little discussed subject that is a part of daily life for many: the history of our life with dogs! How did humans live with dogs in premodern Japan, and how did that start to change when the country was opened during the Meiji years? Show notes here.

    35 min

  7. 4 OCT

    Episode 548 - The Five Mountains, Part 2

    This week's footnote is a continuation of last week's discussion of the gozan, or five mountain system for the ranking of Zen temples. What did the system look like at its height under Ashikaga rule, and how did its relationship to the Ashikaga begin to transform the practice of Zen within the temples themselves? Show notes here.

    34 min

  8. 27 SEPT

    Episode 547 - The Five Mountains, Part 1

    This week on the Footnotes to the Revised Introduction to Japanese History: many describe Zen as the religion of the samurai. In reality, it was not--but samurai influence was crucial to making Zen a part of Japan's cultural framework. That history is bound up in a system called the "Five Mountains"; so how did that system come to be? Show notes here.

    34 min
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About

This podcast, assembled by a former PhD student in History at the University of Washington, covers the entire span of Japanese history. Each week we'll tackle a new topic, ranging from prehistoric Japan to the modern day.

Information

  • Creator
    Isaac Meyer
  • Years Active
    2013 - 2024
  • Episodes
    564
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Show Website
    History of Japan

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