History of Japan

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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.

Isaac Meyer


    • Jun 6, 2025 LATEST EPISODE
    • weekly NEW EPISODES
    • 32m AVG DURATION
    • 593 EPISODES

    4.7 from 579 ratings Listeners of History of Japan that love the show mention: japanese history, isaac's, best japanese, japanese language, meyers, chronological, hence, thoroughly researched, i've learned a lot, politicians, overview, history podcast, broken, manages, broad, references, rather, narrative, detailed, conversational.


    Ivy Insights

    The History of Japan podcast is an exceptional resource for anyone interested in delving deep into the history of Japan. Hosted by Isaac Meyer, this podcast provides a thorough and well-researched exploration of Japanese history, from the feudal era to the modern period. One of the best aspects of this podcast is its comprehensive coverage, tackling everything from political scandals to the intricacies of the Shinto religion. Meyer handles each subject with care and offers a balanced perspective without sacrificing objectivity. Additionally, he injects humor into his delivery, making the content engaging and enjoyable.

    One of the standout features of The History of Japan podcast is its multi-part series format. This allows for in-depth explorations of specific topics, while also providing episodes on literature and poetry that provide additional context. The podcast serves as a comprehensive survey of Japanese history and offers a Hardcore History-like experience with more frequent releases.

    While The History of Japan podcast is highly informative and enjoyable overall, there are some potential drawbacks. For non-native Japanese speakers, it can be challenging to understand certain pronunciations or names due to Meyer's American accent. However, this minor issue does not detract significantly from the overall quality and value of the content.

    In conclusion, The History of Japan podcast is an incredible resource for those interested in Japanese history. It covers a wide range of topics with depth and accuracy while maintaining an engaging and entertaining tone. Whether you're a seasoned history enthusiast or just starting your journey into learning about Japan, this podcast is a must-listen. With its well-researched content and excellent delivery by Isaac Meyer, The History of Japan podcast stands out as one of the best podcasts on Japanese history available today.



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    Latest episodes from History of Japan

    Episode 581 - The Men of Chivalry, Part 1

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 6, 2025 35:24


    This week, we're starting a history of the most famous genre in the history of Japanese film: the jidaigeki, and its related genre of the ninkyo eiga. This week: what do we know about early jidaigeki, and how do they fit into the wider history of early Japanese film? Show notes here. 

    Episode 580 - The Kings of the Ring, Part 7

    Play Episode Listen Later May 30, 2025 39:51


    This week: we wrap up the miniseries with the end of Akebono's career, as the first gaijin yokozuna takes his post-dohyo trajectory in a very different direction from the other yokozuna before him (or at least, from most of the other yokozuna before him). Plus some final thoughts on sumo today. Show notes here.  

    Episode 579 - The Kings of the Ring, Part 6

    Play Episode Listen Later May 23, 2025 37:40


    This week: Akebono becomes a yokozuna, and finds himself burdened with new expectations on and off the dohyo. Plus, a brief foray into pay and compensation for rikishi, and a final section on one of the most infamous moments of the 64th yokozuna's career. Show notes here. 

    Episode 578 - The Kings of the Ring, Part 5

    Play Episode Listen Later May 16, 2025 36:17


    This week: in the span of just a few years, Akebono goes from a rookie in sumo to one of its most prominent names, and alongside Konishiki one of the Americans dominating in the top division. But unlike Konishiki, he has the potential to go one step further. So, how does a guy from Waimanalo become the first non-Japanese citizen ever to claim the title of yokozuna? Show notes here. 

    Episode 577 - The Kings of the Ring, Part 4

    Play Episode Listen Later May 9, 2025 36:01


    This week: Chad Rowan, who will be the first non-Japanese yokozuna in history, is the subject for the rest of our episodes. How did he come to sumo? What was his early career like? And how did he come to be known by the name Akebono-the rising sun? Show notes here. 

    Episode 576 - The Kings of the Ring, Part 3

    Play Episode Listen Later May 2, 2025 39:35


    This week: after Taiho, the floodgates open as more non-Japanese rikishi begin to enter the sport. One of them, Takamiyama, has a good but not great career. But two of the rikishi he recruits to train under him after retirement--Konishiki Yasokichi and Akebono Taro--will change sumo forever. Show notes here. 

    Episode 575 - The Kings of the Ring, Part 2

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 25, 2025 38:28


    This week: Taiho begins his grand sumo career, and quickly proves to be one of the best ever to do it. We'll use his career to discuss: what does greatness look like in a sport like sumo? What were the highlights of one of the greatest careers in sumo history? And what were the small number of cases where Taiho didn't prove able to come out on top? Show notes here. 

    Episode 574 - The Kings of the Ring, Part 1

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 18, 2025 38:55


    This week, we're beginning a new miniseries on the legends of Japan's most ancient sport: sumo. What can we learn about Japan and Japanese identity by looking at the lives of some of the most famous competitors in the national sport? We'll begin investigating that question with a look at the life of one of the greatest ever to enter the ring: Taiho Koki. Show notes here. 

    Episode 573 - The Revolutionary, Part 8

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 11, 2025 37:56


    For our final episode of this miniseries: Miyazaki Manabu faces down with the National Police Agency as he finds himself the prime suspect in Japan's highest profile criminal case of the 1980s. After he comes out on top, where does he go next? Why, the natural place for any high profile criminal suspect: into media, and then politics! Show notes here.

    Episode 572 - The Revolutionary, Part 7

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 4, 2025 33:14


    In our penultimate episode for this miniseries: Miyazaki Manabu narrowly escapes doing prison time, only to end up back in the underworld first of Osaka, and then Tokyo. And from there, he ends up square in the crosshairs of the police once again--this time as a suspect in one of the most infamous criminal cases in postwar history. Show notes here. 

    Episode 571 - The Revolutionary, Part 6

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 28, 2025 32:42


    This week: Miyazaki's time as a politics reporter, the end of his reporting career, and his return to the family business. How did he go, in the span of five years, from a successful reporter to a wanted criminal facing police prosecution? Show notes here. 

    Episode 570 - The Revolutionary, Part 5

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 21, 2025 32:45


    This week: Miyazaki Manabu's dramatic departure from the Communist Party, as his faith in the revolution wanes. What does a wannabe college revolutionary with no prospects turn to when the revolution fails to materialize? Show notes here. 

    Episode 569 - The Revolutionary, Part 4

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 14, 2025 38:27


    This week: Miyazaki Manabu goes from the Sodai struggle at Waseda to an active participant in the violent clashes of the late 1960s student movement, as a part of the "action corps" of the Communist Party. We'll take an up close and personal look to see: what was it like to be a radical student in the 1960s? Show notes here. 

    Episode 568 - The Revolutionary, Part 3

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 13, 2025 35:20


    This week on the podcast: Miyazaki Manabu faces his first battle as a college activist with the administration of his own school at Waseda University. It...does not go well.

    Episode 567 - The Revolutionary, Part 2

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 28, 2025 35:58


    This week: Miyazaki Manabu completes his transformation from son of a yakuza boss to a committed member of the Communist party. After all, it turns out those two groups have a surprising amount in common... Show notes here. 

    Episode 566 - The Revolutionary, Part 1

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 21, 2025 33:16


    This week: the start of a multi-part "modernized biography" intended to help us explore postwar Japan through the lens of a single, fascinating life. This episode is mostly focused on introducing our subject--Miyazaki Manabu--and his unique and fascinating circumstances as the scion of a small yakuza family. Show notes here. 

    Episode 565 - Riot Girls

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 14, 2025 38:13


    This week: what do we know about women and the wrong end of the law during the Tokugawa Period? Given the male-dominated nature of the feudal social order and the historical written record, what can we figure out? And what are the limits of that knowledge? Show notes here.  

    Episode 564 - You Gotta Fight for Your Right to Party, Part 3

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 7, 2025 37:10


    This week: outside of big urban riots, how did violence figure into the daily life of the Edo period? To answer this question, we'll take a look at one particularly well-documented example: youth gangs in the area surrounding Sensoji in the shogun's capital of Edo. Show notes here.  

    Episode 563 - You Gotta Fight for Your Right to Party, Part 2

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 31, 2025 36:25


    This week, we cover the second and third of Edo's three great riots in 1787 and 1866. How did samurai and commoners talk about these acts of mass violence? How was all this a manifestation of a sense of "street justice" among the masses? And what's with the handsome young guy everyone keeps swearing was secretly behind the whole thing? Show notes here. 

    Episode 562 - You Gotta Fight for Your Right to Party, Part 1

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 24, 2025 39:11


    This week: the first of three episodes on urban rioting in Tokugawa period Japan. This week, we're covering the first two urban riots in the history of the shogun's capital city. What drove the people of Edo to riot, and how did the shogunate respond to those challenges to its authority? Show notes here. 

    Episode 561 - The Otaku, Part 3

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 17, 2025 36:47


    In the final episode of this series: how did "otaku culture" spread overseas when it was so stigmatized at home, and what can all this tell us about Japan in the post-bubble era? Show notes here. 

    Episode 560 - The Otaku, Part 2

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 10, 2025 35:50


    For our first episode of 2025: "otaku culture" as a phenomenon began to emerge, in part, as a reaction against the crass commercialism of postwar Japan. Yet now, it is entirely a part of the fabric of that commercialism. How did that happen? We'll explore it by looking at two fascinating phenomena: the dojin market known as Comiket and the transformation of Tokyo's neighborhood of Akihabara. Show notes here. 

    Episode 559 - The Otaku, Part 1

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 27, 2024 36:30


    Our last episode of 2024 is also the first episode in a series on one of Japan's most distinctive cultural phenomenons: otaku culture. This week: is the idea of being an "otaku" older than we think?  Show notes here. 

    Episode 558 - The Hack

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 20, 2024 35:08


    This week, the story of an Edo period writer whose primary claim to fame was producing decent ripoffs of people far more famous and talented than him. What does a career like that tell us about the book market in premodern Japan--and more importantly about what we as people tend to look for in the things we read? Show notes here.

    Episode 557 - The Gods March Overseas, Part 3

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 13, 2024 38:14


    This week: Taiwan was the first overseas territory annexed by Japan with a large existing population. So how did the government's policies on religion--and especially Shinto--help shape the nature of Japanese colonial rule there? And how did those policies evolve as Taiwan's own place in the empire changed? Show notes here. 

    Episode 556 - The Gods March Overseas, Part 2

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 6, 2024 35:58


    This week: how does the history of Shinto intersect with the colonization of Hokkaido? What role does Shinto's transition from religion to "cultural institution" play in the process that has made that island indisputably a part of Japan itself? Show notes here. 

    Episode 555 - The Gods March Overseas, Part 1

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 22, 2024 39:16


    What even is religion, when you get down to it? Why do we treat religion the way that we do? And when our modern notions of religion came up against an empire whose very legitimacy was based on a religious myth, how did those tensions play out? Show notes here. 

    Episode 554 - Laying on Hands, Part 2

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 15, 2024 40:33


    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. 

    Episode 553 - Laying on Hands, Part 1

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 8, 2024 36:30


    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.

    Episode 552 - The Road Less Traveled

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 1, 2024 35:18


    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. 

    Episode 551 - Dog Days, Part 3

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 25, 2024 36:28


    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. 

    Episode 550 - Dog Days, Part 2

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 18, 2024 34:12


    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.  

    Episode 549 - Dog Days, Part 1

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 11, 2024 35:26


    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. 

    Episode 548 - The Five Mountains, Part 2

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 4, 2024 34:06


    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. 

    Episode 547 - The Five Mountains, Part 1

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 27, 2024 34:00


    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. 

    Episode 546 - The Extreme Right in Postwar Japan, Part 2

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 20, 2024 35:22


    This week, we're continuing last week's footnote on the postwar ultraright. How did the fall of the Soviet Union affect the anti-communist focus of the extreme right? How has its rhetoric been shaped by an odd relationship with the left? And how does modern extreme rightism manifest in the ideas of men like Kobayashi Yoshinori and groups like Nippon Kaigi? Show notes here.

    Episode 545 - The Extreme Right in Postwar Japan, Part 1

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 13, 2024 34:30


    This week's footnote: the first of two parts on the postwar extreme right. This week, we're mostly focusing on the extreme right in the first few decades of the Cold War, and in particular on the story of Akao Bin and his Aikokuto. How did a convicted socialist end up as one of Japan's foremost violent anticommunists--and how did his ideas shape a new reality for the postwar right? Show notes here. 

    Episode 544 - A Day in the Life of Meiji Japan, Part 2

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 6, 2024 37:03


    This week, we're continuing last week's footnote on daily life in Meiji Japan. Topics covered this week include life as a conscript in the army, changes to Japanese cuisine during the Meiji years, and entertainment from kabuki to early movies. Show notes here. 

    Episode 543 - A Day in the Life of Meiji Japan, Part 1

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 30, 2024 37:36


    This week on the Revised Introduction to Japanese History Footnotes: what was it like to live in the Meiji Era? Join us on a journey through a day in 1900, as we discuss breakfast foods, education, and factory jobs in the "new Japan." Show notes here.

    Episode 542 - The Heart of Darkness

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 16, 2024 42:08


    For our second footnote to the Revised Introduction to Japanese History: a simple question that definitely won't result in an overpacked episode. Was Imperial Japan a fascist state? How can we even define fascism in a productive way that lets us engage in historical comparison? How quickly can I summarize four different definitions of what fascism is? Should be easy enough. Show notes here.

    Episode 541 - The Way of the Gods

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 9, 2024 40:57


    This week, we have our first Footnote to the Revised Introduction to Japanese history, expanding on questions we didn't get to touch on during the main series. This week, our question is: what do we know about the origins and practice of early Japanese religion, and how does it relate to what we call Shinto today? Show notes here.  

    Episode 540 - The End of the Beginning

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 2, 2024 37:39


    On the final episode of the Revised Introduction to Japanese History: the LDP completely fails to meet the challenge of the bubble collapse, and the Lost Decades see Japan's economy stagnate and its political and social system under severe pressure. Where to from here? Only time will tell. Show notes here. 

    Episode 539 - Japan Falling

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 26, 2024 43:24


    In the penultimate episode of the Revised Introduction to Japanese History: the 1980s sees the rise of Japan's asset bubble and the peak of the high-rollin' postwar. But the new prosperity is built on faulty ground that is already beginning to creak... Show notes here.

    Episode 538 - Japan Rising

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 19, 2024 42:00


    This week on the Revised Introduction to Japanese History: how did Ikeda Hayato and the LDP build a system that would redefine postwar Japan? And how did the political opposition utterly fail to rise to the challenge of matching them? Show notes here. 

    Episode 537 - The New Order

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 12, 2024 41:38


    This week on the Revised Introduction to Japanese History: the Occupation comes to an end, but what happens next? This week is all about the 1950s, when clashing visions of Japan's future would culminate in one of the largest protests in the nation's history, laying the groundwork for the political world that has existed ever since. Show notes here.

    Episode 536 - Revolution from Above

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 5, 2024 41:14


    This week on the Revised Introduction to Japanese History: The US Occupation of Japan after World War II represented a truly massive undertaking. American military and civilian personnel spent just over a decade rebuilding Japan's government, economy, and society from the ground up. What did that look like in practice, and how does the legacy of the Occupation era remain with Japan today? Show notes here. 

    Episode 535 - The Road to Disaster

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 28, 2024 41:18


    This week on the Revised Introduction to Japanese History: the descent towards the Second World War. Why did the leadership of imperial Japan start a war many of them were aware they were unlikely to win? And how did the failures of the Meiji system enable the descent into militarism and defeat? Show notes here. 

    Episode 534 - The Imperial Democracy

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 21, 2024 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. 

    Episode 533 - At the Table or On the Table

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 14, 2024 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. 

    Episode 532 - Cash Rules Everything Around Me

    Play Episode Listen Later May 24, 2024 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 culture? Show notes here. Also: there will be no episode next week, as I will be on a school trip touring Japan with students. 

    Episode 531 - The New Japan

    Play Episode Listen Later May 17, 2024 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 from office anyone they disagree with. Show notes here. 

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