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The fourth and final episode in our series on the Jinshin no Ran: we cover the campaign in Afumi (aka Ōmi - 近江).  Prince Ōama and Prince Ōtomo (aka Kōbun Tennō), have drawn up their forces.  Last episode we covered the fighting in the Nara Basin, around the ancient Yamato capital: Asuka.  This episode focuses on the defense of the Karafu and Fuwa passes and the eventual march to the bridge at Setagawa. This is a name heavy episode, and we'll be noting some of it here: https://sengokudaimyo.com/podcast/episode-132   Rough Transcript Welcome to Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan.  My name is Joshua and this is episode 132: The Jinshin no Ran, Part 4: The Afumi Campaign The Afumi soldiers on the western side of the bridge looked across the open expanse of water towards their Yoshino rivals on the eastern side.  If it weren't for the banners and the red tags barely visible on the sleeves of the opposing forces, it would be hard to know which side was which.  Both were equipped in similar ways, and a few of the soldiers could even make out familiar faces on the other side.  That is the nature of civil wars—especially in a conscript society, where the soldiers often had little choice which side they were fighting for.  Not that it necessarily mattered much to them which side came out on top, whatever their commanders might have told them. The bridge across the Seta river was large and wide, and normally quite well traveled.  Now, however, the central boards had been pulled up for a span of about 30 feet or so, leaving a gap spanned by only a single, narrow plank.  That plank was, itself, tied to a rope, which was being held by the Afumi troops.  The soldiers knew that should any of the enemy try to cross, they could pull the plank out from under them and they would fall into the river, their metal armor dragging them down into the dark depths of swirling water below.  Even should they somehow make it across without being peppered by arrows, there would be no reinforcements coming: they would be slaughtered, and the trap would be reset. It seemed like the Afumi forces held all the cards in this battle, and yet they were still tense. Archers could still shoot across the distance. The front rank of troops held wooden shields as a defense, but there were still openings in the formation and the armor, and in the chaos of battle, nobody was truly safe. And so the Afumi forces waited.  Confident, but wary. A commotion on the eastern side of the bridge grabbed the spotlight.  The Yoshino forces had approached, and they were clearly preparing for something.  The Afumi soldiers strained to see what was going on.  Suddenly, the front line of the Yoshino forces parted, and a strange sight confronted the Afumi soldiers.  It took them a moment to fully comprehend what was barreling towards them at full tilt: a soldier that looked almost like two soldiers put together, wearing armor placed over armor, in an attempt to protect from harm.  It must have been heavy, and as he stepped on the beam, it visibly buckled under the weight.  The Afumi archers let loose with their arrows and crossbow bolts, but to no avail.  They simply stuck in the armor, adding to the bizarre and otherworldly appearance of their opponent. The spell was broken on the Afumi side as arrows came cascading in.  The Yoshino forces weren't just sitting idly back, they were making sure they were doing everything they could to keep the Afumi forces distracted.  And for a split second it worked—and a split second was all they needed.  Before the soldiers could gather up their wits about them enough to pull the rope there was a terrifying sound of metal on wood.  The Afumi soldiers pulled the rope, but it came all too easy—the Yoshino soldier had dashed across and cut the rope tied to the plank.  Behind him, the Yoshino forces were now pouring across the bridge.  Soon they would establish a foothold, and behind the front line they would be able to have other soldiers place more planks so that the number of Yoshino soldiers on the Western side of the bridge only continued to increase. Realizing that their trap had been circumvented, the Afumi forces fell back, but their strategic withdrawal soon turned into a full on retreat.  While pockets of soldiers resisted, many were suddenly all too aware that perhaps it was better to live and fight another day, instead.  Despite threats and even attacks from their own commanders, the Afumi forces fled the battlefield, leaving the Yoshino army victorious.  With the Seta bridge now secured, there were no more major obstacles in their way:  They would march to the capital at Ohotsu and finish this war.   Welcome back!  This is Part 4, and so if you haven't already done so, I recommend going back and starting with Part 1.  That said, we'll briefly recap here. Over the past three episodes, we've talked about the causes of the war between Prince Ohotomo and Prince Ohoama as they vied for the throne.  Prince Ohotomo seemingly had the stronger position, as he was actually running the Yamato state from the Afumi capital in Ohotsu.  He had the various ministers and all the official organs of the state on his side.   He was also 23 years old. Ohoama, on the other side, was Ohotomo's paternal uncle.  His own son, Prince Takechi, was 19 years old and helping to lead the army.   Upon learning that the State was gathering forces against him, Ohoama had quickly moved east, gathering forces as he went, and now he stood near Fuwa, modern day Sekigahara, prepared to begin his march on the capital.   This episode we are going to cover the conclusion of the war.  Warning, though, this is going to be a *lot*.  A lot of place names and people names.  Apologies if it is hard to follow.  I'll have a rough map and info on the various players on the podcast blog, so you may want to bring that up if you are having problems following. In Part I of this series we covered the causes leading up to the conflict.  In Part II we covered Ohoama's mad dash to Fuwa, at modern Sekigahara.  Last episode, Part III we covered the fighting in the Nara Basin. This episode we are going to talk about the last two fronts of the war: the defense of the Iga area and Kurafu Pass, and the march from Fuwa to the Afumi capital of Ohotsu. Before we go into the details of the next battles, let's look at what each side of the conflict was doing, what they are concerned about, and where they are on the board.  We'll then go into how the rest of the war played out, and its conclusion and aftermath.     Ohoama's Yoshino forces had largely been drawn from the countries in the east—the very same countries that Ohoama was denying to the Afumi court.  In response, the Afumi court had drawn their forces from where they could.  There were those that they had already called up under the pretense of building Naka no Oe's burial mound, but they had sent others out to raise troops in Yamato and out the western side of Honshu, all the way to Tsukushi—modern Kyushu.  However, not everyone in the Western region of the archipelago was friendly to the Afumi court—especially the regions of Kibi and Tsukushi.  This was significant.  Kibi was an ancient rival of Yamato, and likely could contribute a sizeable force.  Tsukushi, on the other hand, was quite large, and besides the conscripts from among the regular inhabitants, Tsukushi also was in charge of defending the archipelago from invasion—they were the first line of defense.  They had constructed numerous castles and fortifications to defend against a possible invasion, and those castles and fortifications were no doubt manned by troops that had been raised for that purpose.  If they could now be turned inwards, that could be enough to really turn the tide against Ohoama and his Yoshino army. The only problem was that neither Kibi nor Tsukushi were exactly sympathetic to the Afumi court.  The governor of Kibi and Prince Kurikuma, the viceroy of Tsukushi, both had ties to Ohoama, and the ministers suspected them of sympathizing with their Yoshino rivals.  As such the envoys that were sent out were authorized to take whatever drastic steps they felt necessary to secure the troops. So how did that all go down?  Well, last episode we talked about how Hodzumi no Momotari and his crew had been stopped from raising troops in Asuka by Ohotomo no Fukei, whose bluff of pretending to be Prince Takechi and a host of cavalry soldiers caused the conscripted troops to flee, and ended up in the death of Momotari and the capture of his compatriots. In Kibi, things took a turn in Afumi's favor.  When the Afumi government's envoy arrived at the government center in Kibi, he tricked the governor into taking off his sword.  Once he had done so, the envoy drew his own sword and killed the governor.  Without the governor to get in his way, the envoy then went about securing the land and troops for the Afumi court. Prince Kurikuma, the viceroy in Tsukushi, at the Dazaifu, was not quite so easily fooled, however.  Kurikuma knew how the court operated, and was apparently well informed of what was going on.  When the Afumi court's envoy met with Kurikuma, the Prince was flanked by two of his sons, Prince Mino and Prince Takebe, each one armed.  When Prince Kurikuma heard what the Afumi court wanted—for him to send the troops from Tsukushi to help quell Ohoama's rebellion—Kurikuma responded that he needed those troops to hold the border.  After all, the Tang dynasty was still a potential threat, and what good would it do to send the troops from the border regions to fight an internal war, only to then have an invader come in and destroy the state entirely?  No, he reasoned, he would not be sending the troops as the Afumi court requested. We are told that for a moment, the Afumi envoy thought about grabbing his sword and killing Prince Kurikuma, as the Afumi court had suggested, but with both of Kurikuma's sons armed on either side of him, he realized that he didn't have great odds, and so he eventually left, empty handed, but alive. This is significant.  While we don't know exact numbers, it is likely that there were quite a few troops stationed in Kyushu and the islands, all in case of foreign invasion.  By not supplying them to the Afumi court, Prince Kurikuma dealt a huge blow to the Afumi's ability to make war.  Add to that the fact that Ohoama had likewise blocked the court's access to the eastern countries, and that further narrowed the troops that Afumi had access to.  Nonetheless, they still had enough to be dangerous, and it is impossible to say exactly what might happen in a war. So we know where the Afumi and Yoshino forces ostensibly came from, but let's talk about the battlefield.  All of the fighting that we talk about was happening in an area between Naniwa—modern Ohosaka—and Fuwa, modern Sekigahara, northwest from the modern city of Nagoya. There are three main theaters we are talking about.  The first is in the Nara basin, which we talked about extensively in the last episode.  The Nara basin itself was not necessarily of the most strategic importance, militarily, but it was of huge symbolic importance.  After all, that was still the ancient capital, even though the governmental functions had been moved north, to Ohotsu, on the shores of Lake Biwa.  The second is in the Suzuka mountains.  This includes the areas of Iga and Kouka, and it is bordered by the Nara basin on the west, the Mie coastline on the east, and Afumi, the area around lake Biwa, to the north.  This is the same region that Ohoama had to naviagate through on his way from Yoshino to the east, and the mountains and valleys make it so that there are only so many traversable routes through.  For our narrative we are going to be primarily talking about the Kurafu Pass, between Kouka and Iga, at modern Tsuge city.  This pass  was an important route between Kouka, Iga, and Mie.  The road followed the Soma River which eventually flowed into Lake Biwa.  This made it a route out of Afumi, and if the Afumi forces could secure the Kurafu pass and the fields of Tara, just on the other side, they could split Ohoama's forces and cut off any help that he could possibly send to the Nara basin, and possibly even take Ohoama from behind. Finally, let's talk about our third theater:  Afumi itself.  Specifically, we are looking at the southern and eastern sides around Lake Biwa.  Biwa is the largest lake in Japan, and it is almost entirely surrounded by mountains except for where the Seta river flows south, eventually winding its way to Naniwa.  Today, the area of Afumi is largely co-located with modern Shiga Prefecture. Back in 668, after finding themselves on the losing side of the Baekje-Tang war, Naka no Oe, aka Tenji Tennou, had moved the capital to Ohotsu, or Big Port, in Afumi, on the shores of Lake Biwa, likely for the protection it gave.  From Afumi, there were three major routes out of the basin, and a few minor ones.  All of them were through defensible mountain passes, like Karafu Pass, Fuwa Pass, and Suzuka Pass.  Three such passes:  Fuwa, Suzuka, and Arachi would become prominent barriers, or seki, along the ancient roads, and were known as the Sangen, or Three Barriers, protecting the capital region.  Suzuka no seki, at the pass of the same name, was in the south.  To reach it from Afumi, one crossed the Karafu pass, and then turned east through a pass near Mt. Miyama.  At the northern tip of the Suzuka mountains was Fuwa pass, future home of the Fuwa barrier.  The Barrier, or “Seki” would give its name to the area in another form:  Sekigahara.  This was along the Tousandou, the Eastern Mountain road, and even today it is the path through which roads and even the Shinkansen traverse between eastern and western Honshu.  Finally, though less important to our story, was the Arachi pass. Arachi no seki was part of the Hokurikudo, the Northern Land Route, and led to the ancient country of Kochi and the port of Tsuruga, which had a long history as an alternate port, especially for ships sailing from Goguryeo.  Later, Arachi no seki would be replaced in the Sangen ranking by another pass between Afumi and modern Kyoto, which would be known as the Afusaka, or Ohosaka, Pass.  This was the pass that would have been used to get to Yamashiro and, from there, to Naniwa and the Nara Basin. These three passes would come to define the island of Honshu, and became the dividing line between the Kanto region, in the east, and the Kansai region, in the west.  By holding the Suzuka and Fuwa passes, Ohoama effectively denied any travel to the eastern regions.  Sure, Afumi could have tried going through the Arachi pass and into Kochi, but then they would have had to traverse the Japan alps—no small feat, especially without modern conveniences like the trains and busses used today. From Fuwa Pass, where Ohoama and Prince Takechi had set up their headquarters, it was largely a straight shot to the Afumi capital of Ohotsu.  Between Lake Biwa and the Suzuka mountains is a wide, flat plain, divided primarily by the rivers and streams running out from the mountains into the lake.  Immediately west of Fuwa is the area of Maibara.  Following the shore of the lake one traverses through modern Hikone, to Yasu.  Yasu would also have been the location where the road to the Karafu pass broke off into the Suzuka mountains.  Beyond that was the bridge across the Seta River. The Seta river was one of the largest obstacles that would have to be negotiated, and the Afumi forces knew this.  Just as Ohoama would set up at Fuwa pass, a large number of the Afumi forces were set up on the western bank of the Seta river.  If the Yoshino forces could get across, however, it would mean that they had a more or less unimpeded route to the capital at Ohotsu. So now let's talk about what was happening in each of these places. Ohoama had set up at Fuwa—Sekigahara—and had begun to call soldiers to him.  Not only did did this allow him to block the rival Afumi troops from accessing the Eastern countries and possibly raising troops to use against him, but he was also able to maintain a line of communication with ancient Yamato, in the Nara Basin.  In order to keep his communication lines open, and to ensure that the Afumi forces couldn't sneak up behind him, Ohoama split his forces in two.  He knew that Afumi forces were trying to take his stronghold in Yamato, and if successful, from there they could move in to Uda and on to Iga.  thereafter that, they could march up behind him through the Suzuka pass.  Alternatively, the forces in Afumi could come up through Kouka and the Karafu pass, and then try to divide and conquer So the first group of Ohoama's army were to go south, through the Suzuka pass into their mountain namesake.  Once there, Oho no Omi no Honji was to hold Tarano, the Plain of Tara, where the routes to Suzuka, Kafuka, and Iga met.  Tanaka no Omi no Tarumaro went with him, with orders to guard the Kurafu pass, which is to say the road to Kouka.  This first group was headed by Ki no Omi no Abemaro, and also included Miwa no Kimi no Kobito, and Okizome no Muraji no Usagi.  Along with what we are told were tens of thousands of men, this first made their way south from Fuwa  through Mie and Ise and over the Suzuka pass.  Once there, they took up their positions at Karafu and Tarano.  It was a good thing, too, because only a couple of days after they arrived, the enemy struck.   Now as soon as he got there, Oho no Honji had fortified Tarano with some three thousand men, and Tanaka no  Tarumaro was sent to guard the Kurafu pass.  Prior to this, Tarumaro had been the official in charge of the Hot Springs in Ise, but he had joined Ohoama and the Yoshino forces when they first arrived over the Suzuka Pass.  Now he was in charge of a military force, encamped along the road through the Kurafu pass, waiting for the enemy. Unbeknownst to him, a deputy commander of the Afumi forces, Tanabe no Wosumi, was approaching from Mt. Kafuka.  Presumably he'd been sent out from Ohotsu and had followed the road along the Yasu and Soma rivers towards the pass.  Wosumi had  sizeable force with him, but he was not looking for a direct assault.  Even if he would win, he would suffer casualties, especially trying to attack an entrenched enemy in a fortified position.  He needed to be sneaky.  He had no way of knowing that, centuries later, the lands of Iga and Kouka would be known for their sneaky warriors—their legendary ninja—but I digressed.  What Wosumi did was this.  First, he rolled up his banners and muffled the drums.  He even had his men gag themselves—a continental custom where soldiers were given a stick to hold in their mouth, like a horse's bit, to discourage any talking amongst the ranks as they approached.  Presumably, they kept them in until just before attacking, because they also devised a watchword “kane”—transcribed as metal or gold.  Wosumi knew that it would be hard enough to tell who was who in the daytime—after all, it wasn't like these were regimented forces with uniforms.  The soldiers were likely all wearing whatever they had available, and clothing and armor would have been similar across the two armies.  At night, even some kind of mark or flag would hardly be enough to tell who was who in the dark.  As lines broke and melee ensued, it would be easy to get turned around, and find yourself facing a friend.  By saying the watchword you could distinguish friend from foe. Sure enough, this tactic worked.  The Afumi forces broke through the Yoshino fortifications in the middle of the night and swarmed into the encampment.  Men who had been asleep were waking up to chaos.  Tarumaro's Yoshino soldiers were thrown into confusion.  Tarumaro himself, escaped, but just barely.  we are told that he noticed that the enemy kept shouting the word “kane”, and so he started doing it as well. The Afumi forces, assuming he was one of their own, left him alone.  Still, he only escaped with difficulty. His escape was no doubt critical, however.   He presumably would have headed to Tarano to try and warn Oho no Honji, but this may not have been possible, as we are told that on the following day, after the attack at Karafu pass, the Afumi commander Wosumi continued his advance, and came upon the Yoshino encampment at Tarano unexpectedly.  Still, General Honji did not back down.  With a force of hand-picked soldiers, Honji counterattacked against Wosumi and struck him.  We are told that Wosumi made it out—the only one who did—but that he did not try and make another attack.  The Yoshino forces would ultimately hold the pass and the critical juncture of Tarano.  The Afumi forces would not get a second chance. By the way, a quick note here:  I can't help but notice a bit of a trope showing up in these stories:  At Narayama, General Fukei is defeated, and is the only person who makes his escape.  Then Tarumaro is the only person to escape his defeat.  Finally, Wosumi is the only one of his forces to leave the plain of Tara. I am more than a little incredulous that these generals are the only ones who actually survived, and that the rest of the army was slaughtered.  In fact, you may recall that at the battle at Taima, General Fukei told his men not to pursue the fleeing common soldiers.  As I've tried to point out, the common soldiers were not likely as invested in the cause.  In fact, it is just as possible that the common soldiers may have changed sides and joined the other army if they thought it would serve them well.  Or maybe they were escaping and just blending into the countryside.  After all, the elites weren't really spending the time to get to know them, let along record any details about them.  So I suspect that it was more about the fact that the various armies would be broken, and the soldiers flung to the four corners, rather than that they were necessarily slaughtered.  After all, if you had the choice, would you have stayed there? A few days after Wosumi was defeated, the Yoshino general that Ohoama had sent to Iga along with Honji and Tarumaro, Ki no Omi no Abemaro, heard that their ally, Ohotomo no Fukei was in trouble in the Nara Basin.  He'd been defeated by the Afumi general Ohono no Hatayasu at Narayama,  and without reinforcements, the entire Nara Basin could fall, along with the ancient Yamato capital at Asuka. So Abemaro sent Okizome no Muraji no Usagi with more than a thousand cavalry to go assist.  They met Fukei at Sumizaka, and suddenly, things were looking up in the Nara Basin.  For more on how that turned out, check out last episode, where we covered the events in the Nara Basin. Once the events in the Nara Basin settled out, then both the Nara Basin and the Karafu pass would be well and truly in the hands of the Yoshino forces.  But there was no way for those guarding those locations to know that the fighting was over, and they would have to hold their positions until the fighting had definitively stopped.  Which brings us back to Ohoama and the Yoshino troops gathered at Fuwa, where things were about to kick off as well.  The troops at Fuwa, while being led by Ohoama and his 19 year old son, Takechi, were placed under the command of Murakuni no Muraji no Woyori—who, , as things progressed, would be noted as the primary general for the campaign that would lead Yoshino troops from Fuwa, on the offensive towards Ohotsu. The only reason that they seem to have waited before going on the offensive was that every day, more troops were coming in.  So even as the fighting was going on in Nara and at the Karafu pass, the Yoshino army at Fuwa gathered men and made their preparations.  As they did so, the Afumi court Was going to do whatever they could to try and break them, hoping that they could stop the threat posed by Ohoama and his men before they began their march. For the Afumi forces first attempt to break the Yoshino defenses at Fuwa pass, they picked troops to try and make an incursion into the village of Tamakurabe, which appears to have been in the pass itself; it was probably modern Tama district of Sekigahara.  They were repelled, however, by Izumo no Omi no Koma, who drove them off. Later, the Afumi court ordered another force of several tens of thousands of men to attack under the command of Prince Yamabe no Ou, Soga no Omi no Hatayasu, and Kose no Omi no Hito.  Soga no Hatayasu and Kose no Hito were both part of the inner circle of the Afumi court, or so it would seem.  When Prince Ohotomo had taken the reins of the government in a ceremony in the Western Hall of the Palace, he was attended by the ministers of the right and left, as well as Soga no Hatayasu, Kose no Hito, and Ki no Ushi.  They were at the very heart of this whole matter.  Prince Yamabe is a little bit more of a mystery.  We know he was someone of note, and when Prince Ohotsu was brought to his parents, they were apparently traveling under the guise of Prince Yamabe and another prince, Prince Ishikawa.  But we know little else. The three men and their Afumi troops headed out and camped on the bank of the Inukami river, near modern Hikone.  There, however, trouble broke out. The Nihon Shoki does not record exactly what it was, but there must have been some kind of falling out.  Prince Yamabe no Ou was killed by Soga no Hatayasu and Kose no Hito.  We don't know if this was due to some quarrel or what, but either way, it threw the army into a state of disarray and there was no way for them to move forward.  Soga no Hatayasu appears to have taken responsibility for whatever happened, as he headed back from Inukami, presumably back to Ohotsu, where he took his own life by stabbing himself in the throat.  There would be no attack on Fuwa Pass, however. Finally, the Nihon Shoki also recounts the story of another Afumi general, named Hata no Kimi no Yakuni, and his son, Ushi.  Together with others, who remain unnamed, they surrendered themselves to Ohoama and the Yoshino forces, rather than fighting.  It isn't clear if they were deserters, if they had been part of one of the other two attempts to take Fuwa Pass, or if there was something else going on.  Either way, Ohoama was so pleased that he welcomed them in and we are told that Hata no Yakuni was “granted a battle axe and halberd” and appointed a general.  This is probably stock phrasing, but it does seem he was given some measure of trust.  Yakuni's men were then sent north, to Koshi. We aren't quite sure what those forces' ultimate objective was.  It may have been that he was to take the northern pass and make sure that none of the Afumi troops tried to escape and head to the East along that road.  Many of the accounts of this war seem to suggest that he, or at least some part of the forces, were to head north and then come around Lake Biwa the long way.  This would mean that if Ohoama attacked, there would be no easy way to flee.  From Ohotsu they couldn't turn north without running into more troops, and their only escape would seem to be through the Afusaka pass towards the area of modern Kyoto.  And of course, whoever was victorious in the Nara Basin would then be able to control the route to the coast. It is unclear how much Ohoama could have actually known, though, about what was happening across the various distances.  Messages would have meant riders on swift horses carrying them; they couldn't just text each other what was going on. And so, with one attack repelled, another aborted, and a turncoat now on their side, Ohoama's Yoshino forces were finally ready to head out on the offensive themselves.  According to the Nihon Shoki this was on the 7th day of the 7th month—Tanabata, today, but I doubt people were paying much mind to the Weaver and the Cowherd.  Murakuni no Woyori, with the group advancing from Fuwa to Afumi, set out, and met with their first resistance at the Yokugawa river in Okinaga.  As far as I can tell, this is likely the Amano River in modern Maibara, which anyone who takes the Shinkansen between Kanto and Kansai probably recognizes as one of the usual stops.  Once again, we have a situation where, while they would have had banners flying, in the crush of battle it could be quite easy to mistake friend for foe, especially with large numbers of troops who were pulled from vastly different regions.  You had to have some way of knowing quickly who was on your side – that's why the Afumi commander Wosumi had his troops use the password “kane”, for example.  Ohoama's approach was to have his men place a red mark—possibly a ribbon or similar—on their clothing so that one could tell who, at a glance, was on their side.  As a note, later samurai would sometimes attach flags to their shoulder armor, or sode, and these “sode-jirushi” would help identify you even if people didn't recognize your armor.  Ohoama's troops may have used something similar. And so Woyori's Yoshino forces attacked the Afumi defenders, and the Afumi troops were clearly outmatched.  Woyori's men killed the Afumi commander and defeated the opposing forces. But that was just the beginning.  Afumi forces had been stationed all along the route from Fuwa to Ohotsu.  Thus it was that only two days later Woyori and his men made it to Mt. Tokoyama, probably in Hikone, by the Seri river.  There they met more Afumi soldiers, but once again they were triumphant and slew the opposing commander.   Woyori and his men were on a roll. I would point out that these battles aren't given much detail, but we do see how it progressed.  There are names of various individuals and commanders—certainly not much on the common people.  From what we can tell, this was not a rush to Ohotsu, but rather a slow march, probably doing their best to fortify their positions and make sure that nobody was sneaking up on them.  After each battle, it is some days before the next, probably spent spying out ahead and formulating plans. Woyori and his men next fought a battle on the banks of the Yasukawa River, presumably near modern Yasu city.  Here, Aston's translation claims that he suffered a great defeat, but more likely I suspect it means to say that he inflicted a great defeat on the Afumi forces, because if he had been defeated, how would he have pressed on only a few days later.  We are told that  two men, presumably the Afumi commanders, were both taken prisoner. Since we don't have anything more about them in the narrative all we can really do is assume that they must have therefore been on the side of the Afumi forces. By taking Yasu, that would have likely cut off the Afumi forces from any future considerations about using the Kurafu Pass.  The noose around Ohotsu was slowly tightening. Four days after that, on the 17th day of the 7th month, Woyori attacked and repulsed the Kurimoto army—presumably a force loyal to the Afumi court under a general named Kurimoto, or possibly raised from a place called Kurimoto, perhaps over on Awaji.  Either way, it was another victory on Woyori's belt. From there, Woyori and his men arrived at Seta, where they would have to cross the Setagawa—the Seta River. The Seta River is a wide river, and the only one flowing out of Lake Biwa.  It winds its way south and west, eventually becoming the Uji and then the Yodo rivers, which flow all the way to Naniwa—modern Ohosaka.  At the Seta river, there was a major bridge, the only way across, other than to swim.  Prince Ohotomo and his ministers, along with their entire army, were encamped on the west side of the bridge.  Their forces were so numerous that it was said you could not see all the way to the back of them.  Their banners covered the plain, and the dust of their movement caused a cloud to rise into the sky.  Their drums and songs could be heard for miles around.  We are told they even had crossbows, and when they were discharged the arrows fell like rain.  Of course, some of this may have just been more poetic license by the authors of the Nihon Shoki, but you get the picture:  There were a lot of troops on the western side of the river. The bridge itself was defended by General Chison.  We know very little of this general, as he only appears in this one part of the record, but his name implies that he may have been from the continent.  We aren't given a surname, and it is possible he was one of the Baekje refugees, now fighting for the Afumi court.  He led an advance body of specially selected troops, and in the middle of the bridge they had removed planks for about three rods or thirty feet.  Across that span was a single plank, daring anyone to try and cross it.  Of course, if they did, they would be a sitting duck in front of the enemy archers, and the plank was attached by a rope so that it could always be pulled out from under them.  It seemed as if it were impossible to advance. Finally, one of Woyori's soldiers, Ohokida no Kimi no Wakaomi, got up the courage to cross.  We are told that he put on double armor, put down his long spear, and drew his sword.  He then charged suddenly across the plank and cut the rope on the other side before the Afumi troops could pull it back.  In spite of the arrows that were raining down on him, he entered the ranks of the Afumi troops, slashing with his sword as he went.  The Afumi forces were thrown into confusion and some of them tried to leave, but General Chison drew his own sword and began to cut down anyone who tried to flee.  Still, he was unable to check the rout.  Woyori's troops secured the bridge and soon were pouring across it.  They cut down General Chison and advanced into the Afumi army, who broke and ran.  The Afumi sovereign, Ohotomo, aka Koubun Tennou, along with the Ministers of the Left and Right, narrowly escaped with their lives. Woyori and his troops marched to the foot of Awazu hill, and we are told that Hata no Yakuni, the Afumi commander who had earlier defected, and whose men were sent north to Koshi, set a siege to Miwo castle along with Izumo no Koma, who had defended against the attempted seizure of Tamakurabe.  Presumably this is Mio, south of Ohotsu, and it was likely guarding the southern approach to the Afumi capital. The only thing here that gives me pause is that we were earlier told that Yakuni's men, after he defected, were sent to Koshi.  So was Yakuni not with them?  Had he returned?  Or had the troops made it all the way around Lake Biwa already, taking the longer route up and around the lake? Regardless of how it happened, Yakuni and Koma were able to take Miwo castle.  As a reminder, a “castle” at this time would have likely been defined more by its walls, which were probably rammed earth and wood—not the elegantly sloping stone walls and  donjon base that would come to typify castles of the Warring States period. The following day, Woyori and his men continued their pursuit.  At the Awazu marketplace, Woyori ran into the Afumi generals Inukahi no Muraji no Isokimi and Hasama no Atahe no Shihote.  We mentioned Isokimi last episode—he was the Afumi commander attacking the Middle Road in the Nara Basin.  His deputy, Kujira, had been defeated, and it seems Isokimi had retreated back to Afumi and rejoined the main force. He would not be quite so fortunate this time.  Isokimi and Shihote were both slain, and Ohotomo fled once again.  He didn't get very far, hiding at Yamazaki, thought to be near the site of the modern city hall, in Ohotsu. Despite his best efforts, he knew he would be discovered, and he eventually strangled himself, rather than facing the humiliation and punishment that would come with capture. With Ohotomo dead, the other ministers of the Afumi court dispersed and fled.  Woyori and his men, meeting up at Sasanami, hunted down the Ministers of the Left and Right—Soga no Akaye and Nakatomi no Kane—as well as others who had fought with Ohotomo and who were considered criminals. They were all marched back to Fuwa, where, on the 25th day of the 7th month, Ohotomo's head was presented to Ohoama.  The war, it seems, was over. Or at least, the fighting was over.  There was still a lot to be settled.  First off, it would hardly have been practical to wipe out every single person on the losing side.  For one thing, that would have devastated the Court even further, likely creating a huge power vacuum.  In addition, many of the supporters on both sides were not necessarily there out of purely partisan reasons.  I would point out that many of the family names that we see in the record are found on both sides of the conflict.  Inukahi no Isokimi may have fought for Ohotomo, but we also see an Inukahi no Ohotomo fighting on the behalf of Ohoama.  Fumi no Nemaro was a major commander in Ohoama's army, while Fumi no Kusuri had been sent by the Afumi court to raise troops in the East Country.  And Hasama no Shihote was killed with Isokimi at Awazu, while a Hasama no Nemaro was working under the command of General Fukei, in Nara, to guard Tatsuta. There wasn't necessarily a simple divide along family lines.  It is possible that these individuals were all fairly well removed from each other, and from different parts of their respective families, or clans. They are often given different kabane, the family rank system used at this time, though I suspect that may have more to do with later changes, with those on the winning side being promoted over those who supported the Afumi court.  However, it is also the case that Japan has a long history of family members supporting both sides in any major conflict.  That way, no matter who wins, the family itself finds itself on the winning side. But there did have to be some accountability.  This is something that one can point to time and again—if the losing side is not held accountable for their actions, then what is to prevent them from just regrouping and trying again?  And yet that need for justice and punishment must be tempered with some amount of humanity. Ultimately, about one month after the end of the war, eight of the Afumi ministers were found guilty of truly heinous offences and they were condemned to suffer what the Nihon Shoki says was the “Extreme Penalty”.  The Minister of the Right, Nakatomi no Kane, was executed at Tane, in Asai.  Meanwhile the Minister of the Left, Soga no Akaye; along with the Dainagon, or Grand Councillor, Kose no Hito, as well as their children and grandchildren, along with the children of the late Nakatomi no Kane and Soga no Hatayasu, were all sent into banishment.  All others were pardoned. And of course those who had supported Ohoama, and who had come to his aid, were given public favour and reward.  In many cases this likely meant receiving high office and corresponding rank, along with increased stipend payments.  There is a notable shift in the makeup of the court, going forward, and it seems clear that families would want to associate themselves with those who fought on Ohoama's side, rather than Ohotomo's, if they could help it.  That was no doubt a part of works like the various diaries and house records that would have been used to compile the Nihon Shoki, recording the deeds that any house did for the throne. Along with all of the punishments and plaudits that were meted out in the 8th month of 672, there was one more event—something of an outlier.  We are told that Chihisakobe no Muraji no Sabichi, the governor of the province of Wohari, went off into the mountains and committed suicide. Sabichi had originally met Ohoama at the Kuwana district house—the local government office—when he had first arrived from Yoshino.  He had a large number of troops—20,000 by the Nihon Shoki's count—which helped Ohoama to ultimately defeat the Afumi court.  So why he would go off into the mountains and commit suicide was anyone's guess.  The Nihon Shoki suggests that it was possible that his allegiance had changed, and he may have been trying to plot against Ohoama.  Perhaps he had been convinced that Afumi court was going to come out on top, and so had begun some plot.  Or he just had a falling out or became disillusioned for some reason.  Whatever it was, it remains a mystery, even today. With the war concluded, it was time for Ohoama to make his way from the field to the Capital so that he could transition to ruling the State properly.  But Ohoama was not interested, it would seem, in setting himself up in his brother's capital.  Setting up in the Ohotsu capital may have raised a few eyebrows.  It had not been a completely popular move to begin with, and it was also the home of the Afumi court's legitimacy.  To take up the throne there, I can only imagine that it would have further reinforced the idea that Ohoama was the usurper, taking the throne that was meant for his nephew.  Instead, he made the decision to travel to the ancient capital, in Asuka, but he was not in a hurry. They headed out on the 8th day of the 9th month of 672, making it from Fuwa to Kuwana.  Here he likely met up with his wife, Princess Uno, and his ten year old son, Prince Ohotsu.  The following day they headed out, traveling back along the route that they had taken from Yoshino, but at a much more leisurely route.  The royal carriage stayed the night in Suzuka.  From there, it was another day to Abe, likely referring to modern Ahai county, in Iga, near Ueno city.  They then continued on to Nabari.  Finally, on the 12th day,they arrived at the Yamato capital—that is to say Asuka—and Ohoama took up residence for a time at the Shima Palace.  This was only, it seems, to give people time to get the actual palace ready, because three days later, Ohoama moved into the Wokamoto Palace.  And with that, Ohoama began the work of running the state—but there was still plenty to prepare.  For one thing, there were foreign embassies—Kim Ap-sil and others arrived.  It was still going to take a while to get the capital ready for guests, though.  From what we can tell, they were probably building a grand new palace, and it would take some time for it to be prepared.  So the Silla embassy was entertained in Tsukushi, where Prince Kurikuma would have been in charge of hosting them.  They were likely filled on the new developments and provided a ship. Meanwhile, Ohoama made sure that all of the appropriate rewards were given out.  On the 4th day of the 12th month, we are told that all those who had rendered services were given higher cap-ranks, based on what they had done. And as the year 672 closes out—and with it, the first of the two Chronicles for Ohoama, the soon-to-be elevated Temmu Tennou. But there is one final entry, marking the death of Wina no Kimi no Takami in the 12th month of the year.  We know that Wina no Kimi no *Iwasuki* was working for the Afumi court, sent to rally troops in the East, but he fled when they encountered Ohoama's troops at Fuwa Pass.  Takami, on the other hand, we know little about, but I suspect may have been on the side of Ohoama.  It is an odd entry, and, like so many, unexplained.  Perhaps it meant something to the people of the early 8th century, but if so, that meaning is likely lost to us. And so we close the book on the Jinshin no Ran—the Jinshin War, or possibly the Disturbance or even Rebellion, depending on how you feel about it.  This account is one of the most detailed we have of this kind of event, and yet it does not seem that it was entirely unique.  There are plenty of indications that previous sovereigns had to fight their way to the throne, or else had to repel others who would try to take it by force.  This was almost a tradition among the royal house of Yamato.  But now that the matter of succession was well and truly settled, it was time to get on with other things. Who knows what an Afumi court may have done and how they could have changed things.  What we do know is what Ohoama—and his queen, Uno no Himemiko—did.  They built upon, or in some cases possibly even fabricated, the legacy of Naka no Oe.  They would set in stone many of the things that had been put in place, and at the same time make certain changes, as well.  The Yamato state was getting started. And we'll start to dive into that next episode.  Until then, thank you once again for listening and for all of your support. If you like what we are doing, please tell your friends and feel free to rate us wherever you listen to podcasts.  If you feel the need to do more, and want to help us keep this going, we have information about how you can donate on Patreon or through our KoFi site, ko-fi.com/sengokudaimyo, or find the links over at our main website,  SengokuDaimyo.com/Podcast, where we will have some more discussion on topics from this episode. Also, feel free to reach out to our Sengoku Daimyo Facebook page.  You can also email us at the.sengoku.daimyo@gmail.com.  Thank you, also, to Ellen for their work editing the podcast. And that's all for now.  Thank you again, and I'll see you next episode on Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan.  

In this third installment of our series on the Jinshin no Ran, we are covering the battles that took place in the Nara basin.   Of course, while the fighting focuses on the generals, most of it was done by conscripts--farmers and other common people called up to fight. For more, check out of podcast webpage:  https://sengokudaimyo.com/podcast/episode-131   Rough Transcript: Welcome to Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan.  My name is Joshua, and this is episode 131: The Jinshin no Ran, Part 3: Fighting in the Nara Basin   Maro stood under the tsuki tree and gazed at the walls of the great temple.  The gates and tiled roof were truly an incredible sight.  Maro's home wasn't that far away, but until he'd been called up for service to the government, he hadn't thought much beyond the valley where he and his family tilled the land.  Their life had been largely spent in the village, tucked up in the valley, farming rice, hunting in the mountains, and gathering firewood.   He remembered how, years ago, his brothers had been the ones to go and do their service.  They had been called up to build some kind of giant fortress on the top of a mountain.  The stories they  brought back were incredible—it was one thing to hear tales of the outside world from merchants and itinerant priests, but it was different to hear them from someone you actually knew.  Now, it was Maro's turn.  But he hadn't been called up for labor—he was going to have to fight.  He tried to psych himself up.  Many of the men and, frankly, young boys who were there with him were in a similar boat.  Some were old hands, having served multiple times.  Others were new and, like Maro, there for the first time.  None of them were professional soldiers, though you wouldn't know that by the way some of them swaggered through the camp.  They had been called up quickly, with only a little information.  Apparently Prince Ohoama, they were told, had rebelled against the government.  He and his men were gathering in the east and at any moment they could attack the capital in Ohotsu, and from there they would swing down and attack the ancient capital.  So here they were, several hundred conscripts, pulled from households around the ancient capital, gathered and waiting for their weapons and armor so that they could then get their marching orders—quite literally. Suddenly, Maro heard a commotion in the north.  He couldn't see what was happening, but the murmurs turned to shouting.  Prince Takechi, the son of the demonic rebel, Ohoama, was here, coming from the north with hundreds of expert soldiers on horseback!  Panic set in, and even though a few of the officers tried to quell the disturbance, it wasn't enough.  Afraid for what might come, Maro and those like him broke ranks and fled.  Maro gave little thought to what might happen to his family and friends if he deserted—he was no longer thinking rationally.  Along with his compatriots—his would-be brothers-in-arms if they had been given any—he hoped that he could hide, and that, if he survived, maybe, just maybe, he could somehow make it back home in one piece.   Welcome back.  Content warning for this episode—we are going to be talking about war, including death, fighting, and suicide. As I noted at the start, this is part three of our look at the Jinshin no Ran, the Jinshin War—sometimes translated as a “Disturbance” or a “Rebellion”.  This was the war between the supporters of Prince Ohoama, also known as Temmu, and Prince Ohotomo, aka Koubun.  Ohoama's side is sometimes called the Yoshino or even the Yamato court, as he had quote-unquote “retired” from the world and become a monk at a temple in Yoshino, south of Asuka, in the old area of Yamato.  Meanwhile, Ohotomo's supporters were the Afumi court—including most of the ministers running the state from the capital in Ohotsu, on the shores of lake Biwa, the area known as Afumi.  So let's take a look at what has happened so far, and then we can get into the events we are talking about today: a look at the soldiers who were fighting, their gear, and then some of the fighting that went on—specifically the fighting that happened in the Nara Basin.  I'll do my best to organize things based on the rough timeline that they seem to have occurred. Now previously, we had covered how Ohoama, brother to Naka no Oe aka Tenchi Tennou, had given up his title as Crown Prince and retired, supposedly to prevent any concerns that he might rebel and try to take the throne, but this wasn't enough for Ohotomo and the Court, who had begun to raise forces against him.  And so Ohoama and his supporters had just made a desperate dash eastwards, across the mountain roads to Ise.  From there they secured the Fuwa and Suzuka passes, two of the main routes to the East Countries.  Ohoama had then sent out requests for assistance to those same countries, hoping to find allies who would support him against the apparently legitimate government in Ohotsu. We are told that Ohoama was joined at this time by two of his sons: Prince Takechi and Prince Ohotsu. And here I want to pause to note something that I didn't point out last episode: These princes were not quite as old as you might think from the way they are portrayed in the Chronicle.  Prince Takechi, who had been given command of the troops at Fuwa Barrier, was only 19 years old.  Granted, that is only 4 years younger than their rival, Prince Ohotomo, and only a couple of years younger than the famous Minamoto Yoshitsune would be when he joined his brother in the Genpei Wars, over 500 years later.  Prince Ohotsu, however, was a bit younger, as he is believed to have been about 10 years old at this time, which likely explains why he is not so prominent in the narrative.  I mention this because the Nihon Shoki often omits details like age and can make it seem like these were all seasoned adult men and women, when it may have been that they were simply of high enough status to be mentioned, even though others were likely running their affairs for them.  In Prince Takechi's case, while he was likely old enough to take charge of the forces at Fuwa, it is also clear that his father was nearby and overseeing things, so everything didn't rest solely on his son's shoulders. Meanwhile, the Afumi court was raising its own soldiers.  While their delegation to the East was stopped at the captured Fuwa Pass, they also had sent word to the west.  Kibi and Tsukushi are specifically mentioned, but we know that they were raising troops elsewhere, including in the home province regions of Yamato and Kawachi. Here it should be noted that the Nihon Shoki is pretty clearly pro-Temmu, in other words pro-Ohoama.  There is some evidence from textual analysis, however, that the Temmu portions of the narrative differ from the Tenchi portions.  Torquil Duthie, in his book, “Man'yōshū and the Imperial Imagination in Early Japan”, recounts how scholarship has identified at least two—possibly three—different groups of compilers who managed different reigns.  The Tenchi narrative is more neutral, while the Temmu narrative provides a bit more of an accusatory tone, and both narratives provide slightly different accounts of the same events—notably the death of Naka no Oe, Prince Ohoama taking vows, and Prince Ohotomo succeeding his father.  On the other side, Duthie mentions  the Kaifusou, a collection of Sinitic style poetry created in 751, just 31 years after the Nihon Shoki, where in the introduction, the author seems to be much more sympathetic to Prince Ohotomo and his cause, implying that Oama was the one rising up against the legitimate government. I mention this just to help us remember that our primary source is not exactly neutral about all of this, and we should keep that in mind as we are trying to sort out what was going on.  The narrative also often makes it seem as though the outcome was inevitable, but we should remember that at the time all of these events were going down, the people involved couldn't have known how they were going to turn out— in the moment, anything could have happened, especially in times of war. Speaking of which, we know that the two sides were raising troops, so let's talk about what we know about those troops and what combat may have looked like at this time.  While we don't exactly have detailed accounts, there is a lot we can piece together through the archaeological record and other sources.  To that end we have evidence of armor and weapons, as well as shields, and we can also look at haniwa through the 6th and even early 7th century to give us an idea of local armor styles.  Let's first look back on how soldiers were conscripted.  Each household seems to have been responsible for supplying a soldier, when required.  They were also to supply their equipment.  This included a sword, armor, bows and arrows, as well as a flag and drum. In historical parades, today, we often see row upon row of soldiers kitted out in matching clothing, appearing relatively cohesive and well-regimented.  In truth it is hard to know just how similar any one group might have been.  Based on later historical examples, it is safe to assume that many of the soldiers may not have had much armor, if any, and even if they did it might have been made of wood or leather, which were unlikely to survive to the modern day. Of course, I would also question just how often they were able to afford everything mentioned.  And since we are told that as the government was gathering soldiers it was also opening up storehouses of weapons and armor, I suspect that indicates that not everyone had their own.  And even if they did, it may have been of questionable quality. That said, if a warrior did have armor, it was likely one of two types, variations of which were both found on the continent. The first type is characterized by a solid, circular cuirass, often called a “tankou”, or short armor.  These were made of strips of iron that were shaped on a wooden form and then riveted or tied together into a solid cuirass, which is why it is also called a type of “plate” armor.  One side of the armor was hinged and could open so that the wearer could get in.  There are some tankou with a hanging skirt of tassets that flare out as well, protecting the legs, and even examples of pieces that also go around the neck, shoulder guards, and arm guards.  The tankou seems to date from at least the 3rd or 4th century, with changes in design over time, and we know that it continued through at least the 6th century. Compare this to the keikou, or hanging armor.  Keikou was a kind of lamellar armor, made of individual scales, later known as “sane”.  These metal scales, also known as lamellae, were held together with lacing, and made for a much more flexible, and presumably comfortable, armor.  The tradeoff for this comfort was that keikou likely took a lot more labor to make, and thus were considered a more elite armor, possibly used by men on horseback or at least by those leading the troops.  Looking into the future a bit, we know that in the 8th century there were “tankou” and “keikou” being donated to the Shousouin repository at Toudaiji.  However, it isn't clear that “tankou” and “keikou” in the 8th century referred to exactly this kind of armor, and we may have been dealing with something else entirely, because there is a lacuna in our understanding of armor on the archipelago between the end of the Asuka period and the appearance of the more familiar yoroi in the Heian period comes about.  There are conjectured transitional armors, based on continental models, which are thought to have been used.  Still, at this very point in time, when Ohoama is mounting his rebellion against Ohotomo, the Keikou and Tankou are generally thought to have still been in use, and this is generally how you will see the two sides represented. As for weapons, perhaps the most common that we see is the bow and arrow.  Archery is extremely practical, not only for its ability to be used from a distance, but also because in times of peace people can use the same bows to hunt, thus making hunting prowess a kind of stand-in for military prowess.  The way of the bow—in fact the way of the horse and bow, or Kyuuba no Michi—would be the main pillar of martial prowess in the archipelago for centuries.  The iconic sword, while important—it was, after all, one of the three sacred regalia—was more of a side-arm, deployed in close quarters combat.  It was still important, as it could be easily carried with you.  However, it is more likely that massed troops might have had spears and various types of polearms, providing reach.  Those are harder to just casually carry around, however, especially if you are mainly using a bow.  Perhaps that is part of the reason that we don't hear as much about such weapons, and most of the focus seems to be on the archers and on swords. There were also at this time shields.  We know that the Hayato of southern Kyushu were particularly known for them, but there evidence that they were more widely used.  After all, a shield made of wood would have made an important defense against a rain of arrows coming from the enemy. As for the horses, some of them may have even had their own barding, or armor, though I suspect, again, that was rare, and reserved for elites.  All of this together gives us some idea of what it may have looked like when Ohoama and Ohotomo's forces engaged in battle, though it is still conjecture.  We know that they had spears, and swords, and bows.  We know that some of the first men that Prince Ohoama picked up on his journey was to conscript archers to his service, who then were pressed into taking a government post station.    We also don't necessarily see a lot of individual fighting described in the records, though there are exceptions. Later on, there was a tradition of individual warriors calling out challenges in the midst of battle, that became an accepted practice in the early culture of the bushi, or samurai, but we don't see that in the Chronicles.    Certainly we see moments of individual valor which are remembered, likely because of the benefits that the hero's descendants could then claim for themselves.   But for the most part it seems that the people actually doing the fighting were groups of conscripted soldiers, not the hired warriors of later periods.  Even among groups like the Mononobe, the Be of the Warriors, it isn't clear that they would have been the ones on the front lines—not if they could help it, anyway.  Most of these were farmers and similar commoners, who were called up to fight as necessary.  Some of them may have seen action over on the Korean peninsula, or even in local skirmishes.  Others would have been fresh out of the fields, joining the ranks for the first time.  They were not exactly volunteers, but also didn't have much of a choice.  It was the draft on steroids. I also suspect that the act of conscription, where a soldier was offered up by a household, or family,, meant that desertion would mean that their family would be punished. While the elite generals providing the men were no doubt gauging how this would affect their own political and economic fortunes, I imagine that the average soldier had much less agency and could look forward to many fewer rewards.  In fact, I suspect his main goal would have been one of survival.  Perhaps if one fought well, they could earn something more for themselves, and perhaps there were cultural concepts of loyalty to one's local elites and leadership.  And maybe there were leaders who inspired them to do great things.  However, works like the Nihon Shoki were rarely concerned with the lives of the common people, except when it shined a light on the sovereigns and their court.   It was much more concerned with how this affected the upper caste of society. There is also the question about just what kind of fighting this system led to.  Again, these are not the bushi—a warrior class who prided themselves on their martial prowess.  And neither were they standing armies.  While there were likely some who regularly served and trained and found they had a skill at war, how many were simple farmers who were now holding a spear instead of a spade?  These are things to keep in mind as we follow along with tales of glorious victory or ignoble defeat. So, that's a glimpse at who was actually doing the fighting.  As for the timeline of the battle, let's get into it.  But first, a caveat:  as we should be used to by now, the exact chronology of the events listed in the Nihon Shoki is not entirely clear.  The Nihon Shoki provides a narrative, but often it includes actions that took several days or even weeks on a single date where the events apparently culminated.  Using cues, such as “one day later” or such things, we can piece together a narrative, but I may not have it 100% accurate.  It doesn't help that the Nihon Shoki seems to focus on different campaigns separately, even though much of it was happening at the same time.  That's compounded by the fact that all of this was being recorded much later, and so there is also a great possibility that even some of the seemingly clear dates were also wrong, or were adjusted to make for a better flow in the narrative.  So I'm going to do my best to piece together what I roughly feel was the chronological order, but just be aware that dates may not be all that precise.    In the coming conflict we see several main arenas.  First, there is the area around Lake Biwa, from the Fuwa pass towards Ohotsu.  This was Ohoama's main path to try and put an end to this whole affair—to make his way to Ohotsu, the capital, and cut off the head of the snake.  To do that he would have to leave his defensive position and venture out around the lake, where Afumi forces no doubt lay in wait.  At the same time, there was also fierce fighting in the Nara Basin, with Yoshino and Afumi forces clashing there across the plains.  And we cannot forget the Kafuka, or Kouka, pass over to Suzuka.  If the Afumi forces could push through to Suzuka, then they could march along the coastal plains of Mie up through Owari and come at Ohoama's forces from behind. In previous episodes we covered the leadup to this part of the conflict, and while there had been some fighting at the post stations on the road to Suzuka, as well as captured envoys at Fuwa Pass, so far we haven't seen any major fighting.  If the timeline in the Nihon Shoki is to be believed, the first serious clashes seem to have occurred in the Yamato region and the Nara basin. In general, however, there seems to have been two main campaigns.  There was the fighting in the Nara Basin, and then there was the fighting along the shores of Lake Biwa. Everything started off at the end of the 6th month with Ohoama's mad dash to capture the passes at Suzuka and Fuwa, where he waited while he gathered up men from the Eastern countries.  While that was happening, the Afumi court was out recruiting men for their own war.  This would lead to some of the earliest formal battles between the two sides taking place in the Nara Basin, originally a recruitment center, it turned into a battle zone.  Yoshino aligned forces would push north, only to be blocked by armies coming down from the capital at Ohotsu, as well as forces coming through the gap between Yamato and Kawachi, where the Yamato river leaves the basin through the western mountains.  The fighting happened largely over the course of a week or so.  It started around the 29th day of the 6th month, and seems to have ended between the 4th or 6th day of the 7th month.  So keep that in mind. As you may recall from last episode, two brothers, Ohotomo no Muraji no Makuda and Ohotomo no Muraji no Fukei, upon hearing that Ohoama was rising up, both feigned illness, using that as an excuse to leave the court at Ohotsu and return to their family compounds in the Yamato region.  From there, Makuda made haste to catch up with Ohoama and his men, but his brother, Fukei, stayed behind to see what he could do in Yamato. Originally, Fukei's success was limited.  He started calling various allied families together and tried to drum up support for Ohoama, but he could only gather a few tens of men.  Not the hundreds, let alone thousands, that would be needed.  At the same time, the Afumi court was conscripting men of the Yamato region into service.  This was being organized by Hodzumi no Obito no Momotari and his younger brother, Hodzumi no Obito no Ihoye, along with Mononobe no Obito no Hiuga, who had all been sent to Yamato on the orders of the Afumi court, apparently arriving shortly after Fukei.  This group set up their base of operations at the Wokamoto palace—it was, after all, the official government presence and they were the official government representatives —and they used the grounds west of Houkouji, aka Asukadera, as their assembly grounds. Ohotomo no Fukei knew that something would have to be done.  If those conscripted Yamato soldiers were formed into a proper army and sent out, it could cause a lot of trouble for Ohoama and his men.  And fortunately, Fukei had a man on the inside: apparent ally, Sakanouhe no Atahe no Kumage, the officer in charge of the Wokamoto Palace, working for Prince Takazaka who resided there.  And so Fukei had a plan—he would impersonate the Royal Prince Takechi, son of Ohoama, and pretend to lead a force of cavalry to attack the camp at Asukadera.  To strengthen the illusion, Fukei would come in from the north, which is where Prince Takechi and his men would presumably be coming from.  Now remember, Fukei only had tens of people that were actually on his side at this point, and the camp was presumably much larger.  If they didn't fall for his ruse, Fukei would be marching straight to his death. Fukei marshalled his troops at the house of Kudara, which is to say “Baekje”, and then left out of the south gate.  He then had an accomplice, Hada no Miyatsuko no Kuma, dressed in nothing but a loincloth, mount a horse and gallop as fast as he could towards the camp.  You can imagine the confusion in the camp as this wild, naked man gallops up to them in a panic and starts telling them that Prince Takechi and his men were on their way with a huge force. When the conscripted soldiers heard this, they panicked.  While the men were gathered, it seems that they hadn't yet been outfitted with weapons and armor, so the entire camp broke and fled.  And so Fukei was able to waltz in with his tens of men and take the camp at Asukadera, capturing Prince Takazaka and those sent from Ohotsu to levy troops.  Fukei's ally, Kumage, the man on the inside, helped with this, along with the soldiers under the command of him and the Aya no Atahe.  And so they were able to disperse the conscripted Yamato forces before they were even assembled.  However, it turned out that someone was missing.  Hodzumi no Omi no Momotari, who had been appointed leader of the operation, was not at Asukadera.  It turns out that he was over at the Woharida Palace, where he was reviewing the armory, taking out the weapons and armor for the troops that he thought were still over at Asukadera. And so Fukei continued the ruse: he sent a messenger to summon Momotari, claiming to be a summons from Prince Takechi himself. Momotari, hearing this, likely knew that he had lost, but he apparently maintained his dignity.  He didn't run away or rush to the camp.  Instead he approached on horseback in a leisurely fashion.  When he reached the encampment, now under Fukei's command, one of the soldiers shouted at Momotari to get off his horse, but Momotari, likely trying to keep what remained of his dignity, was slow in doing so.  The men around him didn't care one whit for his dignity, however.  They grabbed his collar and pulled him off of the horse, dragging him to the ground.  He was shot with an arrow and then a man drew his sword and struck him and killed him.  We aren't even told who did this deed, just how it was done. As for the others, Momonatari's brother, Hodzumi no Ihoye and Mononobe no Hiuga were bound, but eventually they were released amongst the troops, where they were no doubt watched carefully.  Princes Takazaka no Ou and Wakasa no Ou, the representatives of the Afumi court in Asuka, were made to follow behind the army.  With this victory under his belt, Ohotomo no Fukei sent messengers to Prince Ohoama, at the Fuwa pass, to let him know what had happened.  When the messengers finally reached Ohoama we are told that he was quite pleased with the result.  After all, it meant that his rearguard was that much more secure. We are told that these events took place on or about the 29th day of the 6th month, around the same time that Ohoama was overseeing the troops at Wazami, only a few days after he and the real Prince Takechi had made their way to that camp.  Things were evolving quickly.  Fukei's success drew others to his banner.  Miwa no Kimi no Takechimaro, Kamo no Kimi no Yemishi, and othes all joined Fukei's forces, “like an echo”.  With a now more sizeable force, it seems that Fukei believed he was ready to take the fight to the Afumi court.  He and his advisors drew up plans for invading Afumi, selecting men to be deputy commanders and military commanders, providing a hierarchy and some organization.  From there, a few days later, he began to march north from Asuka, towards Nara. Now Nara at this point was just a name for the northwest area of the basin—they probably didn't even think of it as the Nara basin back then.  But it was along the road that led north, through the mountains, and from there through Yamashiro and eventually on to Afumi.  As Fukei was headed north, however,  he received word that there was another force coming from the Kawachi in the west.  And so he split his forces.  Sakamoto no Omi no Takara and others were sent with some 300 troops to take a defensive position at Tatsuta.  Sami no Kimi no Sukunamaro was also sent with another several hundred men to Ohosaka… no, not that Ohosaka.  Afusaka in modern Kashiba, in western Nara Basin.  This area would have been a strategic defensive point for any troops taking the road from Kawachi, so if anyone got past Sakamoto no Takara, Sukunamaro and his troops would be waiting. The now General Fukei also sent Kamo no Yemishi with another several hundred men to guard the Iwate road, to defend that approach as well.  Now Sakamoto no Takara, who had been sent to engage the troops coming from Kawachi, reached the area of Hiraishi when he heard that Afumi forces were occupying the nearby castle of Takayasu mountain.  You may recall that Takayasu was one of the Korean style fortresses that had been built in anticipation of a possible invasion from the continent, and it had even been repaired a few times.  Now it was being used not against an outside enemy, but in an internal conflict. Takara and his men marched up the mountain, intending to attack the castle, and here we should probably give a better idea of just what this castle was like.  If you think of a modern Japanese castle the thing that likely stands out, no pun intended, is the Tenshukaku, or donjon; the multi-storied tower located somewhere inside the walls and moats of the castle proper.  This would be an ideal location to spy over the walls and see where the enemy were, as well as an area from which one could make a last ditch stand. The castles of the Asuka period were not like this.  They were built off of a continental model, and their defining feature was not the donjon—though they likely did have gate and guard towers set up so that one could see attacking forces.  No, the defining feature was really the walls.  Long, compacted-earth walls, possibly lined with stone, which snaked around the top of a mountain.  This castle style leveraged the natural contours of existing mountain tops to provide its defense.  It didn't hurt that they also provided clear views of what was happening on the plains below, and required attacking troops to march up a steep mountain climb and then attack uphill.  The tradeoff was that these weren't the kind of places that people would live, when most of the infrastructure of the state was in the fertile plains and surrounding areas.  So these castles had granaries to keep troops fed, and perhaps some basic buildings erected within the walls, but they were largely a practical design. You can still go see the Takayasu ruins, today, and you don't have to hike up the mountain as Takara and his men did.  Instead you can take a cable car up to the top, or even a regular car on the roads that drive up to the old castle site, though how much you can see I'm not sure.  There are also other castle ruins and even old kofun on the mountain, as its prominence has been recognized as important in many different centuries. There likely weren't a lot of troops manning the castle, certainly not enough that they felt they had much chance of defending it.  So when Takara and his men made it up to the top, they Afumi forces burned the granaries, so as to deny him any supplies, and then took off, discretion being the better part of valor.  Takara and his men spent the evening at the castle, no doubt recovering from their hike up.  Remember, this wasn't just a leisurely stroll—they were no doubt fully kitted out for war.  When they woke the next morning they looked out over the surrounding countryside, of which they now had fantastic views, and   Takara noticed a large army coming down along the Ohotsu-Tajihi road.  They carried flags, which I don't know how Takara could have seen at that point, which identified them as being the enemy - troops of the Afumi general, Iki no Fubito no Karakuni. And so Takara and his men descended from Takayasu, crossed the Ega River—now known as the Ishi river, and engaged Karakuni's army.  They were only 300 men, however, and Karakuni had a much larger forcem so  Takara was unable to maintain a defense.  And so they made a strategic withdrawal—in other words retreated—back to Kashikosaka, apparently a part of Afusaka, where Ki no Omi no Oho'oto had been set to guard.  So Ohotomo and the Afumi court finally scored a win. Besides his victory against Takara and his men, we are also told that Karakuni had come upon Kume no Omi no Shihoko, the governor of Kawachi.  Shihoko had been gathering troops to go fight for Ohoama, but he was found out by Karakuni.  Karakuni captured him and was going to execute him, but before he could, Shihoko took his own life, instead. As Takara was retreating and setting up a new defensive position, Fukei had his own problems to worry about.  As he was camped with his troops on Mt. Narayama, one of his men, Aradawo no Atahe no Akamaro, addressed him and suggested that they should make sure to fortify Asuka, just in case.  Fukei agreed, and sent Akamaro as well as Imbe no Kobito to guard the Okamoto Palace in Asuka.  They also made sure to remove the planks from any bridges, using them to setup fortifications along the road.  Now any army that wished to cross would either have to swim or they would need to come across the narrow beams that were all that was left of the bridges.  This was not ideal at the best of times, but you can imagine doing it as troops on the other side were shooting arrows at you.  And yet this has become a near classic trope in Japanese war stories and it won't be the only time it comes up in various historical contexts.  It wouldn't even be the only time it shows up in this current conflict. A day later, Fukei found himself engaged with an Afumi general, Ohono no Kimi no Hatayasu, on Mt. Narayama itself.  Despite Fukei having had time to set up a defensive position, the Afumi forces overwhelmed Fukei's men.  They were defeated and Fukei himself barely escaped with his life.  Fukei fled south with only one or two men, also on horseback, with Hatayasu hot on his heels, only stopping when they reached Hatta and the Yamato river.  At that point the fortifications were in place, and Hatayasu likely knew that any trying to cross the river after Fukei would likely not go nearly as well as it did at Narayama. As for General Fukei he kept going all the way until he reached Sumizaka, which appears to be in Uda.  There he fell in with Okizome no Muraji no Usagi, at the head of several tens of thousands of men.  Usagi had been with Ohoama , but upon hearing of the fighting in Yamato, Ohoama had sent him  and others to go back through the Suzuka pass to provide reinforcements.  One can only imagine how happy Fukei was at this point to see Usagi and all of thise men.  Fukei turned back around and encamped at Kanatsunawi—possibly modern Imai-cho, Kashihara city.  There he was able to gather many of the dispersed troops back into a force once again. About this time, Fukei heard that the Afumi forces were also approaching along the Afusaka road.  So now they were approaching from both the north and the west.  They were also taking several different roads—inside the largely flat area of the Nara Basin, they likely had several choices.  Takara and Oho-oto had been unable to meet the enemy and had kept retreating, likely seeking a defensible position.  As they did this, Fukei came from the east with his reinforcements.  He made it to where the roads branched at Tahema—modern Taima—where he fought with Iki no Karakuni nearby Ashi-kie pond, possibly somewhere near modern Chimata.  During the battle, one of Fukei's men, a brave warrior known to us only as “Kume”, drew his sword and rushed straight into the midst of the enemy army.  Of course one lone man wasn't likely to do much, but he inspired a cavalry charge, and men on horseback followed closely at his heels.  Seeing this force bearing quickly down on them, the Afumi troops broke, and soon it was a rout.  Fukei's men pursued, cutting down the Afumi soldiers as they fled, until Fukei finally reined them in. At this point, Fukei then admonished his troops that their goal was to take out the ringleaders, not to just indiscriminately murder the common people.  Remember, which side of the battlefield you ended up fighting on was largely a function of who had conscripted you, and Fukei evidently knew this.  As the men were still retreating, though, Fukei noticed that the Afumi general, Karakuni – one of those ringleaders - had gotten himself separated from his men.  Fukei ordered Kume—presumably the same one who had charged the army in the first place—to shoot at him, but Kume's arrow missed, and Karakuni made his escape.  Rather than pursuing, Fukei returned back to his headquarters. Once there, Fukei now learned that there were enemy forces approaching from the East, as well.  So Fukei took the army and divided it into three, defending the Upper, Middle, and Lower roads, and he took personal charge of the forces on the middle road, likely so that he could easily keep in touch with the other forces.  He was also waiting for the next challenge, and he didn't have to wait for long: the Afumi general Inukai no Muraji no Isogimi approached along the Middle Road.  He halted at Muraya, but his deputy commander, Ihoriwi no Miyatsuko no Kujira, attacked Fukei's camp with 200 specially picked soldiers.  Now it turns out that when they reached the camp, there were only a few people actually there at the time, including one Tokumaro, described as a slave of Ohowidera temple, and four “people following the army” – in other words, these might not have been actual soldiers.  .  Nevertheless, together this small group rallied, formed an advance guard and went forward, shooting arrows at Kujira's forces.  Kujira, not knowing that Fukei's camp was all but empty, halted his advance. Meanwhile, over on the Upper Road, Miwa no Takechimaro and Okizome no Usagi, who had been sent by Ohoama from Fuwa, fought with the Afumi army at the Hashi Misasagi—which is assumed to be the Hashihaka kofun, and they overwhelmingly defeated the Afumi army there, such that they was able to pivot from there and swing their forces over to the Middle road.  There they slammed into the flank of Kujira's army, who had stopped to trade blows with Fukei's camp.  Many of the common soldiers were killed, and the general, Kujira, ran off, mounted on a white horse.  Unfortunately for him, the horse took a misstep and tumbled into a muddy-rice field. Kujira was bogged down in the mud and having trouble getting out.  General Fukei, seeing this, sent a brave soldier of Kahi to shoot at Kujira, but as the soldier came up to the edge of the rice paddy, Kujira whipped his horse vigorously, and got it to extricate itself and Kujira, who galloped off and escaped.  Fukei, for his part, returned again to his headquarters and camped with his men there.  Though they were ready for another conflict, nothing ever came.  The Afumi forces had withdrawn.  The battle for the Nara basin was over, and the Yoshino forces were victorious. General Fukei, however, was anything but finished.  Remember, he had planned to take the fight to the Afumi court, and so, having subdued the enemy forces in Yamato—which is to say the Nara basin—Fukei marched out through Afusaka to Naniwa, and then marched on Yamazaki, where he set up camp.  From there, he sent messengers to all the governors of the Western Provinces.  He forced them to give up their keys, their posting-bells, and their posting tallies—basically he had them formally submit to the Yoshino faction, and thus to Ohoama. Meanwhile, Ohoama had his own campaign to conduct, and it kicked off in the middle of Fukei's defense of the Yamato Home Province.  He also would engage various generals in battle, but we'll save that campaign for Part Four. But before we go I do want to point out, once again: this wasn't a simple and straightforward matter of attack and defense.  Notice that generals on both sides sometimes were victorious and sometimes had to flee.  You can only imagine how, after the defeat at Narayama, General Fukei must have felt that all hope was lost, only to run into a force ten thousand strong come to relive him and his paltry troops.  But it could just as easily have been that he didn't make it.  In fact, how many warriors died?  Heroically, perhaps, but still died.  And if there were no descendants to carry on their name and remember their deeds, then who knows how many people just didn't get written about at all.  And then there are all of those common soldiers.  Individuals without any recorded name, but who nonetheless were there and who fought. They may not have been the people that later authors cared to write about, and yet they were all someone's child, and possibly their sibling or parent.  They loved and laughed, and certainly died.  All to determine who would sit next upon the Yamato throne.  One has to wonder if winning or losing really changed anything for them, or perhaps they won simply by surviving. And on that cheerful thought, I'll take my leave.  Until next time, thank you once again for listening and for all of your support. If you like what we are doing, please tell your friends and feel free to rate us wherever you listen to podcasts.  If you feel the need to do more, and want to help us keep this going, we have information about how you can donate on Patreon or through our KoFi site, ko-fi.com/sengokudaimyo, or find the links over at our main website,  SengokuDaimyo.com/Podcast, where we will have some more discussion on topics from this episode. Also, feel free to reach out to our Sengoku Daimyo Facebook page.  You can also email us at the.sengoku.daimyo@gmail.com.  Thank you, also, to Ellen for their work editing the podcast. And that's all for now.  Thank you again, and I'll see you next episode on Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan.  

Hello Shaders!In this episode, Sharonda and Taima dive into their favorite romance tropes, discussing their appeal. From age gaps to slow burns. They share personal anecdotes and book recommendations, highlighting how these tropes resonate with readers and the emotional journeys they evoke. The conversation is lively, humorous, and insightful, making it a must-listen for romance enthusiasts.

Hi Shaders!In this episode, Sharonda and Taima talk about the importance of reader preferences. They discuss the visibility of Black indie authors, accessibility issues, and the evolution of the genre, emphasizing the need for an inclusive reading space that celebrates all forms of Black love stories. The conversation highlights the significance of community and the importance of allowing readers to define their own experiences without judgment.

Hi Shaders!In this episode of Brazenlee Shadee, hosts Sharonda and Taima discuss their latest read, The Fall Risk by Abby Jimenez. They share their excitement about the book, highlighting its engaging characters, particularly Seth and Charlotte, and the themes of empowerment and friendship. The conversation delves into the dynamics of stalking and how the characters navigate their challenges while building a sweet romance. They also express their desire for more stories featuring the side characters, showcasing the depth of the narrative. Overall, this episode is a lively and insightful review of a charming romance novel.

Last time we spoke about the January 28th Incident. In January of 1932, tensions escalated in Shanghai as anti-Japanese sentiments surged after Japan's invasion of Manchuria. Orchestrated by Yoshiko Kawashima, a Japanese spy, a provocation led to violence, sparking outrage among Japanese expatriates. Japan demanded apologies and compensation from China, threatening military action if their demands were unmet. As the Japanese military amassed forces in Shanghai, the Chinese 19th Route Army prepared to resist, igniting the conflict known as the January 28th Incident, marking the beginning of a fierce struggle for control. Amidst chaos, the Nanjing government struggled to respond to Japan's escalating aggression in Shanghai. Chiang Kai-Shek prioritized avoiding war, urging a diplomatic approach to protect Shanghai's economy. Despite pressure, the 19th Route Army was ordered to withdraw, but tensions flared when Japan attacked the Chinese garrison. The 19th Route Army fiercely resisted, leading to intense battles. As Japan sent reinforcements, Chiang faced mounting protests and criticism for his passive stance, questioning whether he could maintain his strategy against the encroaching enemy.   #144 The First Battle of Shanghai 1932 Welcome to the Fall and Rise of China Podcast, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about the history of Asia? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on history of asia and much more  so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel where I cover the history of China and Japan from the 19th century until the end of the Pacific War. In the last episode we covered the January 28th Incident. At 11:30 pm on January 28, Japan ordered 2,300 Japanese Marines to advance westward along every branch road on the west side of North Sichuan Road, without waiting for a response. This road, which crosses into the northern area of the International Settlement and has frequently been designated as a Japanese defense zone, includes Target Road (now known as Wujin Road in Hongkou District, Shanghai), Qiujiang Road, and Yokohama Road. Their objective was to seize the Songhu Railway defense line at Tiantong'an Station. They faced strong resistance from the 19th Route Army, further escalating the conflict. In the early hours of the 29th, Japanese aircraft launched from the Notoro seaplane carrier, which was moored on the Huangpu River, attacked the Chinese district of Zhabei. Both the Commercial Press located at No. 584 Baoshan Road and the Oriental Library, the largest private library in China with over 300,000 books, were completely destroyed. That same day the 19th Route Army sent a telegram to the entire nation concerning the situation: Do forgive me it's a rough translation “Urgent. Dear Sir and Madam, the Japanese have occupied our three northeastern provinces, changing the color of our territory and making our nation perish. Recently, they have killed and set fire in Shanghai, and vagrants are everywhere, doing the most despicable and violent things in the world. Gunboats are coming one after another, and the Marines are all landed. At 12:00 a.m. on the 28th, they openly invaded our defense line in Zhabei, Shanghai, and challenged us. Guang Nai and others are soldiers, and they only know that it is their duty to defend themselves and defend their land. They cannot give up even an inch of land or an inch of grass. They resist to save the country and protect the race. Even if they sacrifice only one person and one bullet, they will never retreat and lose the personality of the soldiers of the Republic of China. This thing and this ambition are exposed to the sun and the sun and are known to the world. The spirits of our ancestors in heaven are truly relying on it”. On the morning of January 29, Chiang Kai-shek met with He Yingqin and Zhu Peide to discuss countermeasures. Simultaneously Zhu Peide convened a meeting with He Yingqin, Gu Zhutong, Li Jishen, Deng Shizeng, Lin Wei, and others to address issues such as defense deployment, the security of Nanjing and the Yangtze River, and resistance against Japan. Chiang Kai-Shek established the principles going forward for negotiations with Japan, emphasizing the need to prepare for talks while actively resisting. He stated that negotiations must have a clear final line of defense and a maximum limit that would not compromise administrative and territorial integrity, undermine the spirit of the Nine-Power Treaty, or jeopardize national sovereignty. If these limits were exceeded and unacceptable concessions were made, a decisive battle would be fought, even at the cost of defeat and death.  The defense and military strategy for Beijing and Shanghai included the 19th Route Army defending Shanghai with full strength, while the front guard army consisting of the 87th and 88th divisions would protect Nanjing. He Yingqin would remain in Nanjing, overseeing all party, government, and military personnel left behind. Chiang, along with the Central Political Council of the Kuomintang, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the National Government, and Chen Mingshu, all expressed their commitment to resisting Japanese aggression. Chiang also sent a telegram to He Chengjun, director of the Hubei Province Pacification Office, and Xu Tingyao, commander of the Fourth Division, stating "Last night, the Japanese invaders attacked our 19th Route Defense Line in Zhabei, Shanghai, and the battle is ongoing. Our army is determined to fight to the death. Their naval forces in Han and Xun will likely engage in military operations. We urge you to remain vigilant and defend yourselves, never yielding to them. The Fourth Division should concentrate on strict defense in Wuhan and avoid dispersal. If military funds become scarce, local governments will need to raise them independently." The National Government Military Committee appointed Chiang Kai-shek, Feng Yuxiang, Yan Xishan, and Zhang Xueliang as members responsible for mobilizing the army and commanding the Shanghai War. Chiang Kai-Shek officially resumed power after resigning to prevent a surrender and committed to a prolonged resistance. On January 30, the Chinese Nationalist Government announced the relocation of the capital to Luoyang. Chiang Kai-shek sent a telegram urging resistance against the Japanese and dispatched the elite Fifth Army to reinforce Shanghai. That night, Dai Ji, the commander of the Songhu Garrison, took charge of military operations in Shanghai, overseeing the 19th Route Army. The commander-in-chief was Jiang Guangnai, with Cai Tingkai as the army commander and division commanders Qu Shounian, Mao Weishou, and Shen Guanghan. Chiang Kai-Shek then issued a telegram to his troops across the nation and again I apologize for the rough translation. "Since the Northeast Incident began, the Central Government has been enduring humiliation and maintaining peace in order to avoid war and protect the lifeline of the country. It hopes to use justice and fairness to awaken the Japanese pirates. Unexpectedly, the more we tolerate, the more arrogant they become. When the Shanghai Incident occurred, we accepted their demands with great pain, but the Japanese pirates still brazenly pressed on, repeatedly attacking our Shanghai Defense Force, bombing civilian houses, throwing bombs on the streets, and our compatriots were ravaged. The country is about to perish. Anyone with blood in his veins would rather endure it. Since the 19th Route Army has risen up to defend itself bravely, our entire army In this time of national destruction and extinction, when the revolutionary soldiers are facing imminent danger, they should fight for the dignity of the country, strive for the survival of the nation, fulfill their responsibilities for the revolution, and be determined to die rather than live in disgrace, so as to deal with the brutal Japan that destroys peace and despises faith and integrity... Chiang Kai-shek and his comrades have shared hardships for a long time. Although I am now in the opposition, I am willing to swear to live and die with the soldiers and fulfill my bounden duty. I am here to inform you in advance with my blood and sincerity, and ask you to be determined and work hard, share the same hatred with the enemy, do not be arrogant, maintain the spirit of sacrifice, stay ready to fight, and save the country from danger." From that day on, the various ministries, commissions and committees of the National Government began to move to Luoyang, but the Military Commission and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs remained in Nanjing . At the same time, the frontline troops were ordered to be jointly commanded by the Minister of Military Affairs He Yingqin and the Chief of the General Staff Zhu Peide.  Typically Chinese sources breakdown what is known as the First Battle of Shanghai into three phases. In the previous episode we looked through the event up until the point of the first phase. After the initial fighting, both the 19th route army and Japanese agreed to a ceasefire so they could strengthen their positions and at least allow some form of diplomacy to occur. This went into effect on the 29th. As we mentioned, immediately afterwards the Japanese rapidly began reinforcing their position in Shanghai. They first sent the Sasebo 26th Squadron on the 30th, bearing 474 troops of the Sasebo 3rd Special Marine Corps alongside supplies. The next day the aircraft carriers Kaga and Hosho came over with 30 aircraft from the 1st air fleet. Then the cruisers Naka, Yura and Abukuma alongside 4 torpedo boats came bearing another 2000 marines. On February 1st the Terukoku Maru brought over the Yokosuka 1st Special Marine corps, roughly 525 men who landed at Huishan Wharf. With all that said and done, roughly 7000 Japanese troops had been brought over. On February 1st, the IJN warships began bombarding Nanjing from the Yangtze River, prompting Yu Jishi to frantically demand Chiang Kai-Shek transfer more troops to Shanghai. That night the Japanese light cruiser Tenryu, the protected cruisers Hirado and Taima, and the seven ships of the Navy's 23rd Destroyer Squadron fired upon Nanjing using four 140mm guns, 12 152mm single-mounted rapid-fire guns, 12 120mm single-mounted guns, and 20 76mm single-mounted rapid-fire guns. The rich and officials fled the city for refuge, but the Japanese army did not land any men to follow up the attack. Simultaneously 40,000 Shanghai workers from over 20 Japanese owned cotton mills began an anti-Japanese strike, being heavily backed by Communists. The workers began aiding the 19th route army to blockade the Japanese in the factories and streets and sabotage what they could.  On February 2nd, the Japanese army attacked Wusong several times, but was repelled each time. On the 3rd the Japanese expanded their attacks against Zhabei, Baziqiao and other locations, but the Chinese defenders successfully repelled these assaults as well. On the 4th, the Japanese launched their first major offensive, which extended the conflict to Jiangwan and Wusong. Following a day of intense fighting, the Wusong fort was destroyed by enemy bombardment; however, the Japanese army was unable to land due to the determined resistance of the Chinese defenders. The anti-aircraft artillery company from the 88th Division, reassigned to the 4th Regiment of the 156th Brigade of the 19th Route Army, managed to shoot down a Japanese aircraft. After the failure of the general offensive, Yukiichi Shiozawa was dismissed and sent back to Japan. Vice Admiral Yoshisaburo Nomura, the newly appointed commander of the Third Fleet, succeeded Shiozawa. After Nomura assumed his role, the Japanese army began to bolster its forces. Japan had initially planned to deploy troops when tensions escalated in Shanghai, but the navy had opposed this move. However, as the situation deteriorated, the navy was compelled to seek assistance from the army. On February 2, the Japanese cabinet officially decided to send troops. In response to the urgent circumstances in Shanghai, they resolved to dispatch the Shanghai Dispatch Mixed Brigade, led by Brigade Commander Major General Shimomoto Kuma, along with the 9th Division, commanded by Lieutenant General Ueda Kenkichi. The Shanghai Dispatch Mixed Brigade and the Second Independent Tank Squadron were prioritized for transport. Concurrently, the Japanese Navy also sent the Yokosuka 2nd Special Marine Corps to Shanghai. The 24th Mixed Brigade landed in Wusong on the afternoon of February 7. By this time, the combined forces of the Japanese navy, army, and air force had exceeded 10,000 personnel. At dawn on February 8, the Japanese Army's 24th Mixed Brigade launched an attack on Zhanghuabang, Yunzaobang, and Wusong Town along three routes, but they were repelled by our forces. Meanwhile on February 4, the National Government Military Commission sent out a telegram that divided the country into four defense zones. The first zone, which includes the area north of the Yellow River, was assigned to Zhang Xueliang as the commander-in-chief. The second zone, covering the area south of the Yellow River, was placed under the command of Chiang Kai-shek. The third zone, encompassing the area south of the Yangtze River as well as Fujian and Zhejiang provinces, was led by He Yingqin. The fourth zone, which includes Guangdong and Guangxi, was commanded by Chen Jitang. The telegram also stated that, aside from maintaining troops for local stability, all commanders were to concentrate their forces within their respective defense zones to confront the aggressive Japanese. Additionally, a directive was issued for the provinces of Sichuan, Hunan, Guizhou, Hubei, Shaanxi, and Henan to send troops to serve as a general reserve. On February 5, upon learning that the Japanese army had been redeployed from mainland China to Shanghai, Chairman of the Military Commission Chiang Kai-shek sent a telegram from Luoyang to He Yingqin. He instructed that if the Japanese forces landed, the Chinese Air Force would engage in combat. Additionally, Chiang sent a message of condolence to Jiang Guangnai, Cai Tingkai, and Dai Ji of the 19th Route Army, stating "Brothers, you have been fighting valiantly for a week. Each time I reflect on the tremendous sacrifices made by the soldiers and their dedication, I feel a deep sadness... If necessary, Zhong (Zheng) can come to lead in person. When the Air Force enters the fray, the Army must establish various signals in advance to communicate with it and ensure coordinated efforts..." On the same day, the 88th Division arrived in Suzhou. On February 6, Chiang ordered the 261st Brigade of the 87th Division to move from Nanjing to reinforce Kunshan. The troops reached Kunshan on February 7. On February 8, Chiang directed He Yingqin to transfer an artillery battalion to support the 19th Route Army. Then, on February 9, Chiang Kai-shek mobilized the First Division, led by Commander Hu Zongnan, and the Seventh Division, commanded by Wang Jun, to prepare for reinforcement of the 19th Route Army in Shanghai. February 8th marks the second phase of the battle. On the 10th, to ensure that the 88th Division of the Central Army complied with the orders from the 19th Route Army of the Guangdong Army, Chiang Kai-shek sent a telegram to Yu Jishi insisting that "your troops must strictly follow the commands of Commander-in-Chief Chiang and coordinate their movements with allied forces." The Japanese Marine Corps, under Yukio Shiozawa, initiated a three-pronged encirclement attack from Hongkou. The National Army mounted a determined defense and ultimately repelled the Japanese forces, pursuing and destroying them, which significantly lowered their morale. On February 11, Chen Cheng, commander of the Central Army's 18th Army, sent a telegram to Chiang Kai-shek from Ji'an, Jiangxi, reporting that the troops had not been paid for nearly two months and were lacking food. At that time, the National Government was planning to redeploy the National Army that had been engaged in suppressing the Communists in Jiangxi to Zhejiang and Shanghai and to relocate the capital to Luoyang.  On February 12, following a battle at Caojiaqiao, the Japanese army's strategy to consolidate their forces was entirely disrupted. The next morning, February 13, the Japanese 24th Mixed Brigade crossed the Caojiaqiao Bridge in Zhuozaobang and engaged with the Nationalist army. Seizing the moment, the 19th Route Army Headquarters aimed to annihilate the Japanese forces. The Nationalist army surrounded the Japanese troops near the Yong'an Cotton Mill. Additionally, 60 members of a suicide squad launched a suicide attack, resulting in the complete destruction of 1,600 Japanese soldiers. The Japanese army faced significant losses, thwarting their attempt to swiftly capture Wusong. On February 14, Chiang ordered the 88th and 87th Divisions, which were already stationed in Nanxiang and Kunshan near Shanghai, to be reorganized into the Fifth Army. He appointed Zhang Zhizhong, a volunteer eager to fight against the Japanese, as the commander of the Fifth Army. This new army was placed under the unified command of the 19th Route Army and took over the defense line stretching from the northern end of Jiangwan through Miaoxing to the western end of Wusong. It served as the left-wing army, while the 19th Route Army acted as the right-wing, tasked with defending Jiangwan, the area south of Dachang, and the urban region of Shanghai. To replenish the 19th Route Army's losses, Chiang repeatedly ordered reinforcements from various locations. For instance, on February 15, Shangguan Yunxiang dispatched 500 active soldiers from Bengbu to the 19th Route Army; on February 17, Liang Guanying sent 500 unarmed soldiers from Qingjiangpu; and on February 19, Liu Zhi contributed 1,000 active unarmed soldiers from Henan. On February 16, Chiang Kai-shek communicated with Finance Minister Song Ziwen via telegram, stating, "Since the Japanese refuse to withdraw their troops from Shanghai, we must resist until the end. ... Food supplies in Jiangxi and Henan will dwindle, and assistance will be completely halted. Please arrange to deposit 10 million yuan in central banknotes in Nanchang and 20 million yuan in Zhengzhou. This will allow the government to continue functioning, the army to be sustained, and perhaps we can navigate this crisis and avert collapse. This is my final request. I hope you can find a way to assist." To prevent any friction between the Fifth Army and the Nineteenth Route Army over competing for military accolades, Chiang Kai-shek sent a telegram to Zhang Zhizhong and Yu Jishi on February 18. "The fight against Japan is a matter of national survival and is not a matter of honor for an individual or a certain unit. Our frontline officers and men should fully understand this. Therefore, the honor of the 19th Route Army is the honor of our entire National Revolutionary Army. There is absolutely no distinction between honor and disgrace. The Fifth Army's joining the front line is feared by the enemy and will also be slandered by the reactionaries (those who oppose the Nanjing Central Government). If we can continue to fight in the name of the 19th Route Army, it will be enough to demonstrate the strength of our National Revolutionary Army. We will share life and death, let alone honor and disgrace. I hope that this will be conveyed to the officers and men of the Fifth Army. They must unite and fight with our 19th Route Army and make no sacrifices to complete the revolutionary mission." Over on the other side, following reports of significant losses suffered by the Japanese army in Wusong, Tokyo received an imperial decree from Emperor Hirohito demanding the Shanghai incident get settled quick. In response, Chief of Staff Zairen urgently ordered the 9th Army Division, commanded by Ueda Kenkichi, to swiftly reinforce Shanghai. By the afternoon of February 13, the main contingent of the 9th Division had arrived at Shanghai Port, and by February 16, all personnel had disembarked in Wusong. Consequently, Lieutenant General Ueda took over command from Nomura. At this point, the Japanese invading forces comprised over 30,000 troops from naval, land, and air units, along with 60 to 70 field artillery pieces, more than 60 aircraft, and dozens of ships concentrated at the Wusong mouth. Ueda issued a statement late on the night of the 13th, asserting, "If anyone obstructs our division from fulfilling its mission, we will take decisive action without hesitation." On the 18th, he sent an ultimatum to Cai Tingkai, demanding, "Your army must immediately cease hostilities and withdraw from the following areas by 5:00 p.m. on February 20: on the west bank of the Huangpu River, retreat from areas connecting the western end of the concession, Caojiadu Town, Zhoujiaqiao Town, and Pushong Town to the north; on the east bank, withdraw from areas connecting Lannidu and Zhangjialou Town to the north, and retreat to a zone 20 kilometers away from the border of each concession Additionally, all military installations in the specified areas must be dismantled and no new ones established. If these demands are not met, the Japanese army will have no choice but to act freely against your forces, and your army will bear all resulting consequences." In response to Ueda's ultimatum, Tsai and Chiang ordered their front-line troops to fire heavily at Japanese positions as a warning. On the morning of February 20, Ueda commanded a full-scale attack across the front, employing tactics to break through the center while flanking from both sides. The 9th Division led the assault on the junction of Jiangwan and Miaohang, aiming to encircle Wusong from the north with the Kurume Brigade and Zhabei with the Marine Corps from the south. The Japanese began with artillery bombardments, followed by infantry and tank assaults on the Zhanghuabang and Yangshupu lines, both of which were successfully repelled by Chinese defenders. Over a thousand Japanese soldiers and several tanks in Zhabei were killed or wounded due to landmines. On February 21, Ueda personally directed thousands of infantry, supported by aircraft and artillery, to attack the Chinese defensive positions. Both sides incurred heavy casualties, and the battle continued until dawn on the 23rd. The Japanese forces attempted to encircle Jiangwan Town from Jiangwan Station, but the Chinese defenders fought valiantly, launching multiple charges and capturing Japanese Major Kong Sheng along with hundreds of soldiers. Ultimately, the Japanese army was unable to withstand the resistance and began to retreat. After the Japanese 9th Division arrived in Shanghai, it prepared to initiate a second major assault on the defenders of the city. The strategy involved a comprehensive attack stretching from Zhabei to Wusong to contain the Chinese army's strength, with primary forces concentrated on Jiangwan and Miaohang. The goal was to seize these two strategic points, achieve a breakthrough in the center, sever the link between the 5th Army and the 19th Route Army, and then defeat them individually. At dawn on February 20, the Japanese dispatched over ten aircraft for reconnaissance and bombing missions over the Miaohang area. Naval artillery and heavy army cannons heavily shelled the Miaohang positions. Simultaneously, Japanese artillery bombarded the Yunzaobang area in an effort to force a crossing and facilitate the Miaohang offensive.   By 9 am, part of the Japanese forces advanced towards the Xiaochang Temple and the Maijiazhai position, immediately conducting a fire search on our troops' positions. At noon, 3,000 Japanese soldiers launched an attack against our forces. The officers and soldiers of the 527th Regiment, defending the Maijiazhai and Zhuyuandun positions, mounted a counterattack, marking the beginning of the Battle of Miaohang. After three hours of intense fighting, the Japanese suffered significant casualties and were unable to continue, retreating to their original positions. Following this, over 2,000 Japanese troops attacked the Xiaochang Temple and Jinjiatang positions. The officers and soldiers of the 523rd Regiment, taking cover in the trenches, launched counterattacks and successfully repelled the Japanese forces. As dusk fell, the Japanese infantry halted their assaults, but naval and land artillery continued to bombard our positions in an attempt to weaken our defenses and personnel for a renewed attack the following day. On February 21, Japanese artillery relentlessly shelled the positions of the 88th Division of the Fifth Army in Miaohang. Following this, thousands of Japanese infantry launched an assault on the Yanjiazhai and Miaohang Town front. As the Japanese forces advanced, the officers and soldiers of the 523rd and 524th Regiments bravely counterattacked and successfully repelled them. However, a significant number of enemy troops coordinated a comprehensive assault on the Maijiazhai, Zhuyuandun, Xiaochangmiao, and Yanjiazhai lines south of Miaohang. Our 523rd, 524th, and 527th Regiments engaged in intense combat with the enemy, particularly at the Zhuyuandun front near Maijiazhai and Xu Xu, where the fighting was especially fierce. After a day of conflict, the enemy was temporarily pushed back. On February 22, the Japanese 9th Division launched a full-scale attack on the Miaohang position held by the 88th Division of the Fifth Army. Throughout the day, aircraft bombed the Chinese defenders, and thousands of artillery shells were fired at them. However, under the direct command of Zhang Zhizhong, the enemy faced a devastating defeat due to the coordinated three-pronged assault by the Sun Yuanliang Brigade, the Song Xilian Brigade, and the 61st Division of the 19th Route Army. The Miaohang position was ultimately saved from peril, inflicting heavy casualties on the elite forces of the Japanese 9th Division and the Kurume Mixed Brigade. This victory became known as the "Miaohang Victory." In the days that followed, the enemy continued their bombardment and attacks but were consistently repelled by the defenders. The Japanese army suffered significant losses, shifting from an all-out offensive to a more focused approach before ultimately halting their attacks. By the 25th, Ueda's overall offensive strategy had also failed. On February 24, the Japanese army decided to escalate the conflict once more, transferring the 11th and 14th divisions from Japan to join the Shanghai Expeditionary Force, which included troops already engaged in the war. At that time, the flagship of the Japanese Navy's Third Fleet, the Izumo, sustained damage from a bombing raid carried out by the suicide squad of the 19th Route Army, which sent shockwaves through Japan. Additionally, the large troop presence made a quick resolution to the war impossible. Consequently, on the 23rd, the Japanese cabinet decided to promptly reinforce the army. The General Staff then established the Shanghai Expeditionary Army Command, appointing General Shirakawa Yoshinori, the former Minister of War in the Tanaka Cabinet, to replace Ueda. They dispatched the 11th Division (led by Lieutenant General Atsutarou Atsuto), the 14th Division (led by Lieutenant General Naoaki Matsuki), and over 100 aircraft to China to initiate a larger-scale offensive in Shanghai. After several reinforcements, the Japanese forces in Shanghai, under Shirakawa's command, grew to over 90,000 troops, supported by 80 warships and 300 aircraft, significantly enhancing their combat effectiveness. In contrast, the total strength of the Chinese defenders was less than 50,000, with inadequate equipment. After a month of intense fighting, the Chinese forces had suffered heavy losses, leaving their river defenses in the Taicang Liuhe area vulnerable. Learning from the failures of the previous three commanders' frontal assaults, Shirakawa opted to land at Liuhe and flank the Songhu defenders. He directed the 9th Division and other units to launch a direct attack on Songhu and Shanghai while using the 3rd Fleet to escort the 11th Division into the Yangtze River estuary. They executed surprise landings at Liuhekou, Yanglinkou, and Qiyakou, quickly outflanking the defenders. On March 1, the Japanese forces initiated attacks in Naobei, Jiangwan, and Miaohang, employing heavy artillery, field guns, and aircraft for continuous bombardment. The infantry capitalized on this to engage in close-quarters combat, resulting in heavy casualties on both sides. Meanwhile, Shirakawa secretly instructed the 11th Division to exploit the weakness of the Chinese troops in Liuhe, forcibly landing at Qiyakou, Yanglinkou, and Liubinkou, ultimately capturing Liuhe. The fall of Liuhe posed a significant threat to the flank and rear of the Chinese army, compelling the entire force to retreat to the second line of defense (the Jiading-Huangdu line) by the evening of March 1.  After 34 days of intense fighting, they were forced to retreat to their second line of defense. At this point, the war had entered its final phase, resulting in a stalemate between the two sides. On the 2nd, the Japanese army seized Shanghai, and by March 3, they occupied Zhenru and Nanxiang, subsequently announcing a ceasefire. Now while we have been focused on the Japanese and Chinese perspectives in this, the international community was also heavily involved in the background. After the outbreak of hostilities, the British and American consuls in Shanghai offered to mediate. However despite a ceasefire being implemented the hostilities continued. So on February 2nd, Britain, America, France, Italy and Germany sent a notice to China and Japan "proposing to stop the conflict; (1) both sides immediately stop all violent acts according to the following conditions; (2) there will be no mobilization or preparation for any hostile acts between the two countries; (3) the Chinese and Japanese combatants in Shanghai will withdraw from the contact points; (4) a neutral zone will be established to separate the combatants of both sides to protect the public concession. The area will be garrisoned by neutral military and police, and various methods will be formulated by the consular corps; (5) once the two countries accept the treaty, they will not make any demands or reservations in advance, but will quickly negotiate with the assistance of neutral observers or participants in accordance with the spirit of the Kellogg-War Pact and the December 9th League of Nations resolution to resolve all outstanding issues..." Nanjing generally accepted the terms, but Japan instead proposed non-military zones be established 20 miles around the major ports of Shanghai, Hankou, Tianjin, Qingdao and Guangzhou as a sort of counter proposal. Meanwhile at the League of Nations, Yan Huiqing was drawing attention to the Shanghai incident, obviously linking it to the Manchuria incident and advocated for Article 10 of the League of Nations Charter, which was in regards to respecting territorial integrity and political independence of league nations. The League of Nations agreed and organized a committee to investigate the Shanghai incident. On February 4th Chiang Kai-Shek would write in his diary "As long as we do not lose our national sovereignty and territory, and the Japanese invaders do not put forward unacceptable conditions, we can take advantage of the opportunity of British and American intervention to negotiate with them; we cannot take a tough stance when other countries intervene, which will lead to adverse effects." By late February US Secretary of State Henry Stimson warned Japan for the second time, that the Nine Power Treaty and other treaties had to be maintained. Then on the 23rd he sent a letter reiterating the nine-power treaty and Kellogg War Pact to the League of Nations in regards to the Shanghai situation. On the 29th, a four-point plan for mediating the Shanghai incident was adopted at the League of Nations. The objective was to swiftly establish a local ceasefire agreement with the assistance of civil and military officials from various countries present in Shanghai. Following this, a round-table meeting was to be convened with representatives from nations with vested interests in Shanghai to discuss security measures for the International Settlement, the French Concession, and the local residents, as well as to address other issues. Subsequently, representatives from Britain, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, and other nations unanimously supported the plan, with Chinese representative Yan Huiqing and Japanese representative Sato Naotake also indicating their general agreement in principle. However, on March 2, the situation escalated when the Japanese army compelled the Chinese forces to retreat to their second line of defense. The Japanese side adopted a more aggressive stance, presenting four stringent conditions and insisting that the Chinese army withdraw first before halting their attacks. The Japanese forces were only willing to withdraw to the Shanghai and Wusong areas and refused to do so under the supervision of neutral countries, which the Chinese government firmly rejected. On March 3, the Japanese army launched another offensive. On that same day, U.S. Secretary of State Stimson summoned Japanese Ambassador to the United States Idebuchi, condemning Japan for accepting the League of Nations resolution on February 29 while simultaneously escalating military operations. On March 3rd a ceasefire came into effect as a formal meeting was held at the British consulate. The Chinese delegation was led by Guo Taiqi, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, along with military representatives Dai Ji, Huang Qiang, and seven others. The Japanese delegation included Shigemitsu Mamoru, Minister to China, and military representatives Ueda, Tashiro, and nine others. Officials from Britain, the United States, France, and other nations also participated in the meeting. During the negotiations, numerous contentious issues arose, particularly regarding the timing and location of the Japanese army's withdrawal. It would take until May 5th for a armistice agreement to be signed. The agreement designated Shanghai as a demilitarized zone, prohibiting China from stationing troops in the areas around Shanghai, Suzhou, and Kunshan, while permitting a limited number of Japanese units to remain in the city. China was permitted to maintain only a small police force within Shanghai. According to Chinese war reports, a total of 10,254 Japanese soldiers were killed or wounded in the Battle of Shanghai on January 28. According to Japanese data, a total of 3,091 Japanese soldiers were killed or wounded in the invasion of Shanghai: 620 Japanese soldiers were killed and 1,622 were wounded in the army; 149 Japanese soldiers were killed and 700 were wounded in the navy. Another Chinese report, stated the 19th Route Army and the Fifth Army suffered a total of 14,104 casualties 4,274 killed and 9,830 wounded. Among them, the 19th Route Army suffered 8,792 casualties, while the Fifth Army suffered 5,312 casualties. Shanghai residents faced bombardments from Japanese aircraft and artillery, resulting in over 6,080 fatalities, more than 2,000 injuries, 10,400 missing persons, and property losses totaling 1.6 billion yuan. At the onset of the war, the Japanese military intentionally targeted cultural institutions in Shanghai, such as the Commercial Press and the Oriental Library, leading to the total destruction of the Commercial Press, the oldest and largest publishing house in China. The Oriental Library, which housed millions of volumes, including over 100,000 rare ancient texts from the Song and Yuan dynasties and the Sikuquanshu compiled during the Qianlong era of the Qing Dynasty, was first devastated by artillery fire and then looted by Japanese forces. Reports from that time indicated that the Japanese army used trucks to transport the remaining books for seven consecutive days. I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. Thus what became known as the first battle of Shanghai had come to a not so swift end. Was its resolvement a victory for the League of Nations? Or was it just another indicator that the League of Nations was nothing but promises and pieces of paper? One man took notice of the Manchuria and Shanghai incidents, and he would soon bring Europe into a global war.  

Semana extraordinaria de radio que hoy ha tenido su cénit. Cuatro y no tres, los programas de AIRE FRESCO que hemos emitido en esta última semana de Febrero, despidiéndonos por todo lo alto y con previsiones de que marzo sea similar, porque no, incluso mejor. Dos horas de radio que se han visto modificadas a última hora pero que tú, querido oyente, no has notado en absoluto. Con una presentación en la que nuestro director, Leopoldo Bernabeu, ha realizado un somero repaso por los seis temas con los que se ilustra una penosa actualidad político-informativa que a nosotros nos obliga a no alejarnos de la realidad social.A partir de ahí, varias conversaciones, dos de ellas a doble mano, que le han dado un aire novedosos a este fin de semana al que nos enfrentamos con calendarios que varían ante las amenaza de lluvias que modifican planes por toda la comarca. Sin problema, los carnavales los vamos a disfrutar de la misma manera. Si no son al aire libe, serán a cubierto, pero la alegría de la gente ya no hay nadie que la desvirtúe.Fernando garcía del restaurante Bolikki y Fran Burgos de La Fava, han sido los dos restauradores con los que hemos puesto el punto y final a una intensa semana de entrevistas a participantes de Las Jornadas de la Cuchara en Benidorm. Un éxito sin precedentes, tal y como nos ha comentado en directo el presidente de ABRECA, Javier del Castillo, que viene también de hacer un pleno en el día de ayer atendiendo a 80 compañeros de Encuentros Empresariales en La Cava Aragonesa. Escuchar a Fernando y Fran es entender el gran futuro de la gastronomía local y lo bien aposentadas que están las bases de la hostelería en nuestra ciudad. Aún con todos los problemas que les ocasiona este gobierno que tan poco ayuda y tanto presiona, Benidorm saldrá adelante de la mano de profesionales de este nivel.Hemos cambiado el tercio y hemos disfrutado como no lo hacíamos hace tiempo, escuchando a Sergio Rodríguez de Taima Artesanía. Te lo recomiendo y mucho, escúchalo. Hacerlo es entender que se puede trabajar, vivir y disfrutar, haciendo de eso una sola causa. Taima no sólo es una empresa, es un capítulo aparte a la hora de entender muchas cosas que descuidamos en demasía.Y hemos puesto el punto y final con otro tándem espectacular. Javier Jordá, concejal de comercio y deporte y Jordi Bruixola, presidente del Benidorm C.F., nos han visitado para, unidos, defender primero al comercio ofreciendo alternativas e iniciativas, y después el deporte en general y al Benidorm C.F. En particular. Un club que está remontando y que ahora, más que nunca, necesita la ayuda de todos los aficionados locales, sino queremos lamentar que alguien tan potente como su directiva, lamente no haber encontrado ese sustento cuando lo pidió. Este domingo todos al estadio para ver el partido contras el líder. Nos necesitan.

Hello Shaders! Today, Sharonda and Taima speak with Katrina Jackson, romance author, and historian, on the history of Black romance: its past, present, and future. You can find Katrina at the following links below. Katrina and Steve's Podcast: Black Romance Has A History Katrina's Author Website *Follow us on our socials: Instagram and Threads @ Brazenlee Shadee. *Intro/Outro

U.S. figure skater Amber Glenn stops by Studio 1A to chat about her big win at the grand prix final and being the first American woman to take the title in 14 years. Also, Hoda Kotb sits down with Tyler Perry on his new film “The Six Triple Eight.” Plus, NBC's Liz Kreutz gets up close and personal with the Seattle Seahawks live mascot, Taima the hawk.

On Monday, September 2, 2024, Hudson Mohawk Magazine Roaming Labor Correspondent Willie Terry attended the Capital District Michael L. Burns Labor Day Celebration at 275 Grooms Road in Clifton Park, New York. The Labor Day Celebration was an event where they honored and appreciated the dedication and contribution of workers everywhere. In this part three labor segment, Willie spoke with Taima Givens, Steward in Public Employees Federation Local 263, and Gus Santos, NYS Transportation Employee, former PEF Executive Board Member, and now an elective councilman in Guilderland. Willie spoke to them about their views on this Labor Day 2024.

He karanga tēnei ki a Ngāi Taringa, kia areare mai o koutou taringa ki tā tātou puninga o te wiki. Hei tēnei wiki ka whakaoko ki tētahi Paki Kehua nō reira e te iwi kia huri mai rā. This week ‘Hei and Erica check out a Paki Kēhua that reminds us of the power of karanga.

What Did He Have?

When Did He Live?

This week on Taringa, we feature Episode 47 of Paki Kēhua, "Robert and the Tōtara Tree". Our hosts then dive into a conversation around tikanga as it applies to permission for using natural resources. Click here for more episodes of Paki Kēhua. You can also listen on Apple Podcasts, and Spotify

The Novel: Almost PerfectThe Author: E.F. DoddThe Guest: Briana, owner and founder of Wicked WordsThe Synopsis:All he wants for Christmas is her.Dave Richardson's life hasn't turned out the way he thought it would. He never expected to slink back to his hometown of Rochester two years ago and take a bartending job, nor did he expect he'd still be tending said bar. Everyone thought he would achieve great things. Hell, he'd believed he would achieve great things. But when Vivian Walters walked into his bar, wearing that dress, on a random Wednesday night . . . things were looking up for the first time in a long time. And they looked even better when he got her number, even if it was obvious she didn't see things between them lasting beyond her night out on Sunday. If he wanted to keep a woman like her, he'd need to become the man he was supposed to be, and fast.If there was one thing Vivian "V" Walters liked almost as much as designer heels, it was checklists. They'd served her well her entire life- first with college, then med school, landing the perfect internship followed by an even better residency, and, finally, her dream job. So far, her checklist for the perfect man hadn't panned out the same way. But that didn't mean she would lose her ever-loving mind and chuck it all out the window for a hot, sweaty weekend with a bartender . . . right? No matter how good he looked in those worn jeans, or how his blond hair curled just so at the nape of his neck, or the way his deep-brown gaze made her stomach somersault. And even if she gave in to her purely physical attraction to him, it wouldn't be anything other than a fling . . . would it?Show Notes:- The 5th Day of Boobsmas - Ode to advent calendars- Lady Krampus and Krampusnacht (Bremerton)- The Dickens Faire (San Francisco)- Introduction & Synopsis for today's read (00:10:03)- The perfect transition from fall into winter- A very merry millennial Christmas- A long distance grown-up relationship (00:22:55)- A few spicy sexcerpts - lube and phone sex?! (00:25:06)- Fling-to-lovers, but make them fall in love- A holiday romance or a romance with holidays?- A Holiday Romance Drinking Game (00:35:58)- Romance reading "icks"- The 5th Day of Boobsmas jingle courtesy of Cooper BaldwinEight Kinky Nights by Xan WestBig Nick Energy by Morgan ElizabethA Princess in Theory by Alyssa ColeKiss Her Once for Me by Alison Cochrun - Listen to our Boobsmas podcast reviewGetting it on with Gargoyles by Hazel MackA Christmas Cowboy Legend by Linda Broday (this is the one with the creepy, cartoon-like children) - Listen to our Boobsmas podcast reviewNeed a BIPOC holiday romance? We recommend Amanda, from Talk About Swoon and Taima, from Shades n PagesOther News: December 1st marks the start of The 12 Days of Boobsmas. Tune in for new podcast episodes, new giveaways, and more holiday romance recommendations, all month long! Purchase MY holiday novellas, Meet Me in Los Feliz and Venice Actually now!! Follow Boobies & Noobies on Twitter, Instagram, & Facebook @boobiespodcast, on TikTok @realkellyrey, and check out our blog, merch, and more on our brand new Boobies & Noobies website.This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/4851260/advertisement

Wete! Snowy and Erica feature a story from the Paki Kēhua podcast (Ep 44) about someone who breaks Tikanga at an Urupā. Reflecting on the ramifications of disregarding Tikanga and sharing some of their own experiences, our hosts shed light on the importance of keeping to proper practices at such a sacred site. You can listen to the full set of stories on the Paki Kēhua podcast channel here: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or visit the Paki Kēhua homepage - also available on all other third party podcast apps. 

It's story time again! Featuring episode 33 of the Paki Kēhua podcast, 'The Caveman' is a story about four tourists who pay the ultimate price for their disrespect of a Tūpāpaku. Whakarongo mai as our hosts dive into the tikanga surrounding this story. You can listen to the full set of stories on the Paki Kēhua podcast channel here: Apple Spotify  . Paki Kēhua homepage 

There has been a rise of the term soft black romance in the Black reading space of late and yeah, what is it exactly? Taima and Sharonda have thoughts...per usual lols. Is this term another way of talking down on Urban romance and other aspects of Blackness or are the book girlies really trying to come up with another sub genre of romance? Well, we discuss it here.

Paki Kēhua, meaning 'ghost story', is a new podcast channel with a set of stories from the Māori world that will lead you on a journey beyond your known truths. We are joined today by the esteemed Tāwhero Haitana; the creative mind behind the series. Available now on all your favourite streaming platforms. Listen, if you dare! Spotify Apple Podcasts Paki Kēhua Webpage  

TW: This discussion covers displacement through war, and descriptions of death and violence so please be kind to yourself when listening.Next week marks Refugee Week here in the UK, and we're honoured to be joined on Blended by the inspiring Waad Al-Kateab. Waad is a Syrian journalist, filmmaker, and activist. Her documentary, For Sama, was nominated for four BAFTA's, winning Best Documentary, and it was also nominated for Best Documentary Feature at The Oscars.‘For Sama' is a love letter from Waad to her daughter, Sama. The film tells the story of her life through five years of the uprising in Aleppo, Syria as she falls in love, gets married and gives birth to Sama, all while conflict rises around her.Her camera captures incredible stories of loss, laughter and survival, as Waad wrestles with an impossible choice – whether or not to flee the city to protect her daughter's life. Waad has since settled in the UK with her husband Hamza and their young two daughters Sama and Taima.We chat about the resilience being a mum provides you, how war & conflict cause you to build families beyond blood, the impossible scenario of having to leave your newborn child in a different country and starting again in the UK for the safety of your family.Waad is an absolute inspiration, the challenges herself and her family have been through couldn't be tougher, so to come out on the other side and speak with so much strength optimises the Blended story.Check out Waad's incredible film For Sama, as well as her new film We Dare To Dream and please do follow @actionforsamaIf you're excited to be a part of the Blended community, make sure to follow @Blended on Instagram

Tokahaere e i ahatia koe e ngā atua o te pō? E te iwi tahuri mai ki tā tātou puninga o Once Upon a Taima. This week we recreate the story of Tokahaere and it's significance to the people of Raukawa.

INTRODUCTION: Lluvia Peveto, 37, is a native Texan, former journalist and currently a marketing and public relations specialist. She is a senior account manager for a Baton Rouge-based creative agency, where she offers proactive counsel for the agency's client roster. Lluvia has worked extensively in both corporate and nonprofit environments throughout her career, earning hundreds of thousands of dollars in sponsorships, membership commitments, and local and state grants. Her copywriting work has received numerous local awards in Louisiana and Texas garnering international media recognition for her diverse clients.  Lluvia enjoys openly relating her experiences as a bisexual and polyamorous woman, and has practiced polyamory for over three years. She is an advocate for living openly without fear and enjoys expanding her experiences and knowledge of ethical nonmonogamy. In her spare time, she enjoys riding her motorcycle, running, updating her Kindle reads list and connecting with friends.    INCLUDED IN THIS EPISODE (But not limited to): ·      A Glimpse Into The Polyamorous Life·      Open Relationships Vs. Polyamory ·      The Importance Of Alone Time·      The Necessity Of Therapy ·      Hierarchy Vs. Non-Hierarchy ·      Expressing What You Really Want·      Dating App Options·      Coming Out Poly·      Mental Health Cost Cutting Hacks·      Code Switching  CONNECT WITH LLUVIA: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tacobellissimaInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/tacobellissima/?hl=en  LLUVIA'S RECOMMENDATIONS: Recommended Resources:●    https://www.audible.com/pd?asin=1952125081&source_code=ASSORAP0511160006&share_location=pdp●    https://www.audible.com/pd?asin=B09X2828PD&source_code=ASSORAP0511160006&share_location=pdp●    https://www.audible.com/pd?asin=B005P1FP7W&source_code=ASSORAP0511160006&share_location=pdp●    https://www.audible.com/pd?asin=1952125030&source_code=ASSORAP0511160006&share_location=pdp Blogs:●    https://www.polyphilia.blog●    https://youtube.com/@polyamfam●    https://www.chillpolyamory.com/about Social Media:●    https://instagram.com/polyamoryinpractice?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=●    https://instagram.com/polyphiliablog?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=●    https://instagram.com/polyamproud?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=●    https://instagram.com/nonmonogamyhelp?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=●    https://instagram.com/chillpolyamory?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=●    https://instagram.com/remodeledlove?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=●    https://instagram.com/polyamorousblackgirl?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=●    https://instagram.com/polyamfam?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=   CONNECT WITH DE'VANNON: Website: https://www.SexDrugsAndJesus.comWebsite: https://www.DownUnderApparel.comTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sexdrugsandjesusYouTube: https://bit.ly/3daTqCMFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/SexDrugsAndJesus/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sexdrugsandjesuspodcast/Twitter: https://twitter.com/TabooTopixLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/devannonPinterest: https://www.pinterest.es/SexDrugsAndJesus/_saved/Email: DeVannon@SDJPodcast.com   DE'VANNON'S RECOMMENDATIONS: ·      Pray Away Documentary (NETFLIX)o  https://www.netflix.com/title/81040370o  TRAILER: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tk_CqGVfxEs ·      OverviewBible (Jeffrey Kranz)o  https://overviewbible.como  https://www.youtube.com/c/OverviewBible ·      Hillsong: A Megachurch Exposed (Documentary)o  https://press.discoveryplus.com/lifestyle/discovery-announces-key-participants-featured-in-upcoming-expose-of-the-hillsong-church-controversy-hillsong-a-megachurch-exposed/ ·      Leaving Hillsong Podcast With Tanya Levino  https://leavinghillsong.podbean.com  ·      Upwork: https://www.upwork.com·      FreeUp: https://freeup.net VETERAN'S SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS ·      Disabled American Veterans (DAV): https://www.dav.org·      American Legion: https://www.legion.org ·      What The World Needs Now (Dionne Warwick): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfHAs9cdTqg  INTERESTED IN PODCASTING OR BEING A GUEST?: ·      PodMatch is awesome! This application streamlines the process of finding guests for your show and also helps you find shows to be a guest on. The PodMatch Community is a part of this and that is where you can ask questions and get help from an entire network of people so that you save both money and time on your podcasting journey.https://podmatch.com/signup/devannon  TRANSCRIPT: Lluvia Polyamory[00:00:00]You're listening to the sex drugs and Jesus podcast, where we discuss whatever the fuck we want to! And yes, we can put sex and drugs and Jesus all in the same bed and still be all right at the end of the day. My name is De'Vannon and I'll be interviewing guests from every corner of this world as we dig into topics that are too risqué for the morning show, as we strive to help you understand what's really going on in your life.There is nothing off the table and we've got a lot to talk about. So let's dive right into this episode.De'Vannon: Hello, all my children out there. Hope everyone is feeling super fabulous as we get ready to get into yet another episode. Today I'm talking with a dear friend of mine who I've known for years and years and years. Her name is Lluvia Peveto, and she is someone who is all about that polyamorous life, y'all. She has lived it. She has learned from it. She has grown from it, and she is here to share [00:01:00] some of her delicious delectable tips with you, baby. Now in this episode, we're gonna be talking about everything polyamory. We're gonna talk about polyamory versus open relationships and being ahoe.Yes, darling. They're not the same. Take a listen to this episode and please share it with somebody who could use a little bit of love. Hello, are you wonderful souls out there? And welcome to the Sex drugs in Jesus podcast. I'm your host Devana and I am here with my homegirl, the lovely and talented Ms. Uzel, also known as TacoHello. Hello. Now, don't usually read from people's bios and stuff like that. I usually have some slick ass shit to say or whatever the case may be, but your bio is so well written. [00:02:00] I'm actually going to read just like a, a snip letter or two of it since you did such a damn good job on it. Now this bitch here is 37 very young years.I know she looks 12. I carded. And everything to be sure that she was of age on this show, she is stuck in time in the best way. She is a native Texan, a former journalist, and currently a marketing and public relations specialist. Apart from all this, she enjoys openly relating her experiences as a bisexual and polyamorous woman and she has practiced polyamory for over three years.How are you doing today? Lluvia: I'm doing lovely. Thank you so much for inviting me on your show. I'm excited. De'Vannon: Hell fucks. Yeah. So how did this all come about? So, you know, I've been going through relationship changes and, and shit like that, and I was trolling TikTok the other week and I saw U on there giving this whole like read on polyamory and she was [00:03:00] like, you know what, not everybody's poly.And she was just trying to like conceptualize this and so, According to Healthline, about 45% of the US population is poly. And I was taken with your passion about it, and as I have been considering this lifestyle, and so I wanted to bring you on so we can have a conversation about polyamory, not necessarily from some like high level coach in the, in the, in the lifestyle, but just somebody who's going through it.And so how, how do you feel like being poly has benefited you? Lluvia: Well I feel like it's a long story because when I first started out being poly, I think I was kind of [00:04:00] in my hope phase, as we all do when we get out of long-term relationships. And you think. There's a lot more efficiency, and I just wanna see what there is out there for me.And I think I, at the, at that point in time was I was a little disillusioned with long-term monogamous relationships because I had previously been married and almost all of the relationships that I had were long-term, so lasting more than three years. So I think I went into it. I think, well, at first I didn't know what polyamory was.I, I knew what open was. I had never heard of ethical non monogamy at that point in time. I had engaged in previously open relationships, but they weren't very, they weren't born out of a place of education [00:05:00] for that kind of lifestyle. , it was just like, Hey, let's just be open. So I wasn't really familiar with it.And at the time I thought, well, it's better to be single and just date around and do whatever I want and not have to answer to anybody, and I'll focus on my friends and family and career. And then I met my nesting partner who kind of introduced me to the idea. And so from that point in time, I was like, well, you know, I am gonna educate myself about what this is and see if it's right for me before I make any decisions about whether or not this is something that I want to pursue.I think we all kind of fall into monogamy kind of naturally because it's a, it's, you know, something that [00:06:00] is very normal within our culture. . And to me,I was a little scared about it. I didn't know what polyamory meant or how it would affect me or, you know, who was involved. Is it just like cheating? You know? Is it, is it just like one big Sodom and Gamora? Because I was raised like in a, in a very like, religious background, so I didn't want to necessarily do Sodom and Gamora 24 7.I did, I was intrigued by some of the more physicality and the openness that you were able to do without like punishment, I guess. So I guess the, the first to answer your question very, like succinctly I liked it because there was a lot more to offer. I wasn't [00:07:00] restricted. necessarily from anything.It was a lot more open. On the journey to polyamory. I found out that there's a lot more involved than just sleeping with people. You have to think about the ethics and what are your boundaries and what past trauma will affect your life. And I think what I came away with over the three years of time that I've been polyamorous is how to truly communicate, how to express myself, how to identify what I need personally first and then be able to express it, right?How to face conflict how important therapy is, and how important it is to spend alone time. in addition to the, all of the other regular benefits that you get from it. So like hanging out with a lot of people, getting a [00:08:00] lot of emotional support and being able to, you know, just rely on people and have a bigger family than you originally thought you could.So all of those are benefits, but they come with responsibilities as well. De'Vannon: And with great power comes great responsibility. Little spider girl andSo you, you said nesting partner. What's the nesting partner? Lluvia: So in polyamory there's the certain structures and certain terminologies in which you can describe your relationships to other people. It's always good to really detail out what those definitions mean to you because they may not mean the same thing to other people.So even if you hear me say definitions like nesting partner. , it's, even if somebody else talks to you about it, you should always say, well, what does nesting partner mean to you? Because again, we all have [00:09:00] our own perceptions of terminologies. But in my case, my nesting partner is my long-term partner that I live with.So usually when somebody says nesting partner, they mean somebody that they live with. In some cases, some people can use nesting partner to mean main partner, but I practice non hierarchy which means that everybody is equal to me and everybody's needs are the same and legitimate. De'Vannon: Hmm. Non hierarchy.I I've never heard that, but I like it. You like all y'all the same. When I was a drug dealer, one of my fellow drug dealers, this cute little blonde boy in, in my memoir that I sent you, I referred him as golden boy in there and I believe in the book, his name is Hawkin. And so but in real life, this dude had like five different females that he was fucking, I don't believe they were [00:10:00] allowed to fucking anybody else, that he had them ranked number, like one through five, and number one had authority over two through four.So like, if number two through four came in with, I don't know, some fucking badass, you know, glasses on some frames or whatever, the number one, it just goes to natural fucking. Pr us off of her face. And then that would be thatLluvia: Yeah, that in my, in my structure would be described as toxic and also patriarchal. I would say. Of course, everybody has their own definitions of what works for them and what doesn't work for them. So there's a lot of actual couples who still practice hierarchy because, for instance if you live together, you're gonna have more privileges than, or take advantage of more privileges, for [00:11:00]instance, than somebody who's in solo poly, which means that they live by themselves or they practice polyamory more individual.So like if somebody who practices poly more individually doesn't have a partner and they live alone or something, they're not gonna get the benefits as some, as much of a couple living together and sharing responsibility. So there's still an innate sense of privilege that we all have when they're, when we're in relationships with somebody.Like somebody might spend more time with another partner because they live close by to you or, so there's still privilege, right? But the hierarchy means like, for instance, if I have two partners and I live with one, if they have a birthday party or if we have funds, time to tied together, like I'm gonna have to make decisions based on, you know, what the household need is or [00:12:00] something because I live with them if I don't live with another partner.and I'm trying to make sure that I prioritize them and that they're not in a hierarchal not affected by a hierarchy negatively. We have discussions about, you know, what is important to you? When do you want me to show up for things? Do you want me to show up for things? And make sure to put them first emotionally as well.So like, you're, you're not, you're trying to make sure that everybody has their needs met as much as they can. I would say. De'Vannon: And at the center of that, it's something that you mentioned earlier where you're saying like, you have to learn who, identify what you want and then be able to express what you want.One of the great sayings from within the spiritual circles is, who am I and what do I want, you know, that we must ask ourselves in order for this to work. Everybody's gotta [00:13:00] be clear on who the fuck they are. And what the fuck they want, because nobody should be having to play a guessing game. Like it's not going to work.But from my experience is I have asked many adults this sort of question, you know, in the course of, you know, my life. And more often than not, people cannot tell me exactly what they believe in who they are and what they want, you know? So did you find it was difficult to to either come to this point yourself, where you can clearly know yourself enough to know who you are and be able to express it?Have you had struggles getting this from people? Lluvia: Yes. It is all very hard. I'm not gonna lie. This lifestyle requires a lot of knowing yourself facing the darker sides of you and being honest about, you know, I don't know how to do this right now. And, but I'm still gonna [00:14:00] try. I've found that a lot of people, well, well, let's just talk about me first.I have found personally that it's very difficult to identify feelings and the root causes of feelings. So for instance, one of the main things that people ask me as a polyamorous person is, oh my gosh, I could never do that. Like, how don't, why don't you get jealous? And, yeah. You know, here's the thing.You are gonna get jealous and you are gonna get jealous sometimes. Just the same way that you get jealous as a monogamous person, because you're, you, you can't cut feelings out. You're, you're still a human being. You're surly to express your feelings or feel them. But when I experienced feelings of jealousy, I have to ask myself, where does this come from?Why am I jealous? , am I jealous because I feel [00:15:00] like I am not getting the same thing that somebody else is getting? Am I jealous because I think my partner is gonna leave me? Am I jealous because I want something, but I don't know how to express it? Do I have a boundary that I that I haven't expressed that I feel resentful even though I haven't towards my partner, even though I haven't expressed it?So I think you have to like really work through your feelings and identify why do I feel the way I feel? You can't just say, I just feel this way, which of course, you know, you will, you will just feel a certain way. But yeah, I feel like, I feel like that's been one of the major breakthroughs in polyamory is like really knowing yourself because you think you know yourself and then you get into something like this, which is a more complex.Relationship structure and then you're just blown away. [00:16:00] But how much you continue to learn about yourself and other people. De'Vannon: Right. And you mentioned also how this is different from like, just like being a hoe because some people might, I wanna dwell on that for a moment. And they're, look, we not here to shame honey.No, no, no. Out on a road more dick in this lifetime than what is what, what really one individual should be allowed to, you know, it's a good thing. My booty hole always goes back to being as taught as ever. And you know, then I go for my yearly AAL rejuvenation surgery anyway. And so , so. So I want, so I want you to talk about this because , you know, cause I, I had a partner in my life at one point who thought that anything that he did was sex positive.It didn't matter how many different people he slept with or whatever the case may be. As long as it wasn't rape then it was sex positive. And I just wanna, [00:17:00] you know, I want you to talk about what sex positivity is to you. And I want you to get a little bit more granular with the concept of just going on Grindr, whatever app the fuck around.Like that doesn't make you poly. You know, poly involves like giving a fuck about the people you're dealingLluvia: Yes. That is very, yes. Okay. So here's the thing.I feel like most people, unless you're asexual or have a low sex drive, at some point in time are gonna want to express themselves physically in a consistent way like we all, and that is to say that at some point in time we've all been hod or we continue to be hod. You know, I I find [00:18:00] that personally myself, like I, I go through cycles. For me, the reason why I went into Poly is not because I wanted to sleep around with a lot of people, cuz I could already do that without becoming poly. The idea that you are capable of vast amounts of love and are able to share that with people in different kinds of ways and they can share with you, and it doesn't have to all be the same like you are.Capable of designing your own relationships and meeting different needs with different people. One of the concepts that I really thought about in becoming poly wasthe idea that, can someone really give you everything that you need as one individual? So [00:19:00]like, let's say if you had your significant other, can they give you everything? Like, is that possible? And then you think about it and you think someone can't be everything to you. Like, this is why we have friends.This is why we have mentors. This is why we have, you know family. All of these people are important to us in different kinds of way, and they meet different needs. I believe that some people are naturally monogamous. , and I'm not trying to evangelize and trying to convert people over to the way of being poly cuz it's a lifestyle.It takes commitment, it takes responsibility. And so like, I wouldn't recommend this lifestyle to everybody. I personally enjoy it and I think a lot more people would, because I think a lot of people are not naturally monogamous. They just [00:20:00] don't know what options are available to them. But but yeah, like I, I think it's, I think polyamory is the ability to love multiple people and to be fed in different ways.And that doesn't mean necessarily sex. So there's a lot of asexual people and people who have significant relationships or emotional relationships with others that never delve into sex. Like for some people, Being in a polyamorous relationship means that you might live with one partner, you might sleep with another, and they don't provide you emotional support.They just provide you with physical support, right? Like cuddling or sex or whatever. And then there's, there might be somebody that you have a relationship with that's very emotionally significant where y'all don't ever sleep together. Like all of those [00:21:00] possibilities exist within the realm of poly and you don't.The beautiful thing is, is that all of those relationships don't have to look the same way. So you are able to have as many relationships as you want, as it you could properly care for and make your own needs up as long as that other person is being fed responsibly as well De'Vannon: too. Holy shit sticks, Batman.I never would've thought about . I never would've thought about that. You know, the whole, like, gosh, it's like, you know, just like an emotional relationship with somebody doesn't have anything physical to do with it. Wow.Lluvia: And you don't even have to spend, there's some people that like a lot of alone time. So your traditional relationships usually have you living with somebody spending a lot of time with them. But there are partners within polyamory that are called, [00:22:00] for instance, comment partners. And those are partners that aren't with you all the time.You may only see them what, maybe like twice a year, year, once a year. And that yet they're very, very significant, a very significant relationship in your life. And that can still be a partner. They're just not the traditional partner. So I think. Breaking. The first thing you have to do is break any ideas of what a relationship is supposed to look like and think what do, who am I and what do I actually need?And is there somebody who wants to meet that need? And how can we make this work forDe'Vannon: now this, now this comment partner who you might only see once or twice a year. Are you physically see them once or twice a year? Are you in communicating with them over you know, in some way being by phone or whatever, or Lluvia: [00:23:00] if you want to, cuz you're the one making the relationship. I actually have never had a comment partner, but it's it's not within with, it's not outside of the realm of possibility, right?It's still just like, who are you at this point in time and what do you need? And then everything else kind of falls into place. I. Reconstructing my ideas about re relationships look like and what I want has continuously evolved over my experience with Poly De'Vannon: Well Spoken now within the Poly community.You, you you say you consider yourself to be more of a connector rather than a coach, and I think the connector sounds like a badass movie, , you know, maybe the follow up to Columbiana or some shit like that. I'm still waiting for him to give us that, cuz that movie was totally kick ass and you [00:24:00] could have totally played Columbiana.And so, and so tell people what, you know, just about the existence of coaches in, in, in the poly world and what they could provide. Lluvia: So when I first started out, I didn't know anything. you know, as you do, and I went online and tried to find a lot of people that were very experienced in Poly that had blogs and that wrote books.And so I started following them and they provided there's a lot of information out there, just so you know as an aside, and you should always be careful and do your own reading yourself to compare what you know and which you are aligned with, with whoever you're following. Right? But I found several people, like there's an account on TikTok that's called Chill Polyamory, and they're also [00:25:00] on Instagram too.So like I follow them, they have a blog and everything, so I make sure to follow 'em because they have really good advice for people who follow non non-hierarchical poly and who are also within the kink community, which I think. , you'll often find that there's a lot of like other different like sub-communities linked to polyamory.Because a lot of alternative people like alternative rel relationships. And so you'll often find kink and sci-fi people and gamer people and d and d people, like all wrapped up within this major like polyamorous De'Vannon: ecosystem. Ooh, that sounds so hot and yummy. Or, you know, I love me, so love me a good nerd, baby.Yes. . Lluvia: I mean, you'll find them there if there's anything. I know it's that [00:26:00] I've found more people who are like me, who are like, I'll, I'll like swipe on them on Tinder and I'll be like, Hey, what's up? I love your shirt. I'm a big, you know star Trek person myself, and they'll be like, original. Or first genAnd then we'll get into, we'll get into talks about Star Trek and stuff and debate about which season was the best. And like that's how, that's one of the really good things that I love about polyamory is cuz when you date too, that person might not be from you. You might not sleep with them like once you swipe on them.But the great thing is about polyamory is that you're not just like, okay, next if, if you vibe with somebody but they're not for you, you oftentimes will stay friends. I've made more friends off of dating apps than I've actually made lovers because we just have a lot of the shit, same shared interests.[00:27:00]De'Vannon: See, and we're, and we're, this is a great segue into the apps and exactly how somebody can immerse themselves into finding poly people if they want to do this lifestyle. So, so what you say in home Girl is that the poly mindset isn't quite as deterministic as say, like the grinder mindset because, you know, you know, people go on Grindr and act like that.Just the fuck. And if, if you and I fucking, then they swipe and get the hell out, nobody leave a damn vote. Anything about you. and so, so, so, so let's talk to people who, who might be hearing what you're saying and like, Ooh, that monogamy shit didn't work. I can't keep my dick in my pants anyway. Maybe there's a way that I can actually have all the sex that I want and still be a respectable human being.Don't have to resort the cheating, chicon, lies, scandals, deception, none of those things. You can have all the ass you want and do it in such a way that you're not hurting people's [00:28:00] feelings. . So so I know one of the apps is Fe Life. Another one is field, F e e l B. So I know if you live in a huge ass city like Los Angeles and Miami or something like that in New York, cause it'll be easier to find groups.You got people who are gonna hear this, who live in, but fuck Egypt out in the damn country and shit like that. And so the apps really come in handy. . And so talk to us about, you know, the apps and, you know, they're a good way to start. Yeah. Lluvia: I, I actually do most of my looking for relationships on apps.I wouldn't be opposed to in-person stuff, but it's just so hard. Like, how do you walk up to somebody and say, hi, I think you're cute also, I'm bisexual and polyamorous, you wanna go out with me? And then they're like, whoa, whoa, whoa. What does that mean? Even mean it's so weird. Like, so I can't, it's, you know [00:29:00] it's easier to do it on the apps.So I get on I'm most, I'm on all of the apps all of the time. I usually have my dating cycles where I get off of the apps. If I, if my energy is low and then I get on the apps again. So I'll just call it my dating cycles. But I'll be on Tinder, Bumble hinge Field. And there is like her I don't really use some as much as I use the others, like, cuz I find that some app formats are just easier to stay in the know or up to date with [00:30:00] versus I feel like some layouts are just not as easy as others.So like, for instance, her, I don't really get on that as much because I just don't like the layout as much. Like, I don't like the way that the app structure exists. I do like Tinder because it's very easy. But what I don't like about it is that it's a lot of people looking for unicorns. Which, you know, I'm bisexual, but that doesn't mean that I'm gonna be a unit unicorn.So I like, I do like Tinder because of its ease of use. I like Bumble because it's very female and friendly oriented. So like, there's not gonna be somebody acting off, Hey babes wanna get laid tonight. Like, I, you know, maybe I do wanna get laid, but I don't wanna get laid like that. So yeah, I'm more of a slow burn kind of [00:31:00] person now, or at least in the cycle of my life.So yeah, so I like Bumble cause it's very sweet. Hinge every now and then let's see, field, I am on field consistently. . Because I find that it's easier to find like-minded people upfront because it'll let you put your options out, like interested in, and then you can put whatever you can put, like friends picking flowers, B D S M, beating somebody mercilessly over a cupcake.You can know, you can, you put whatever your, whatever your likes and dislikes are. And a lot of people are very open about it. A lot of people put like, you know, I'm interested in I'm a rope bunny and I do this and I'm looking for couples, or I'm looking for only an individual person. So it allows a lot of like [00:32:00] tailoring and getting your message very clear about what you need and what you don't need as opposed to tender, right, where you just put like a small bio and maybe link your Instagram.So that's the difference is. , you know, you're able to really be very detailed about what you're looking for or what kind of physical exchange you're, you're looking for, which,because sometimes people are looking more for somebody to sleep with, and let's say you're in poly, but you want more of a person who meets to your physical needs, you're able to write that up right away. And then you're able to link with your partner's profile if you have a partner. So then the other person can like see who your partner is and check y'all out and just kinda like be very, it's very transparent, which is really good for people who practice poly.De'Vannon: I like how you said you take the apps and cycles. One of my [00:33:00] great frustrations with people in this day and time is that they're on their goddamn phones everywhere They go all the fucking time and they won't put the fuckers down. And then these apps have a way of like draining your energy and just pulling you in because you're always wondering who hit you up and who's, who's next, the next message.And then, then you get this twisted sense of validation coming from the fact that people are contacting you on there. And it's not really true love or anything, it's just potential. And so I like the fact that you, you go at it hard, but then you know how to turn the shit off when it's getting to be too much and it's becoming toxic.And I'm happy that you identify that, that go, that does come a point in time where you need to chill with the shed . So do you have any advice that people can put in terms of how they, any information they can put in their profiles to help them? Lluvia: Yeah, I would say. To be very transparent and [00:34:00] open and honest about who you are and what you're looking for.So, like in my bio on apps where it's not so usual to see polyamorous people, I'll put my name and so people can look me up because I want them to know that I'm not just some weird person who's gonna like hit their head over in an alley and leave them there for dead. Like, it's nice to know that you exist online and that people can trust you to a certain extent.So I put my name, I put that what I'm looking for, so like, Hey, this is Uve and I like to read books and I like to, you know, garden and ride my motorcycle, blah, blah, blah. I'm looking for somebody who. would like to hang out and go to the [00:35:00] farmer's market or, you know, hold hands or something like that.And I'll put that I practice non-hierarchical poly, that I'm open about my poly status. Cause I think that's important. Like, I've dated people who are both open and not open about being poly. And I think that that is I think a key point in your poly journey. You might not wanna come out right away.And I, I understand why like I myself didn't come out right away to family or friends. But then I did it kind of like little by little. Like I came out first to my siblings and then I came out first to my friends, and then I came out to my. Work. And then I came out to my parents directly because even though it was all on social media and stuff, they don't pay [00:36:00] attention.So like I came out in doses as being polyamorous until I was out completely like public. And surprisingly everybody was super supportive. People within the business community, a lot of friends, people, church people sometimes from Facebook, like people are very open and they're curious and not everybody's out to like get you and not everything is gonna hurt you.And I think we're all brought up to fear a lot and to fear being different. And I think that one of the main things that I took away is that it's okay to be yourself and it's okay to be open. It might just take a little bit of time to get there. So I think putting whether or not you're open practicing poly, I think is an important thing.[00:37:00]I don't know. I don't know how explicit people would wanna get about that. I think that's a personal choice. So I'm not gonna say, I think that that's something like they should talk, they should decide for themselves and talk about with their therapists about whether or not they wanna discuss that with people.But for me it just helps a lot to be, to say, I am open about poly. I'm not ashamed to show you to my friends. I'm not afraid to be seen out in public with you because I think that's important. I put that I have a nesting partner. I put how long I've been together with them, and I put what I'm expecting from a relationship.Like I wanna be in an actual loving relationship with somebody. And I would like. To share time, like time is one of the ways that I like to express myself.Hmm. De'Vannon: This is all sounded so great. [00:38:00] I'm curious, have you had any sort of like negative experience maybe someone you had to dismiss, cut ties with or anything like that? Lluvia: Yes. It is very complicated. Everything is not gonna be easy. You're, the more people you love, the more you expose yourself to heartache.I will say that because you're dealing with people and emotions and different needs, it's just the same as a monogamous relationship where you work through challenges together. And whether or not you want to do that, you know, is, is the key. I have broken up with two women in the past. within polyamory while I have my nesting partner.And it was hard, you know, I love them and [00:39:00] it, we just, just like anything else is like, if you're not right for somebody, even if you can sleep within it, and even if you do meet some of their needs, sometimes somebody just isn't right for you. And sometimes if they pass your boundaries and they have different boundaries and they don't want to change for that, or you don't wanna change, then you're not right for each other.Like even if, even if you, even if you can, not all things are beneficial to you. So I think that that was an interesting learning point for me is like, is this person, even if I can sleep with them, even if I do have fun, am I supposed to be with them? Even if this is. Something that's open to me, or is this negative to, is this negative to my life in some way?And I think just like everything else is, like if something is negative to you in your life and it consistently is negative, then you shouldn't have it in your life. [00:40:00] Like, however, if they're just like every other relationship, some benefits and some cons, are you willing to work through those cons? And is that person willing to work through your cons?And then it's just like a, a happy relationship where you continuously give and take, give and take in a, in a positive way. , De'Vannon: let me reiterate. UVI mentioned the, the T word therapist a couple of times there. We do encourage you all to get you some type of mental health tele, p v, you, single poly, a ho, whatever the fuck you might be, because, you know, sometimes we have traumas and we think we've dealt with 'em and we haven't really dealt with 'em, and we find ourselves reacting and overreacting or underreacting, you know, the people that we are in relationships with.You need somebody who's trained in the mind field, okay, to help you. Hypnotherapy neurolinguistic pro [00:41:00] programming, n o p, whatever. There's all kinds of things out there now, but you need to, you need help to search through yourself to be sure that you're your best possible self. Anything you care to say about therapists in particular Lluvia: therapists are lifesavers.Do not think that. . Oh my problems aren't big enough for therapy cuz I promised you they are . I think therapy is one of the best things that I've ever done for myself. And even if it seems like a lot of money sometimes I think it's an investment that's well worth having because you have somebody who's trained to help you and trained to support you as opposed to, you know, people in your life who might be giving you bad advice cause they might be enabling you or you might be in bar wrong, you know?So I think it's always important to have an unbiased viewpoint who is there to equip you with the resources that you De'Vannon: need. , [00:42:00] right. And so I'm not a fan of like venting for instance, you know, in my previous relationship, you know, you know, my boyfriend, he liked to go and vent to his friends and I would be like, but they can't give you no damn relationship advice.They don't have relationships of their own or anything like that. Well, I think, I think he just wanted to kind of like be heard. And I was like, well that's cute, but that doesn't solve the problem and that didn't help you. You know, any sort of like practical way to evolve to just keep talking about it.But to me that was just a transfer of negative energy from one person to another with a no resolution. So I'm not a big fan of venting. And I was also gonna say, you mentioned the cost. We can get creative with that. You know, we found down at Louisiana State University, the grad students working on their psych degrees, we were able to go be seen for couples therapy there and it was like 10 or 15 bucks each session.Absolutely. The hypnotherapy class school that I went to [00:43:00] out in California, the Hypnosis MO Motivation Institute, they have an intern program and you can see the interns for a fraction of the cost, you know, or for however much or less it is, as opposed to seeing a regular therapist. So I would look into the intern programs at different schools and things like that and see if they run a clinic or something like that.And I found the therapy to be just as good, if not better, coming from the grad students at lsu. Right. Lluvia: I think it's important to know what all of the resources are and get in touch with somebody. I don't think you should rule out. any type of service that would benefit you or your friends or your family.De'Vannon: And now we gotta get humble enough people to understand that there is no shame in going to see a mental health therapist. In the black community, and especially here in the south, there's a lot of stigma surrounding mental health services. You're not weak, you are more weak trying to [00:44:00] act like that you are more powerful than what you are as opposed to owning up to your humanity.And weaknesses. Your true weakness is, is is the delusion of strength that you don't really possess. Right. Lluvia: I think I think within minority families there's always a sense of shame or very commonly a sense of shame associated with mental health. I remember the first time that I told my parents that I was seeing a therapist consistently and taking medication.because I was, had genetic depression and generalized anxiety. And I remember saying like, this is something that is cyclical that affects my life significant significantly at certain periods of time to where I'm high functioning. But [00:45:00] there's gonna be certain peers in my life where, you know, I might not be able to get out of bed or I might not be able to go to work or, and I've learned how to combat that because of therapy.And I've learned how to regulate self-regulate my emotions when I am having a hard time. And I think I used to lean too much on people sometimes that were not equipped with that. Like I used to lean on my friends, which is great to lean on your friends, which is great. It's fine to vent. but not to the point where you like need physical help from a professional that they can't supply.Right. So I think that that was a significant moment in my life and I remember my telling my parents that and the first time they heard it, cause I was fairly young, I was, I think I was still in college at the time. The first time they heard it, they were like, why do you need to go to therapy for? [00:46:00]And cuz they had never gone to therapy and they just were like pick yourself up by your bootstraps kind of people.And I was like, because I have genetic depression and generalized anxiety and sometimes I can't function. And they said, that's just ridic, that's all in your head. And I'm like, exactly. , that's De'Vannon: all. Cause it's Lluvia: genetic. And then they started seeing how well I was responding to therapy. and like evading.I used to fight with them a lot and some of that just like got into being able to resolve the f some of the family issues. Cause you know, we all have a lot of them resolved some of the family issues that had caused our fighting and once they saw the benefits of me being less reactionary and being [00:47:00]proactive about mending some aspects of our relationship, they were like, that therapy is working out for you.And I'm like, yeah guys. Yeah, it's, I'm glad y'all noticed. De'Vannon: Cool. Hell yeah. Well, I'm having, you're able to find a sense of peace and resolution within your family. I look at my mental health therapist. I have a hypnotherapist, I have a licensed clinical social worker, you know, and I just, okay. I have a bitch who does my nails, have a bitch who does my facials on crying, and I have a bitch who helps me with the psychia.It is just another one of my luxurious treatments that I'm pampering myself with. The way I see it, it is just, you know, you got a gardener, a cook, a therapist, honey, they're all people who come to give you a personal service. So I just think it's luxe. Absolutely. So you mentioned a word in our pre-talk that you were talking about and you called it code switching and, and we were talking , and I thought it was just the coolest fucking you know coining of the terms.And [00:48:00] I want you to talk to us about what code switching means to you and how it's beneficial in this situation. Ah.Lluvia: I, I I'm a person who travels in a lot of different circles. So right now we're discussing like my more alternative side, right? We're discussing like polyamory and alts and kink and stuff like that, which is a side of my life, like a part of my life. Then we have business, right? I, I'm a very front facing person.Like I work with a lot of clients, I work with teams. I'm in a leadership role. Like this is something that is very important to me as well. [00:49:00] There are people who. identify themselves a certain way, but I feel like I'm more of a chameleon. Like I like to travel in a lot of different circles and I like to engage with a lot of different people.And I like to express myself physically in different ways. So like, that means like dressing like a goth one day, dressing like a Barbie doll, the other dressing like a, a, you know, ice cold business queen. Like, I can, I can do that. And that's what I like, I like to do that. And that doesn't mean that everybody has to do that.It's just who I am. So one of the things that I do is I called it, call it code switching because I was brought up in a very poor way. Like we were poor. We didn't, sometimes we didn't have a lot to eat. We [00:50:00] were in an old house that was like infested and stuff like that. Like I remember like hearing rats, chewing at wallpaper when I was little in inside the walls of the house.Like I, so I know what it is to grow up and be poor, but I also know what it is to grow up and be an adult and be a leader and have money. So like I go between, I know what life is like in not having enough to eat and stuff like that. So like, this is what I call code switching. Sometimes it's like, on one hand I used to be poor and now I am comfortable on one hand I am Hispanic.On the other, I can travel within any circles, which is like white, black, Hispanic, min, other minority [00:51:00] cultures. Like I can travel within those and feel comfortable. I can. Be within the business world or I can be, you know, cutting up at a party. Like I can, I can be anyone and I can be anything and I'm very comfortable that way.So whenever you're in different social circles, you tend to code switch as to whatever the language there or appearance there will be best understood by the people that are within that social circle. So for instance, if I am in a meeting, I'm like gonna be like, what's up bitch? You look great. I love that.Look at, look girl, I love those shoes on. You really are fucking shoes girl. Yeah, absolutely. You are. You are working it, you are a dime. Like I'm not gonna go up in a meeting and say that to somebody, but I will say that to one of my best friends. . [00:52:00] If we're at a party, I'd be like, you are so hot. Punch me in the face right now.Like, I can be like that to her and nobody's gonna think anything. So like the way you engage with people, the way you present yourself differently amongst different social groups is often co called code switching. So I feel like I do that a lot too, because I enjoy being an educator and I enjoy having other people see me in a way that they can understand me.So like even if I present as alt sometimes, there's always an aspect of myself that is going to be safe, that is gonna feel safe to other people or other social. De'Vannon: And see, I never had enough class to act right at the meeting at work. That's why I had to stop trying to work for other people cuz I was the fool up in the board meeting.So I was like, oh bitch, nice tits. And whatever the case, I had no class, no demeanor and you know, so [00:53:00] I always got in trouble, whatever job I ever had. So I just stopped fucking working for people cuz I wasn't trying to tone it down. The sed, the sedentary over here only knew one way and that was turned all the way to, of course Lluvia: you are Sam, of courseBut like, here's the thing. Not everybody should do that. Not everybody needs to do that. I think the beauty of people is that they are, are who they are. You know, like I, one of the favorite things that I like to describe, like, I was trying to describe my si you two, my sister and I was like, well what is this Devana like?And I was like, listen, hilarious, spontaneous. The life of the party, like generous to a fault. Like these are all things that describe, that, describe him and I, you know, I'll, I describe people differently. It's just, it's, it's who you are. It's who people should love you De'Vannon: for. [00:54:00] Right. Well, thank you for those kind words.And I just wanna add that you can code switch and shift in as it, as it was explained to me by my mentor growing up. It's adjusting. You know, as you go out into the world now, you're doing this changing, but you're not being fake. You're not betraying who you are. It's understanding that when you go out into the world, it is your responsibility to make the world understand you.It is not the world's responsibility to just get on your level. You know, if you want people's attention, you want them to take you seriously. You have got to learn to read the, read the dynamics in the room. Read the culture in the room, read the energy in the room, and still be yourself and be true to yourself.But express yourself in the way that group A is gonna understand you. And group B is gonna understand you in group C all the way through Z and back around again. And just tweak yourself a little bit and not feel like, you know, not feel [00:55:00] like that that's a bad thing, that you gotta change a little bit when you're in front of different people, but figure out how to do that without abandoning who you are.Right? So I say this to like the introverted people out there, cuz this was an issue I had with my previous boyfriend, super introverted. And you know, he found trouble expressing himself in different situations or to me, you know? And I was like, well, you know, you gotta learn how to, you know, how to still be you, but be a little bit different and not be mad about it and embrace the diversity.And in the poly world, you know, you're gonna be dealing with a lot of different people and you're gonna have to be able to code switch and you know, , I would take it as a challenge. You know, if I was an introverted person, this is a way for you to grow and to get out there and to work on those people skills.Now on the time management side of it, what I was curious about spiritually speaking, and I know that people have varying degrees of spirituality. How do you find time to be poly and give all this attention to these people and [00:56:00] still spend, spend time with your higher power? Lluvia: That is a very good question.I have not always been very good at balancing that. But I am spiritual. I am still religious, so I am a Christian and I follow Buddhist philosophies. I also like to, I know this sounds like an oxymoron, but I also practice witchcraft and so I try to find time. To connect with all of this, like I try to find time to meditate.I try to find maybe like 10, 15 minutes to read a little bit to keep up my understanding of different philosophies and scriptures and stuff like that. I find that it is [00:57:00] very important to be true to myself and what I am drawn to and be outside more because everything that I do is connected to the internet.And so, like sometimes I get overloaded with electronic devices, even though I really don't wanna be on my phone. Sometimes I'll still be on my phone because it's an a. . So sometimes I have to break away from that. Sometimes I'm gonna say like, ah, throw the phone down. It's, it's over. I'm not doing this anymore.I'm going outside. I think you make time. I have a coach who coached me with marathon training and he said, and I was complaining about, I don't know, running five miles every morning. I was like, I don't have time to do this. And he said, you make time for the things you love or the things you wanna do.[00:58:00]And if you're not making time for that, it means that you don't wanna do it as much. Which is true, like if you really wanna do something, you are going to find a way to make time for it or make it possible, or, you know, change a little bit to be more fluid in the way that you present yourself or the way that you achieve that.So I think. being realistic, setting like 10 to 15 minutes of time to be by yourself to connect, I think is important. I really love people, so I tend to give myself a lot to other people, whether it's friends or like family or partners. So I have to be very conscious of making my own time because it's not them pushing time on me.It's me giving time to [00:59:00] them and then depleting myself. And so it's my responsibility because this is my problem, to have a loan to time, to have spiritual time, which are different and then have time with other people. So I think that that's the thing that I've learned the most. Is learning how to balance all that.And one of the things that I would recommend for that is asking people how much time they need to feel supported and loved by you or feel like they need to get to know you. And so scheduling that time consciously ahead of time, cuz everybody has their own plans. The older you get, the more people are gonna have their own plans and responsibility.So I think it's very responsible to, when you're talking to somebody, say, how much time would you like to spend a week? How much time do you have? [01:00:00] Are there any important days that I should be aware of? Would you like? And then when you get more serious, you say, would you like to share a calendar so you know what I have going on in my day and you know where I'll be?And like, that's just, it's, it's a. . Some people might not do that, but I find that it's very helpful because there is transparency there and you're giving somebody a space in your life. So even if they know that you're busy, they know that you care about them and they are brought up to date as to like what you're doing and you know what you like and stuff like that.De'Vannon: Oh, sweet. Transparency. Transparency and trust. I want you to talk about trust and then that'll be kind of like how we wrap it up because I feel like a lot of trust is needed in this, in this world, in this poly world. If you're gonna do it. [01:01:00] Okay. Lluvia: Well, well, first of all, we start off every relationship the same.Like there is no trust there, right? Every relationship is the same. You have no trust. You have to build it. . So the more time you spend with somebody, the more you share your life with them, the more you know their likes and dislikes the more trust is gonna be built up because you're spending quality time and you're getting to know them in an intimate way and intimate, not just physical, but intimate as to who they are and what they think and what they find important.So I think that that is very necessary to build. I think it's important to know not just like, oh, you can not just say to somebody, oh, you can trust me cuz they're not gonna trust you. Nobody's gonna trust anybody in the beginning. You take [01:02:00] time to know what matters to them. And I think building trust for me would be more like texting them, like saying hi in the morning, saying like, Hey, how was your day?What were you worried about? What's something interesting that you like and just like being there? Being there and being vulnerable I think are the two hardest things. Especially in the beginning when you're starting to date somebody. Cuz they don't, sometimes you don't know if they like you back right away and you're like all nervous like, oh, I shouldn't have said that.Or you know, should I tell them that? I was thinking about them the other day. Yes bitch, you should tell them, be vulnerable. It's hard as fuck, but it's gonna pay off. Like, do the thing that you're scared to do because everybody is scared. Everybody's scared. And yeah. So that's what I would recommend. I would say practice vulnerability.Don't be, you know, don't be stupid and [01:03:00] give somebody your, you know, social security number. That's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about like being vulnerable bu about where you stand with somebody. That's how much you want to be with them and stuff like that. Like I think that's really sweet and like as long as you're not, like, I'm not a big proponent, proponent, blah.I'm not a big proponent of you hauling because yes, there's a lot of vulnerability involved, but I think a slow build is really, the lesbians are gonna kill me. The slow build is like really healthy for people. And I'm not saying it doesn't work out for some people. I'm just saying like there's more, the more you spend time you spend with somebody, the more you know them.The more trust is built, the more y'all are invested, and the less easy it will be to break a video1953292028-1: relat.De'Vannon: Oh, that's very high wisdom if I've ever heard it. [01:04:00] Thank you so much for your time today. Her on Instagram, y'all, she is Taco Blic, ma, also known as your cool aunt. And then on TikTok, she's also at Taco Bima and that's t a c o b e double l i double s i m a, the one happy taco right there. And so , if you have any last words of wisdom or encouragement, you may spin them right now or whatever you wanna say.Lluvia: Well, I think the most important thing is, is to have fun and to not take things too seriously and to just kind of like discover and allow yourself to make mistakes and recover from them. And I think that's the most important part cuz I didn't get too caught up in being, doing the right thing all the time and reading the right books and.Being appropriate to people all the time. And I got too caught up in the should and should [01:05:00]not, and I forgot to have fun. So I think it's very important that while yes, you learn and educate yourself, go out and have fun and have a good time and get to know people and, and then you'll, you'll find what works for you.De'Vannon: Oh, so sweet. Thank you so much for being our guide on the path to polyamory and y'all look forward to hearing from Ms. Taima in the future. Thank you so much for coming on the show today.Lluvia: Thank you so much for having me.De'Vannon: Thank you all so much for taking time to listen to the Sex Drugs in Jesus podcast. It really means everything to me. Look, if you love the show, you can find more information and resources at Sex Drugs in jesus.com or wherever you listen to your podcast. Feel free to reach out to me [01:06:00] directly at Davanon Sex Drugs and jesus.com and on Twitter and Facebook as well.My name is Davanon, and it's been wonderful being your host today. And just remember that everything is gonna be all right. 

In honour of our national day of commemoration of the NZ Land Wars, this installment of Once Upon a Taima is a brief version of the battle of Ō-Rākau in 1864. This version is based on the account of Hitiri Te Paerata, a Chief of Ngāti Raukawa & Ngāti te Kohera, who fought in the battle himself - losing many of his whānau, including his Father and Brother. To read more about Hitiri, go here: http://www.enzb.auckland.ac.nz/document/?wid=2006  

This is Play It Forward. Real people. Real stories. The struggle to Play It Forward Episode 487 With Taima Steadman A True Modern Day Guitar Hero Custom Guitar Builder/ MotegaCustomz at Guitar Luthier/ Session Guitarist and works at Owner at Motega Customz and Session Guitarist at BiggT Sessions

E kau ki te tai e kau ki te tai e. E kau rā te tai whanake kōrero o Wana Pana Taima e huamo nei i tēnei wiki tuarua o Mahuru Māori. Ka hoea e te tokotoru o Taringa te hone o ngā kōrero mō Ngātokimatawhaorua, tōna kaihanga, tana kaiurungi hoki. Ka kōrerotia hoki te kīwaha e mau nā i a koe. Nō reira whakarongo mai.

This is Play It Forward. Real people. Real stories. The struggle to Play It Forward Episode 487 With Taima Steadman A True Modern Day Guitar HeroCustom Guitar Builder/ MotegaCustomz at Guitar Luthier/ Session Guitarist and works at Owner at Motega Customz and Session Guitarist at BiggT Sessions

This is Play It Forward. Real people. Real stories. The struggle to Play It Forward Episode 487 With Taima Steadman A True Modern Day Guitar Hero Custom Guitar Builder/ MotegaCustomz at Guitar Luthier/ Session Guitarist and works at Owner at Motega Customz and Session Guitarist at BiggT Sessions

This is Play It Forward. Real people. Real stories. The struggle to Play It Forward Episode 487 With Taima Steadman A True Modern Day Guitar Hero Custom Guitar Builder/ MotegaCustomz at Guitar Luthier/ Session Guitarist and works at Owner at Motega Customz and Session Guitarist at BiggT Sessions

This is Play It Forward. Real people. Real stories. The struggle to Play It Forward Episode 487 With Taima Steadman A True Modern Day Guitar Hero Custom Guitar Builder/ MotegaCustomz at Guitar Luthier/ Session Guitarist and works at Owner at Motega Customz and Session Guitarist at BiggT Sessions

The seeds of your future sit in the physical of being a listener first...

The seeds of your future sit in the physical of being a listener first...

During this episode Sharonda and Taima discuss Ready by Alicia Weathers-Grey and Double or Nothing: A Souls Ties Short by Thee Tasha Marie. Book discussion ends at and this is were the bulls**t (book community tea) picks up. *********************************************************** Follow the podcast via our socials: Instagram and Twitter @brazenleeshadee. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/brazenleeshadee/message

Hello listeners! oh today do we have a episode for you. We are joined by Annette (@ThatGirllShaun) and Candy (@tennei) as we discusss We Could've Been by Ladii Neesha. And of course, you know we could not end the episode without our bulls**t and Taima has something to get off her chest.  note: This episode is 2 hrs in length. The bulls**t part starts at 1:15:22. ****************************** Follow the podcast via our socials; Instagram and Twitter @brazenleeshadee. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/brazenleeshadee/message

During this episode, Sharonda and Taima are just shooting the s**t and wrapping up the month of June which was somewhat of a hiatus for us. Tap in and catch up on what we read. Taima tells us about her first bookish event; IndieLove 2022. And of course, a little bit of book community tea.  ****************************** Follow the podcast via our socials; Instagram and Twitter @brazenleeshadee. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/brazenleeshadee/message

During this episode, Sharonda and Taima discuss two books! two ya'll. Those books are Liberated by Kimberly Brown and Group Project by Honesty Price. *As always what we may or may not have enjoyed, we will always encourage readers to pick up books read/recommended on this podcast. ****************************** Follow the podcast via our socials; Instagram and Twitter @brazenleeshadee --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/brazenleeshadee/message

It's been a long time since Koro and Moko had a kōrero paki, and this one ventures back to the time of Tāwhaki - with the story about his whānau executing revenge on the evil Ponaturi who had wronged them.

During this episode Sharonda and Taima discuss To Her Rescue by Dria Andersen, a paranormal shifter romance. Tap In! *Sharonda was having mic issues. Please excuse the echo/garbled sound. ****************************** Follow the podcast via our socials; Instagram and Twitter @brazenleeshadee --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/brazenleeshadee/message

Tuberculosis (TB) was once one of the most common and deadliest infectious diseases in the world. Even to this day, it still impacts millions of people, with over 10 million new cases, and approximately 1.3 million deaths each year. Dr. Gonzalo Alvarez is a Respirologist and Scientist at The Ottawa Hospital. Much of his work is focused on TB research among Canadian Inuit and in new Canadians. He is currently leading the Taima TB program of research. Taima (means stop in Inuktitut) TB is a group of research projects aimed at helping Inuit in Canada stop the transmission of TB in their communities. In this episode, he discusses some of his most recent research in TB, what is known about the illness, and why it impacts certain populations. On Call: The Ottawa Hospital Podcast features stories of care, innovation and compassion in health care, all happening right here at The Ottawa Hospital.  

During this episode Sharonda, Taima and their special guest Annette discuss being a Black romance reviewer in the book community. We dicuss the struggles of maintaining a thriving space as a critical book reviewer. You can find Annette via Goodreads. Tap In! ****************************** Follow the podcast via our socials; Instagram and Twitter @brazenleeshadee --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/brazenleeshadee/message

Our old mate, Māui, is back at it in this old tale about greed, self control, and the relationship between brother in laws!  Whakarongo mai!

Season five of Brazenlee Shadee has arrived Baby! Sharonda and Taima are happy to be back to talk Books n Bullshit. In this episode, we are simply catching you guys up on the happenings during our hiatus. We are talking: the books we read and...didn't, Black booktokers in February 2022 and a host of other mess. Tap in ya'll! Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/brazenleeshadee/message

Show Notes: During this episode, Sharonda and Taima discuss the latest internet book community drama. *************************+* Find Us: Instagram | Twitter | Website | contact us: brazenleeshadee@yahoo.com ************************+* --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/brazenbaberviews/message

Featuring the traditional story which was turned into an award winning childrens book, we are fortunate to have author Ben Ngaia join us to speak about the significance of this story and his work writing the book. Check out our facebook page for a Ngake me Whātaitai book give away, or purchase it from here: https://huia.co.nz/huia-bookshop/bookshop/ngake-me-whataitai/

Inspired by my conversation with my friend and Instagram influencer, Taima (see previous episode), I share how my thoughts on selfies have changed over the last five years. This examination includes two pieces of writing about how I feel about selfies - one from way back in 2016 and one I wrote about them last month.  The most important question in this transformation was asking myself, "Why am I triggered, and what does that say about me?"    About the host Lisa Chin (she/her/hers) believes that knowing ourselves is central to being happy and fulfilled. This podcast is about the observation and examination of self - exploring all the things that make us who we are. Why? Because the better we understand ourselves, the more good we can do in the world. Lisa creates and podcasts from the traditional and unceded land of the Nipmuc/k and Massachusett tribes in a town outside Boston, MA. To learn more about Lisa, her writing as well as opportunities to work with her, visit her blog Lisa For Real. Feel free to send her an email or DM her on Instagram @reclaimingmotherhood. 

In this episode, I got to talk to my accountability partner and friend, Taima, about so many things I wish we had time to chat about during our weekly meetings. The overall theme was consuming - consuming social media content and consuming the big "M" - Money. She's a social media personality (aka influencer), so naturally, I pick her brain on how to manage social media as a consumer and if we can actually create real relationships online. We talk influence, curation and transparency. Then, with her years as a blogger about money, Taima shares some major money mindset tips around how to create boundaries that work for us and how to reframe money as a tool, not something we fight against. Consumption is a behavior we are trained to perform in our capitalistic system. Being mindful of our consumption in all the ways, helps us stay on path and stay inspired.   About the guest Taima Ramsey (she/her) is an attorney by day and travel enthusiast on evenings and weekends. She is a native New Yorker, born and raised in Brooklyn and now calls Manhattan home. She started Poor In A Private Plane as a way to empower women to live their best life on any budget. There are never enough hours in the day or  enough money in our bank accounts. But that doesn't stop us from living our best life. Poor In a Private Plane features travel guides, budgeting tips and lifestyle hacks. Our mission is to show women how they can afford to do all the things they love within their means Learn more about Taima's work at (www.poorinaprivateplane.com) and @pooinprivate pln   About the host Lisa Chin (she/her/hers) believes that knowing ourselves is central to being happy and fulfilled. This podcast is about the observation and examination of self - exploring all the things that make us who we are. Why? Because the better we understand ourselves, the more good we can do in the world. Lisa creates and podcasts from the traditional and unceded land of the Nipmuc/k and Massachusett tribes in a town outside Boston, MA. To learn more about Lisa, her writing as well as opportunities to work with her, visit www.lisaforreal.com. Feel free to send her an email or DM her on Instagram @reclaimingmotherhood with your thoughts of an inspired life.   Special thanks to Medfield TV for editing this episode.

Where did all the black rom-coms go? The Golden Age of the Black Rom Com of the late 90s/early 00s seems to have come and gone. In this episode, we talk about the rise and fall of the Black Rom-Com, some of our faves, and what it would take for Black rom-coms to have a Renaissance. In Hot Topics in Romance, Yakini talks about Lori and MBJ, Will Smith confirming our suspicions and BowWow and Diddy having a man-to-man over his ex. In Listening to Romance, we shout out the Brazen Babes Podcast with Sharonda and Taima (https://anchor.fm/brazenbaberview ) In Reading Romance, we give you a preview of our interview in two weeks with Kenya Wright and talk about her steamy book Quarantine and Chill. Follow us on Social Media: IG: @RomanceinColour Twitter @RomancnColour Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/RomanceinColour --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/romanceincolour/message

Episode 29: This month, we were joined by Taima Al Jayoush - a lawyer specializing in human rights and international law. Taima is a member of the Barreau du Quebec, a legal councel in Syrian legislation based in Montreal. She has defended and helped dozens of women and children in Syrian and European courts and was the first woman to defend political prisoners in Syria's supreme state security court. Taima was also the first woman to be a board member of the "Human Rights Organization of Syria" in early 2001 and has represented many opposition leaders. In this episode, we discuss women's rights in Syria and the impact of the civil war, more specifically regarding the new family law and the role of Sharia in marriage contracts. Taima explains the complex issues that women face from both family and society and highlights the importance of acknowledging women's dignity and recognition as a matter of human rights. See more from Taima: https://www.linkedin.com/in/taima-aljayoush-391b1269/?originalSubdomain=ca

Hey Listeners! Join Sharonda and Taima as they talk Sports Romance this month. Click on the audio for more details. Books mentioned in this episode are linked below. *************************+* Can't Catch Me By Alexandra Warren | Fumble Recovery by Rae Shawn *************************+* Where to find Us: Instagram | Twitter | Website | contact us: brazenleeshadee@yahoo.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/brazenbaberviews/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/brazenbaberviews/support

Mānawatia a Matariki. This week's Once Upon a Taima retells the story about the battle between Tūmatauenga and Tāwhirimātea which eventuates into the creation of Matariki.

Gente se encarga de hacernos el día a pedazos!, Cosas incomprensibles que queremos entender y no podemos. Mequetrefes, Feministas, Amantes de animales, Religiosos, gente que merece que se hable de ellos. Jofram expropió este Podcast. Si te gusta, COMPARTE