Podcasts about Takara

This Week on the Toy Power Podcast; we are giving our thoughts & experiences from our recent visit to the Annual Adelaide Mega Toy Fair! Kicking off with our forceful entry into the event! Scott as the New Organiser has done a fantastic job with table spacing, Real Pop-Culture Cars as an attraction & what kind of things that where on offer for Sale; plus of course our SCORES! We each have quite a diverse range of goodies that came home with us; but as always it was absolutely awesome to socialise with so so many people! Then we begin our Review of the New Masters OF The Universe Film! Kicking off with high level non-spoiler thoughts of the Movie. Tales of Trent & Ben seeing an Advanced screening of the Film - with sacrifices from our families to attend! Then; we dive in head first into a deep discussion that bounces all over the place which analyses the entire Movie - INCLUDING SPOILERS! We touch on everything from Characters, Lore, Tone, Easter Eggs, Credit Scenes; plus the things that don't quite merry up. We even have some of the Chronicles Action-Figures to touch on as well! Please get comfy for this extended episode; all the while celebrating Darren's Birthday too. Enjoy!! Support the show: http://patreon.com/toypowerpodcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This Week on the Toy Power Podcast; we are leaning into the significance of the Episode number - being FOUR. So we decide to spotlight Twelve of the Key Teams consisting of Four Members throughout Pop Culture History! With each Team / Group mentioned; we address the Teams official Title; the Individual Characters that make up said Group; plus their noteworthy first appearance in Pop Culture History. An in-depth conversation why said Team is significant to each of us in our own personal way & what they really mean to us. With a good mix of Movies, Comics, TV & overall cultural phenomenon's; this is an interesting & unique way to highlight & chat towards some properties that we don't talk about very often... Or the back story to why we continue to talk about some of our Favourite properties so much!! Enjoy! Which Group / Team did we leave off our list; that you would have had on yours? Let us know!!Support the show: http://patreon.com/toypowerpodcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  All Hail Unicron: Episode 118: OSCAR EXPOSED HASBRO RELIEVED! INTRODUCTION Anybody Get Anything? Movie/Show News It's been 40 years, but there's still a chance to catch it in the theater! https://news.tfw2005.com/2026/05/18/transformers-the-apology-tour-the-transformers-the-movie-1986-back-in-theaters-564252 Third Party Official: Hasbro says, "Buy this stuff again! It's different, we promise!" https://news.tfw2005.com/2026/04/24/transformers-studio-series-86-deluxe-cliffjumper-voyager-cyclonus-leader-blitzwing-official-stock-images-562388 Oh look, another G1 statue from another statue company https://news.tfw2005.com/2026/04/26/iron-studios-transformers-g1-soundwave-1-20-statue-562629 Looks like Takara found ALL the links and made some new ones for this Missing Link Ironhide https://news.tfw2005.com/2026/05/12/takara-tomy-missing-link-c-14-ironhide-full-reveal-details-563731 Don't worry, Ratchet is coming too! https://news.tfw2005.com/2026/05/12/takara-tomy-missing-link-c-15-ratchet-color-prototype-first-look-563831 Reeeeelax, guy! I'm a Lego set, guy! https://news.tfw2005.com/2026/05/01/lego-brickheadz-transformers-megatron-first-look-562979 Safety Dance Megatron gets a second life? https://news.tfw2005.com/2026/05/05/yolopark-amk-mini-decepticon-avatar-megatron-images-563244 Mheh news from Robosen... now there's a trailer for their Elite scale Optimus https://news.tfw2005.com/2026/05/07/robosen-elite-optimus-prime-trailer-kit-official-reveal-563347 More Hot Wheels Transformers are coming https://news.tfw2005.com/2026/05/12/transformers-x-hot-wheels-gt-scorcher-el-segundo-coupe-twin-mill-563710 Nemesis Star Convoy full reveal https://news.tfw2005.com/2026/05/12/takara-tomy-new-legends-nl-03-nemesis-star-convoy-full-reveal-price-563744 Overgear Optimus Prime full color reveal https://news.tfw2005.com/2026/05/12/takra-overgear-optimus-prime-color-images-563793 Literally half of the MPG line are repaints, so why not another?! Dark Design Rhinox is coming! https://news.tfw2005.com/2026/05/12/transformers-mpg-beast-wars-dark-designs-rhinox-first-look-563798 But wait, these aren't MPG repaints! Well... mostly... https://news.tfw2005.com/2026/05/13/takara-tomy-transformers-mpg-24-ramhorn-eject-prototypes-563857 This, however, is a repaint/retool. BW II Gigastrom https://news.tfw2005.com/2026/05/13/takara-tomy-new-legends-nl-06-beast-wars-ii-gigastorm-additional-images-563841 BWII getting some more love with a new Galvatron! https://news.tfw2005.com/2026/05/12/takara-new-legends-beast-wars-ii-galvatron-revealed-563816 But will it transform? https://news.tfw2005.com/2026/05/12/takara-adamas-machina-star-saber-revealed-563805 Professor X's wheelchair? A 52Toys figure? You decide what the new Sentinel Prime figure transforms into! https://news.tfw2005.com/2026/05/18/age-of-the-primes-sentinel-prime-artifact-pack-first-look-564224 Hasbro and Stern want to inspire you to play with your Transformers' balls! https://news.tfw2005.com/2026/05/13/new-transformers-pinball-by-stern-563968 Questions? Discussion: Email your questions to: Hailunicroncast@gmail.com    Special Shoutouts: Dustmightz for providing the beats for the theme song! Check the Realm of Collectors on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/groups/realmofcollectors   Everyone who followed us from Shattered Cast Uncut, we are grateful to each and everyone of you for joining us on this journey!   Hosts: T2RX6 http://www.youtube.com/user/T2rx6 Rich “Preordered” H. Oscar Alonso https://www.youtube.com/user/oscarnjboy Robert Duyjuy-sabado-gigante

On this episode of Pilot Season Cartoon Edition, hosts Kinte, Renee, Jen, John, and Allen break down Transformers — “More Than Meets the Eye, Part 1,” which originally aired on September 17, 1984. In this opening chapter, the ancient war between the heroic Autobots and the evil Decepticons reaches Earth after millions of years. When both factions awaken on the planet, Optimus Prime leads the Autobots into battle against Megatron and his forces, beginning a conflict that will shape the future of Earth and introduce viewers to one of the most iconic rivalries in cartoon history. The episode sets the tone for the series with action, science fiction, and the larger-than-life battle between good and evil. Podcast airdate: 5/20/26  #Transformers #PilotSeasonCartoonEdition #MoreThanMeetsTheEye John 8.2  Allen 8  Jen 9.5 Kinte 9   Renee 9 Total: 35.7   Transformers (1984) began as part of the 1980s boom in toy-based animation. The series was produced by Marvel Productions and Sunbow Productions, with animation by Japanese studio Toei Animation. The franchise itself grew out of a partnership between Hasbro and Takara, who combined transforming robot toy lines from Japan into a single American brand. To help launch the toys, Marvel helped develop the characters and backstory, while the cartoon introduced kids to the war between the Autobots and the Decepticons. The series premiered in 1984 with the three-part opening story “More Than Meets the Eye.” It quickly became one of the biggest action cartoons of the decade thanks to its mix of science fiction, memorable characters, and toy-driven storytelling. What made Transformers stand out was the idea that cars, trucks, jets, and other machines could secretly be giant alien robots at war. The show became a major pop culture hit and helped launch comics, movies, toys, and later TV reboots. Main cast and who they played Peter Cullen — Optimus Prime, Ironhide Frank Welker — Megatron, Soundwave, Skywarp, Mirage Chris Latta — Starscream, Sparkplug Witwicky Casey Kasem — Cliffjumper, Teletraan I Scatman Crothers — Jazz Dan Gilvezan — Bumblebee John Stephenson — Windcharger

There's a new bot in Iron Factory's Samurai Series, we talk about Takara's reveals at the Shizuoka Hobby Show, and HasLab LioKaiser has finally started shipping out to backers everywhere. All this and much, much more on this episode of TransMissions! Order our exclusive Skybound Transformers #1 comic with cover art by E.J. Su! Want some TransMissions swag? Check out our online shop, powered by Dashery! Show Notes: If you enjoy TransMissions, please rate us and subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify! These ratings greatly help podcasts become more discoverable to other people using those services and is an easy way to help out our show. Contact us: Continue reading The post Episode 695 – No More Mister Nice Prime appeared first on TransMissions Podcast Network.

There's a new bot in Iron Factory's Samurai Series, we talk about Takara's reveals at the Shizuoka Hobby Show, and HasLab LioKaiser has finally started shipping out to backers everywhere. All this and much, much more on this episode of TransMissions! Order our exclusive Skybound Transformers #1 comic with cover art by E.J. Su! Want some TransMissions swag? Check out our online shop, powered by Dashery! Show Notes: If you enjoy TransMissions, please rate us and subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify! These ratings greatly help podcasts become more discoverable to other people using those services and is an easy way to help out our show. Contact us: Continue reading The post Episode 695 – No More Mister Nice Prime appeared first on TransMissions Podcast Network.

This Week on the Toy Power Podcast; we are back all back together in the studio again; to bring in all the Latest News! Kicking things off with quite a few MOTU Toy Headlines; branching all sub-categories of the brand - including a Playset! Neca continue to flip through the pages of the Mirage Comics, & questionably bring us Figures from those stories. Playmates announce a 2pk with BLOOD attributes!! As well as a potential Lawsuit to protect their work....? McFarlane continue to produce Batman products & Transformers Missing Link announce a unique offering in the form of G1 Ironhide & Ratchet. Trent gets super nostalgic over Goof-Troop; plus we have more Fighters announced from Jada & McFarlane too. Rounding out the News is a beautiful nod to the influential man that was Jack Kirby; in the form of a street named after him! Then we have a very close in-hand review of the amazingly intricate HeatBoys TMNT Figures. These Figures are absolutely extraordinary; with their Die-Cast designed Mech-Suits. They are honestly like nothing we have seen in the TMNT franchise before!! All this & more! Enjoy!!Support the show: http://patreon.com/toypowerpodcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode Takara has fully revealed their latest missing link figure, there's a couple new Hot Wheels molds, and Dr Wu has some new War Within inspired figures coming out. All this and much, much more on this episode of TransMissions! Order our exclusive Skybound Transformers #1 comic with cover art by E.J. Su! Want some TransMissions swag? Check out our online shop, powered by Dashery! Show Notes: If you enjoy TransMissions, please rate us and subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify! These ratings greatly help podcasts become more discoverable to other people using those services and is an easy way to help out our show. Contact us: Continue reading The post Missing Link or New G1? | TransMissions 694 appeared first on TransMissions Podcast Network.

On this episode Takara has fully revealed their latest missing link figure, there's a couple new Hot Wheels molds, and Dr Wu has some new War Within inspired figures coming out. All this and much, much more on this episode of TransMissions! Order our exclusive Skybound Transformers #1 comic with cover art by E.J. Su! Want some TransMissions swag? Check out our online shop, powered by Dashery! Show Notes: If you enjoy TransMissions, please rate us and subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify! These ratings greatly help podcasts become more discoverable to other people using those services and is an easy way to help out our show. Contact us: Continue reading The post Missing Link or New G1? | TransMissions 694 appeared first on TransMissions Podcast Network.

This Week on the Toy Power Podcast; we are unfortunately once again missing Scot; but making up the Forth Member of the show; & back from his recent UK Trip; we have Special Guest: Matt Tealeó! Matt systematically guides us through his most recent Toy Hunting Tour through UK! Kicking things off at "Leicester Vintage" & "Retrodee Toys"; with a very difficult mindset of self control & retaining enough money for the rest of the Trip! Then traveling next to the impressive: "Space Bridge"; which certainly holds up its name for Transformers fans! Next adventure was "The Vintage ToyMonster"; that was very well stocked indeed. Moving on next to: "Back To The Retro" which was positioned in a Mall. Then heading over to the incredibly well curated & equally spectacular: "Retro By Ronnie." Touring on then to both "Nerdbase" & "The London Toyshop". Next expedition was to "Hertfordshire Vintage Toys," with their striking Cabinet presentations! Then wrapping up at the awe-inspiring "88mph Toys" which seemed to have everything!! Then we bring it back to the Studio; with an exciting Gift-Box from Matt; for us to open! Wrapping up the Episode is a great overlook of what we are each Reading, Playing &/or Watching! Enjoy! To find more from Matthew Teale - please check out his very Toy Focused Instagram page: @Tealeos_ToyBox Support the show: http://patreon.com/toypowerpodcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Con una resaca espetacular de nuestro periplo italiano, volvemos con un aténtico programón, y con todo esto: Crónica Frontiers Rock Festival VIII Nuevos: Saraya, Tempt, China, Europe, Alicate, L.E.G.A.C.Y, Johny Dynamite, Frontiers 30, Harsh Clásicos: Takara, China, Don Barnes, Atlantic, Steelheart Lion Rock Fest 2026: Primeras incorporaciones

Kotu a Najeriya yau ta ci gaba da sauraron shari'ar neman hana tsohon shugaban kasa Goodluck Jonathan tsayawa takarar zabe mai zuwa, kwana guda bayan wasu tarin magoya bayan sa sun bukaci ya shiga zaben mai zuwa. Dangane da matsayin dokar zabe a kan takarar ta Jonathan masanin shari'a, Farfesa Shehu Abdullahi Zuru na Jami'ar Baze dake Abuja, ya mana tsokaci a kai yayin zantawarsa da Bashir Ibrahim Idris. Latsa alamar sauti don sauraren tattaunawarsu...

This Week on the Toy Power Podcast; we are unfortunately missing Master Scot; but standing his spot is Special Guest: Matt Tealeó! Kicking things off, we have some somber News as we morn the loss of the Creator of He-Man; Roger Sweet. RIP great sir. Then onto more positive things; with Movie Masters Toys hitting our local stores in a big way; just how deep are we already with purchases?! Lots of awesome things coming out of Mondo plus another shot at Tron from the team at Hasbro. Marvel Legends continues to impress us; especially with their New Rivals offers! Arguments about how to pronounce "Mate" - & this is coming from a bunch of Aussies! Neca - we are directing this at you! Then we take off our Headphones, & suit up with our key choices of Superpowered Helmets! Yep, its time for another segment of The Team! Featuring you guessed it: The Good-Guys behind the Mobile Armored Strike Kommand! Selecting key characters that best suit the catagories for: Leader, Muscle, Specialist, Wheelman; as well as an Iconic Vehicle too!! Do YOU agree with our final Choices?! All this & more; ENJOY!! To find more from Matthew Teale - please check out his very Toy Focused Instagram page: @Tealeos_ToyBox Support the show: http://patreon.com/toypowerpodcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last episode we briefly talked about what happened when Ōama passed away, including the apparent conspiracy around the Royal Prince Ōtsu, and then the question as to why his son, Crown Prince Kusakabe, didn't then succeed him to the throne. This episode we are taking a look at that period, but more focused on the rituals and what went into a royal funeral, and then take a look all the way to the eventual ascension to the throne of not Crown Prince Kusakabe, but instead his mother, Ōama's queen, Uno no Sarara. She would eventually be known as Jitō Tennō. For photos and links to other episodes, check out our blog post: https://sengokudaimyo.com/podcast/episode-148   Rough Transcript Welcome to Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan.  My name is Joshua and this is Episode 148: A Nation Mourns Crown Prince Kusakabe approached the temporary palace structure that had been hastily assembled in the courtyard in front of the Kiyomihara Palace.   Solemnly arrayed around him, dressed in their court garments, were the ministers and government officials.  Together, they approached the palace building, where the Crown Prince's father, Ohoama, also known as Ame no Nunahara oki no Mabito, lay in state.  He had passed away, and according to the imported Confucian values of filial piety, Kusakabe was now expected to mourn in ritual fashion. The court ritualists had seen to every detail of what should be done and even said, to the extent that the crown prince's actions almost felt like a performance of grief, rather than a heartfelt tribute.  And yet, Kusakabe could not help but feel some emotion at the sight of his father, once the most powerful man under heaven, now laid out in this place of temporary interment.  There would be many more ceremonies and rituals before the final mausoleum would be built and the former sovereign's body finally laid to rest.  Until then, even though Ohoama's spirit had left, his body would remain as a symbol to the people, and as the centerpiece of an elaborate ritual, designed, in part, to continue to bolster the state he had helped to create.   Last episode we went into some of the shenanigans around the death of Ohoama and the succession to the throne.  As we saw, not everyone was apparently on board with the idea that Crown Prince Kusakabe would take the throne, leading to the arrest and execution of Prince Ohotsu.  However, we noted that Crown Prince Kusakabe didn't end up on the throne after all: for whatever reason, he never ascended to the honor, and died in 689 – not even three years after the death of his father.  And so we saw Uno no Sarara, Ohoama's wife and queen and mother of Crown Prince Kusakabe, formally take the reins of state and go on to reign as the sovereign, the Sumera Mikoto, or Tennou, until 697.  From there she would become the first ever Retired Sovereign, keeping her hand in government until her death in 703. This episode we are going to look a little more in depth regarding everything that went on around Ohoama's death and the various rites accompanying his passing. Ohoama's was obviously not the first royal death that we have seen in the Chronicles.  It is perhaps, however, one of the best documented in terms of the funerary arrangements and the various rituals that accompanied his passing.  Some of those arrangements are mentioned previously in the Chronicles, but not to the same extent as we see for Ohoama.  This leaves me wondering: are we seeing something novel—new rites for a new type of sovereign, perhaps?  Or was this just the first time the ritual had been documented to this level of detail?. Before jumping into what we see this time around, we should probably look back at what we have seen around the death of previous sovereigns, and which are still going on here.  First and foremost is the creation—or at least the designation—of a "Palace of Temporary Interment".    This is the Mogari no Miya, with "mogari" being the term for the period between an individual's death and their eventual burial.  In the Nihon Shoki we see this practice go back to the earliest times.  After all, most deaths do not occur on a set schedule, and once someone has passed away, funerary arrangements would need to be made.  Now, if all you are doing is putting a body into a box and lowering it into the ground, you can probably bring it all together rather quickly. However, for centuries the burial practices on the archipelago had been significantly more elaborate.  Even those without royal blood might be afforded a special mound, or kofun.  There would be giant stones selected to create the chamber, and then tons of earth and pebbles placed on top.  There might also be haniwa—clay cylinders—which then might even be topped with special figures.  All of this had to be planned out and taken care of, and in some cases, such as the creation of haniwa, it appears as there was a major industry involved in funerary preparations. In the case of royal family members things got even more elaborate, and based on the size of many of the kofun that we see one can assume that their construction took time.  In fact, I would not be surprised if the construction of a new tomb mound might not have kicked off on or near the ascension of the sovereign just to make sure it would be ready, but even still it would take time for all of the rites associated with a royal burial to be ready to go. And so it was common practice that one would have to wait before a burial could actually take place.  Since you couldn't just leave a body out in the open in the community, the corpse would be deposited, instead, in a temporary building.  These are sometimes referred to as mogari huts,  which would likely be placed well away from others.  Here we should also take into account the general pollution associated with death in its various forms.  So you would want to have the body kept out of sight and away from people as best you could while you prepared for the actual burial at some later date.  For sovereigns, this mogari hut, or hut of temporary interment, was eventually referred to as a "miya", or "palace".  In some cases it seems as if one of the buildings of the sovereign's old palace was used for this purpose, while a new palace was then also built for the new reign. In addition to the place of temporary interment, one of the common traditions we see in funerals in the Chronicles is the role of the eulogy.  While a person lay in state during their temporary interment, we are told that people could come to eulogize and lament.  In the case of a sovereign, the high ministers and politically connected would come together and deliver speeches.  This served multiple purposes.  On the one hand, these rituals reinforced concepts of the State and the central authority in the body of the sovereign.  On the other hand, they also served as markers of status for those delivering the speeches, and provided opportunities to be seen and heard, signaling their support of the system that provided them their own power and authority. So all of this  process and ritual that we see for Ohoama is familiar, from previous royal deaths.  However, it's interesting to note that in the most recent years before Ohoama's funeral, a lot of these traditions seem to have been scaled back.  For one thing, there was the decline of large, keyhole shaped kofun, ever since the introduction of Buddhism in the 6th century and the move to memorial temples over large tombs. Furthermore, as part of the Taika era reforms we see regulations on how long temporary interment may last for those of princely rank and below—though nothing is clearly stated for the sovereign themselves.    Let's look at the most recent royal death's before Ohoama's, but since the beginning of the Taika era.  There are at least three we've talked about.  First off is the death of Karu, aka Koutoku Tennou.  Karu's death is barely remarked upon—he was buried about two months after he passed away, and very little fanfare is given.  One can't help but wonder if this was, in part at least, due to the fact that Naka no Oe was actually in charge and running things at the Crown Prince. Takara hime, aka Saimei Tennou, would pass away in the middle of the Baekje war against the Silla-Tang alliance.  Her body was sent back to Yamato, but the Crown Prince and many of the elites established themselves in Tsukushi—modern Kyushu—to better conduct the war on the peninsula.  Not only was her interment thus delayed, but Naka no Oe's own ascension wouldn't take place for several more years, possibly because of the new capital he was building in Ohotsu.  Naka no Oe's own funerary arrangements were interrupted by the events of the Jinshin no Ran.  In fact, the building of his tumulus was used by the government as a cover to bring in soldiers to prepare for the conflict.  There may have been various funerary rituals planned or even carried out by the Afumi court, but if so they were overshadowed by the civil war that broke out between the two claimants to the throne. As such, Ohoama's appears to be the first royal funeral of this magnitude in a while, and in this case they really pulled out all the stops.  There were various activities and rituals associated with Ohoama's passing up through the 11th month of 688, over two years later, when he was finally buried.  So let's go over what happened and maybe what dragged it out so much longer. First off were the immediate lamentations and eulogies.  Ohoama passed away on the 9th day of the 9th month, according to the Nihon Shoki.  It was the year 686 according to the western calendar.  Two months later the erection of the temporary palace of interment began in the southern courtyard—presumably the area south of the Asuka Kiyomihara palace, where they had previously held the various archery competitions. This took a couple of weeks, and Ohoama's body was finally placed in the temporary palace as of the 24th of that month. While ritual lamentations were raised at the start of the building of the mogari palace and when the sovereign's body was interred, the major rites appear to have started three days after he was laid to rest, on the 27th day,  proceeding for the next three days, from the 27th until the 30th. The rites started with Buddhist monks and nuns who arrived before sunrise and began to perform lamentations in the courtyard of the mogari.  Later that day, we see food offerings, apparently for the first time in the Chronicles. Offering food to the dead is not unique to Japan.  Some in Japan will offer food to their ancestors, especially during the Obon festival.  People will also offer food to kami.  In the case of Obon, a bowl of rice is often served with two chopsticks sticking straight out of it.  This has actually led to a social taboo on leaving your chopsticks "stuck" in food, as it looks as though you are offering the food up to the dead.  Instead, chopsticks will be placed on a chopstick rest, on the table, or even across the top of a dish, just not sticking up out of the food, especially the rice. In this case it isn't clear exactly how the food offering was done, nor what happened to the food afterwards.  In the case of food offered to the kami, it is often the case that once the kami have had enough time to partake of the aura of the food—its spiritual essence—the food will then be removed and often consumed by people.  So for Ohoama's funerary offerings, something similar may have happened—possibly with a feast of some kind to which the various nobles were also invited. Along with the offering of food, we are told of a whole list of individuals who gave eulogies—though we aren't told what the content was.  It is likely that these eulogies were largely ritual utterances—stock phrasing by the participant to demonstrate their active performance of the rituals, rather than a deeply thought sermon about the sovereign.  After all, this seems to have gone on at a rather constant pace for the next several days.  The ritual order seems to have stayed the same, with priests and nuns kicking things off with lamentations in the courtyard, and various nobles presenting their eulogy.  The third day, the 29th, was the same. On the fourth day, the 30th, the last day of the month, the priests and nuns raised lament, and the eulogies were given by a Baekje prince in exile, on behalf of his father, as well as the various Miyatsuko of the various provinces.  In addition there were all performances of all manner of singing and dancing—which makes it sound more like a wake than anything else. With the close of the 9th month, we have a break in the tale of Ohoama's funeral, as the narrative switches over to the next part of the Chronicles covering the reign of Uno no Sarara, aka Jitou Tennou.  The first order of business—other than telling us who Uno no Sarara was and covering some of her history—was to deal with the Prince Ohotsu conspiracy.  So we see Prince Ohotsu arrested, along with 30 conspirators.  Prince Ohotsu was killed at his residence, where his wife and consort ran to him and took her own life as well.  That all happened the 2nd and 3rd days of the 10th month.  The 30 co-conspirators were apparently held for about twenty-seven days while the court debated what to do with them.  Finally, the decree was made to pardon all except Toki no MIchidzukuri, who was only banished instead of executed, and the monk Heng-sin, who was exiled to a temple in Hida, over on Kyushu.  The month after that, Ohotsu's sister, Royal Princess Ohoku, returned to the capital from Ise Shrine where she had been serving as the Shrine Princess—though we aren't told who replaced her. And so it isn't until the twelfth month that we see what appears to be the rites for Ohoama's passing seem to resume.  This takes the form of a universal great assembly held in Ohoama's name at the Five temples, listed as Daikandaiji, Asukadera, Kawaradera, Toyoradera in Woharida, and Sakadadera.  This is an interesting list, as one would have expected that the rites would have occurred at the National Temples established previously—for more on the National temples, we talked about that back in Episode 142.. Daikandaiji, Asukadera, and Kawaradera were, of course, national temples.  Yakushiji is not mentioned, probably because it was still under construction.  At this date it's only been dedicated, and we won't see it show up in the Chronicles until 688—a year and change from the current gathering.  Toyoradera was the nunnery of Toyoura temple, and Sakada temple appears to be another nunnery, formerly known as Kongoji.  It is said to have been in MInabuchi, and ruins of a temple are found in the southeast of Asuka, in an area known today as, funnily enough, Sakada.  There is also a modern temple known as Kongoji nearby, though I can't tell if there is any connection between the two other than the name— whether its a true successor temple or just given that name because of the proximity of the ruins. Either way, in this phase of the funerary rites, we have a combination of temples and nunneries involved.  I wonder if that was so that men and women could gather in spaces for them.  Either way, it is clear that these rites  were held specifically to build merit for Ohoama.  This was probably also the intent behind the actions of the court a week later, when presents of cloth and silk were made to orphans, as well as childless, widowed, and elderly men and women of the capital—those who didn't have someone else to look after them or who were assumed to not have a stable income. Come the first day of the new year of 687, we see a return to the palace of temporary interment, and this time it is in a new and different fashion.  We are told that the Crown Prince, accompanied by ministers and public functionaries, proceeded to the Palace of Temporary Interments and made lament.  We are told that it was the Nagon, Fuwe no Ason no Miaruji, who performed the eulogy, after which everyone once again raised a lament.  Then the common people raised a lament.  Then Ki no Ason and others of the High Stewards of the Palace made food offerings.  After this, the Uneme of the Steward's department raised a lament and then music was performed by the officials of the Department of Music. This clearly indicates an involved ceremony, with set roles and functions.  It is being headed by Ohoama's son, Crown Prince Kusakabe, and attended by all the high ministers, and it is being held on the first of the year in place of other festivities for that day.  Other than the timing, the basic pattern of events is similar to the other rituals of lamentation.  .  The contents of the ceremony might be different, and it was always someone new who was chosen to give the formal eulogy, but there does seem to be some ritual and pattern to the rites performed.  For major ceremonies, we are told of the Crown Prince, the ministers, and the various public functionaries who are there, in attendance, but in other instances we are just told of who is providing the lamentations or the eulogy.  For example, on the 5th day of the first month—four months after the big ceremony, we are told that everyone—Crown Prince down to the common people—proceeded to the Palace of temporary interment and made lamentations. Either way, the period for the next year and change is filled with various ceremonies either at the palace of temporary interment, where Ohoama's body lay in state, or elsewhere in the capital, such as at various temples.  There were also various gifts from the court.  All of this was as much political spectacle as it was grieving.  There are some suggestions that, according to Confucian tradition, a son was expected to mourn the loss of his father for up to three years.  So perhaps that is part of what was happening—the royal family was participating in some costly signaling to both raise Ohoama—and thus, themselves—up on a pedestal and to try to demonstrate the virtue of Crown Prince Kusakabe.  After all, the Queen and her son had been effectively running the government before Ohoama had passed, so it wasn't like there was any actual change and only minor risk.  The timeframe also allowed the court time to send messengers out to inform the far reaches of the archipelago of Ohoama's passing and give them time to come and do homage.  They even sent messengers to Silla, no doubt to both let them know about what had happened and possibly to solicit a condolence embassy.  All of that would also play into the pageantry and mythmaking of the moment, further strengthening the position of the Yamato court, which was, of course, under the control of Uno no Sarara and her son. And so we see numerous, and quite public, displays.  Besides the lamentations and the eulogies, we see repeated gifts to the underprivileged, like giving gifts of coarse and floss silk to those residents of the Capital who were at least 80 years old, as well as to invalids with little hope as well as to the poor people who had no other means to support themselves.  All of it being done in Ohoama's name, even though the reputation no doubt was actually accruing to his son and widow. In the third month we see a special mention: an ornamental chaplet of flowers, known as a mikage, was offered at the Palace of Temporary Interment.  Today, flowers are often found in abundance at Japanese funerals.  Certain flowers may be "gifted" to the deceased as a last gift from mourners, and large, elaborate flower constructions are often used to decorate the funeral parlor where the corpse is laid out.  Groups and individuals may pay exorbitant sums to place flowers with a name card indicating who donated it, and some flowers may be for the grieving family to take home.  There are meanings behind the type of flowers, and often white flowers are preferred, as white is often seen as the color of death.  Some of this appears to be influenced by the West, but flowers have long been symbols and used in various ceremonies and rites.  It is possible that some of this was influenced by Buddhist and Tang court rituals.  Or maybe they just wanted something that was sweet smelling to help cover up the inevitable odor that no doubt resulted from leaving a body out for about six months at that point. Whatever the purpose, we aren't given too many details on just what this floral display was.  Aston calls the "mikage" a "chaplet" and Bentley simply describes it as decorative flowers placed at the mogari palace—the palace of temporary interment.  Once the flowers were placed, then Taji no Mabito no Maro performed the ceremony of the eulogy. Next, in the 5th month, we see the Crown Prince and various government officials once again involved.  This time they were accompanied by the chiefs of the Hayato and the Ata of Ohosumi, accompanied by their people, advancing and providing a eulogy.  The Hayato and the Ata were both indigenous groups of people from southern Kyushu, who were considered to be outside of the Yamato polity, with distinct cultural differences.  It is unclear if they were ethnically Wa people.  Evidence from that area suggests that the people there, whatever their ethnicity, had adopted many of the Yayoi and Kofun cultural life-ways.  This was not without some differences, such as distinct burial practices, such as underground burial chambers.  Hayato were also known in Yamato for their shields, which are often depicted as long, thin pentagonal shapes with red, white, and black figural paintings. The propaganda-slash-merit making continued over the next few months.  In the 6th month we see an amnesty, where criminals were pardoned, and in the 7th month the court unilaterally cancelled out any interest on debts contracted in the year 685 or earlier.  In cases where the debtors already owed service to their creditors, for some reason, they made it so that the creditors could not demand that they provide additional service.  People still had to pay back the balance, but they didn't have to pay back anything extra. The next ceremony at the palace of temporary interment wasn't for about three months later, in the 8th month of 687.  We are told that offerings of food were made, and that only awokimono—green things—were offered.  Bentley translates this passage to say that it was the feast of first fruits, the Niinamesai, and they do use the character for "namé", but not the full name.  As for "Awokimono" – Aston translates this as plain, boiled rice, and says it is meant that it was without meat of any kind.  Indeed, the characters appear to be for blue or green cooked rice.  There is another reading for "Awokimono" as "Hijikioono", and Aston suggests that there may have been some hijiki, or seaweed, involved.  Regardless this appears to have been specifically a funerary tradition. A day after the food was offered—and we aren't told who did that—the elderly people of the capital, both men and women—some possibly with new duds thanks to the silk they had received earlier—came and made lamentation west of the bridge.  I suspect that this means they didn't enter the actual courtyard where the palace of temporary interment was set up, but simply gathered on the west side of the Asuka River, which flowed past the west side of the courtyard.  Later that month, we see another Buddhist ceremony.  Fujiwara no Ason no Ohoshima and Kibumi no Muraji no Ohotomo invited 300 Buddhist dignitaries, known as Ryuuzou and Daitoku, to Asukadera.  There they gave each one of them the present of a kesa—a Buddhist sash worn as part of their vestments.   Kesa were typically stitched together from cloth donated by Buddhist laypersons, and we are told that these kesa were made from the garments of the late sovereign.  The language of the decree itself was apparently so painful—Aston translates it as pathetic—that it couldn't be fully set forth.  That sounds to me like someone forgot to write it down. Eleven days after the assembly at Asukadera, a national Buddhist feast was sponsored at all of the Temples in the capital.  The day after that, a feast was sponsored at the mogari palace. Later that same month, Silla ambassadors arrived at the archipelago.  The Dazai, the viceroy of Tsukushi, met with them and informed them of what had happened.  It is likely that they had left before any word had reached the peninsula, so this was the first they heard of it.  Nonetheless, they all put on mourning clothes, turned to face the East, and bowed three times and raised lamentations.  This was all being done in Kyushu, but nonetheless it was clearly important to the people who were recording these interactions. A similar note in the record appears on the 23rd day of the first month of the following year, where we are told that Ohoama's death was announced to the Silla ambassador, Gim Sangnim, and his colleagues.  They, in turn, made their lament three times.  It is possible that these are records of the same event, and I even wonder if one was recorded on the date they arrived and the other was recorded on the date that they were formally told what was happening.  Either that, or the events of the 9th month of 687 were an informal notice, so that they could get ready, after which they traveled the three months and change to Asuka, where they then were given the formal notification. Moving on to finish out the year 687: on the 22nd day of the 10th month, the Crown Prince and government officials, along with all of the governors and Kuni no MIyatsuko—and not forgetting the common people—all began work on the sovereign's tomb.  This is one of the few tombs that we have some confidence in, though it isn't a keyhole shaped kofun like many others from previous eras.  Today it looks mostly like a round hill, but originally it seems to have been an eight-sided tomb with five distinct levels.  Eight sides suggests a Buddhist influence, as eight is an auspicious number, such as in the 8-fold path.  I can't help but wonder if the five levels were connected to concepts of five in Confucian and Daoist teachings.  For instance, there was the idea of five Confucian virtues as well as the Wuxing, or Gogyou, where we have five specific elements.  Given the importance and influence of continental thinking at the time, neither one would surprise me. The tomb would take almost a year to complete, which almost doesn't seem like enough time given everything that they did.  It is possible that they had already prepped much of what they needed and that the 10th month of 687 was simply the date they broke ground, but either way it was an impressive feat. Meanwhile, as the construction was ongoing, the public displays of mourning continued.  Once again, new year's day celebrations of 688 were postponed in favor of public mourning, with the Crown Prince and all of the ministers making their lamentations on the first day of the year, followed by a company of priests the following day. On the 8th day of the first month of the year we are told that there was a public great congregation of priests held at Yakushiji.  This is the first official event held at Yakushiji, and so presumably the temple was now finished—or at least finished enough.  Since Ohoama isn't mentioned, it is certainly possible that this wasn't directly connected to the ceremonies around the official mourning of Ohoama.  On the other hand, Yakushiji was commissioned by Ohoama for the health of his wife, Uno no Sarara, so I have a hard time thinking that there weren't any connections at all. In the second month of 688, we get a decree that has a few different interpretations.  The decree states that, "in the future, on all days of national mourning, it is absolutely necessary that abstinence be practiced."  Bentley translates this to mean that there would be a feast on the day of national mourning every year after.  The key contention appears to be whether or not the day of mourning was a monthly or annual thing.  The court appears to have been creating a national holiday around the memory of Ohoama, and it may have chosen the second month for that day of mourning and remembrance.  Alternatively, this was for a day of mourning each month of the current year.  The wording is vague.  It is like the question of whether or not "Bi-weekly" means twice a week or once every two weeks, and I don't know that there is any consensus.  Still, it is interesting that they created their own holiday to remember Ohoama, and as far as I can tell this is the first such example of a holiday being used to remember a person in this way. Once again on the 22nd day of the third month, flowers were again presented at the palace of temporary interment.  This was only two days different from when the mikage had been set up in the previous year, so it would seem that the timing was significant—possibly because it was spring and the flowers were blooming.  Fujiwara no Ason no Ohoshima, the same individual who had helped gather the various priests together at Asukadera to hand out kesa made of the sovereign's own garments, presented the eulogy. The ceremonies are then put on hold for a bit.  There is an account from the 11th day of the 6th month where prisoners guilty of capital crimes would have their punishment mitigated one degree while those in prison for lighter offenses would be pardoned altogether.  In addition, only half of the commuted taxes were to be levied.  This might have been more merit-working for Ohoama or it may have been because the nation itself was undergoing a drought and they were seeking the Buddha's favor to bring the rains. Once again in the 8th month we see offerings of food are made, and a lament raised inside the palace of temporary interment.  This time the eulogy was performed by Ohotomo no Sukune no Yasumaro.  The day after that, Prince Ise was given commands regarding how the upcoming funeral was to be handled, which was to happen three months later. The 11th month kicked off with the Crown prince and the ministers once more going to the palace of temporary interment, this time on the 4th day of the month.  They had with them guests from the "frontier lands" as Aston notes—Bentley says foreign countries.  Offerings of food were made, and the Tatefushi dance was performed.  This was a dance with shields and swords, according to later records.  It seems that the dancers also wore armor, or something to approximate armor.  All of the ministers then advanced, each in turn, and pronounced a eulogy, with each recounting the services that their ancestors had rendered to the throne. The following day, there was further ceremony as over 190 Emishi brought tribute in on their backs, and pronounced a eulogy for the departed sovereign. Six days later, on the 11th day of the 11th month, Fuse no Ason no Miaruji and Ohotomo no Sukune no Mimiyuki both pronounced eulogies, and then Tahema no Mabito no Chitoko recited, as a eulogy, the succession to the throne of the royal ancestors.  And when that was finished, Ohoama's body was finally placed in the Ohouchi tomb and the tomb was sealed. And with that, the sovereign was put to rest, after over two years of mourning and ceremony, specifically designed to put on display the court's apparent grief.  Whether they were actually grieved or not, the importance was the performance of grief through the rituals set forth by the state.  Individuals and groups demonstrated their loyalty through their participation.  Noble families used the platform to recount their service and thus demonstrate their own history and pedigree and thus why they were deserving of their status in the court. Furthermore, during all this ceremony around the funerary arrangements, to try to  also have an ascension ceremony for the new sovereign was probably a little too much to try and push through.  It would have also meant that they would been holding a ceremony that should be joyful and august under the pall of the mourning period.  For the Crown Prince to don the robes of office while his father's body lay in the courtyard was probably, as they say, a bad look.  And, as I mentioned earlier, it wasn't like it was making any real, practical difference.  The ship of state was hardly rudderless, with Kusakabe and his mother both guiding it through the various ceremonies. Sure enough, in the following year, 689, the new year ceremonies were no longer about mourning and lamentation.  The queen gave an audience to all the lands in the Front Hall, and the following day the Ministry of Education presented 80 wooden staves, presumably for an old form of the Setsubun festival.  Today, Setsubun, the day before Spring, is celebrated with soybeans, which are tossed at characters in oni masks, and then inside the house.  The cries ring out "Oni ga soto" – "Demons Out" and then again, "Fuku ga uchi" – "Good luck inside!"  Thus evil spirits are kept at bay and good fortune is welcomed into the home.  In the older version of a similar ritual, it seems that wooden staves were used to symbolically drive the demons out, rather than just a handful of auspicious beans. The first month of year 689 continued to look a lot like previous years, prior to Ohoama's death.  There was a banquet given to the Ministers, and gifts of clothing were handed out to them.  And then, halfway through the month, the various officials brought presents of firewood to the palace.  And then a meal was given to the various public functionaries. A few days after that, Queen Uno left to visit the Yoshino palace for a few days, returning two days later. There is something that is not mentioned in all of this that I suspect was happening.  First of all, they had no doubt torn down the palace of Temporary Interment, and they were likely preparing for Crown Prince Kusakabe's ascension.  There are some that suspect Prince Kusakabe was waiting until three years had passed before taking the throne, mimicking a tradition sometimes observed on the continent, but nothing is explicitly said. Instead, we see that on the 24th day of the 3rd month there was another amnesty across the realm,  and we are explicitly told that crimes that hadn't been pardoned in ordinary amnesties were also excepted in this amnesty.  Amnesties typically seem to be part of merit-making to either prevent disaster or to celebrate something auspicious.  Was this clearing the way for the ascension ceremony to take place?  Or had something befallen the royal family? We aren't given many details, but on the 13th day of the 4th month, we are simply told that Crown Prince Kusakabe died.  We aren't told that he had previously been ill, or that anything in particular had happened.  It is just a simple line in the text.  And yet, this must have had tremendously serious consequences.  I think we can fairly safely assume that he was prepared to ascend the throne—unless he was thinking of pulling something like Naka no Oe and running things from behind the scenes.  However, there is plenty of evidence that Uno no Sarara was more likely to be the one to step back and be the power in the shadow.  She had operated from that position before. Whatever the plan was, clearly that plan was no more.  Crown Prince Kusakabe was dead, and his only heir was still a young child.  He also had no brothers to take the throne.  The Chronicles don't mention it, but this must have been a moment of incredible weakness for the court and the Queen.  History as we know it could have turned out very differently from this point. Also, sidebar—Prince Kusakabe's death is recorded on the 13th day of the 4th month.  While 13 would not necessarily be an inauspicious day until the Western superstition was introduced in recent times, the number 4 has long been associated with death because the pronunciation, "Shi" is the same as—or at least very similar to—the pronunciation of the character for death.  This is also the case in Chinese, and so the number four is often avoided and seen as unlucky.  Sometimes hotels will skip both the 4th and 13th floors in Asia to avoid any inauspicious vibes.  In Japanese, the numbers 4—"Shi" and seven—"Shichi"—will often be pronounced with their kun'yomi readings, so "yon" and "nana" respectively.  So I just find it rather an unfortunate coincidence that Crown Prince Kusakabe died on the 13th day of the 4th month.  Yikes. Anyway, if there was any wavering or grief by Uno no Sarara, it isn't mentioned in the Chronicles.  They continue to march on.  Later that same month, Prince Kasuga passed away.  Prince Kasuga was a non-royal prince, and the death of Prince Kasuga and the Crown Prince were met with an equal lack of fanfare or explanation.  Compare to the death of Prince Ohotsu, who was given an entire eulogy about how he was really well liked. Instead, the Chronicle simply moves on.  The rest of the year passes by as though nothing had happened.  The government continued with Uno no Sarara at its head.  In the first day of the first month of the following year, Uno no Sarara formally ascended to the royal dignity in a ceremony where Mononobe no Maro set up the shields, Nakatomi no Ohoshima recited a prayer for the blessings of Heaven, and Imbe no Shikofuchi delivered the divine seal, sword, and mirror to her majesty.  At that point all of the ministers and government officials made their obeisance in turn, clapping their hands as  they did so. One has to wonder if this ceremony wasn't a little bittersweet, given everything that had happened. A few things about the ceremony to note.  First are the three families mentioned:  Despite the fact that the Mononobe house had been defeated by the Soga centuries back, here they stand in their traditional role as soldiers, raising up the shield.  Then we see Nakatomi no Ohoshima—earlier mentioned as Fujiwara no Ohoshima—as the director of the Ministry of Kami matters, handling the ceremony.  And then there is the Imbe, in some ways the rival to the Nakatomi and their descendants, the Fujiwara, who is handling the regalia. Also of note is that the three regalia here are not the jewel, sword, and mirror, but the seal, sword, and mirror.  We mentioned this many episodes back when we had seen these same three used for the ascension ceremony, and noted then that a royal seal appears to be used, rather than mention of a jewel.  The character used, on the continent, referred to the imperial seal of the dynasty, which itself would have been carved into jade, or a jewel.  And in Japan the character is also said to refer to the "Yasakani-magatama", the sacred jewel.  So was it the jewel, and they just called it the seal?  Or is that a later attribution to try and maintain the concept that the three regalia remained the same?  I couldn't honestly say, but either way we see the concept of these three regalia as central to the ceremony. And with that, Uno no Sarara, known to us as Jitou Tennou, ascended the throne.  She would continue the process of making updates to the court and to the laws and regulations.  She would also see the creation of the Fujiwara palace and accompanying city—designed as the first permanent capital city in all of Japan.  She would also take a hard line with Silla and make her mark on the world stage, as well.  But we'll talk about that in future episodes. And so, until next time, 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.

This Week on the Toy Power Podcast; we are all back together again in the studio; ready to share our latest exciting Stories of Adventure! Scot traveled to Melbourne & caught the 20th Anniversary of Wrestle Rock; as well as the Evil Dead -Musical; along with his partner Jo, Brett & Sarah. Frank traveled with his Family to Japan, & soaked in the awesome atmosphere & Culture! Including the height of Cherry Blossom Season! Disneyland certainly proved to be the happiest place on earth; plus creating new friends too! Ben car-pooled with Davey to Ballarat Victoria, for the incredibly entertaining Live Recording of Passive Aggressive ep 200! Then a trip to Melbourne to catch Renegades Of Wrestling! Trent & Fam adventured to Japan too - with some amazing stories of Universal Studios & Toy Hunting as far as his feet could take him!! Then we bring it back to our local area; in which Ben, Frank & Scot attended Brett & Sarah's: Adelaide Comic & Toy Fair event! We each sold there & had the best day! With all said above - you can only imagine what we each come together to get amped-up about.... Our Latest Scores! This is a rather big boost from each of us; as we shout-out the goodies we have got from all over the place!! All this & more - enjoy this extended ep!Support the show: http://patreon.com/toypowerpodcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Another episode, another new reign--same old problems.  This episode we talk about what happened after Ohoama, aka Temmu Tenno, passed away.  We'll touch on the fact that it wasn't entirely a smooth transition, and there are certainly hints that not everyone was in agreement as to what should happen.  And then there were other problems, such that the heir apparent never actually took the throne.  So what happened? For more information on the main characters in this episode, check out the blogpost at https://sengokudaimyo.com/podcast/episode-147  (Also apologies ahead of time--my voice was not in great shape, and that may come through on the audio) Rough Transcript Welcome to Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan.  My name is Joshua, and this is episode 147: Here We Go Again   Iki no Hakatoko looked around the spacious room and recognized many of the faces he saw there.  There were various nobles from around the court present.  All of them were familiar, even if they were not the closest of acquaintances—they ran in similar circles and were connected to each other over various political positions.  Some were connected by marriage, some were just allies, and others were almost rivals—but they were all there for a common cause. The open chamber had been buzzing as all of those elites of Yamato talked about why they might have gathered.  Of course, the big news was the death of the sovereign.  Ohoama had passed away, and the court was formally in mourning. And yet the government seemed stable.    The Queen was at the helm, guiding t he government, and her son was beside her as the Crown Prince.  So what was everyone doing here, gathering for what they could only assume were… other options? Finally, the buzzing started to die down as the doors to the chamber were closed and guards posted.  And then, the host for the discussion arrived, as Royal Prince Ohotsu stepped out and greeted all of his soon-to-be co-conspirators….     This episode, at long last, we are about to dive into a new reign.  And if you haven't picked up by now, this, the end of the 7th century, was a turbulent time.  Although the court had been instituting reforms to be more like the courts on the continent—and it wasn't like Ohoama died without any heir whatsoever—things were still unstable.  I know, shocker, right? So what happened? Let's go over the history some, and the main players, and then we can see what happened and the aftermath. Before that, however, let's talk about what we might expect to have happened, if everything had worked like clockwork. While Ohoama passed away in 686, it wasn't as if he hadn't made any plans.  His wife and Queen, Uno no Sarara, was deeply entrenched in governmental affairs, and their son, Prince Kusakabe, had been named Crown Prince in 681.  This meant that both were in positions of significant power within the current government.  All things being equal, and assuming a Confucian model, one would expect that upon Ohoama's passing, Kusakabe would step up and take the reins of the government, ascending to the throne as the new ruler.  Uno would oversee the transition and take her place as the Queen Mother, remaining in the palace and helping to shepherd the new rule, while one of Kusakabe's wives—probably Abe-hime, who, like her half-sister Uno, was also a daughter of Naka no Oe—would become his queen. And yet that is not what happened.  Prince Kusakabe does not show up in our list of sovereigns, and we are told he never ascended the throne.  Instead, his mother, Uno no Sarara, came to power.  So what exactly happened?  Why would she not have handed over power to her only son and set him up on the throne?  To understand all of that, I think there are several things we need to discuss, first of them being just how tenuous and fragile transitions like this were. If you've been listening to the podcast for a while, you might be nodding in agreement with this statement: for more than a century, at this point, whatever high-minded ideals the rulers of Yamato may have espoused, their path to the throne had been covered in blood.  Let's roll back to the events of 587.  We talked about this in Episode 91, when the Soga and Mononobe families had each lined up behind different aspirants to the royal throne.  The Mononobe were a powerful family, known to be warriors for the throne, and the head of the Mononobe, the Ohomuraji, Moriya, was one of the most influential people at court.  However, in recent years, the Soga family had been on the rise.  Soga no Iname had married his daughters to members of the royal family, and he and his son, Umako, were known as the Ohoomi.  The Mononobe were not having it with these uppity newcomers, but the Soga seem to have built their power, anyway, likely using their connections to the continent to do so.  In a series of succession disputes, the Soga came out on top, defeating the Mononobe and eventually killing Moriya.  It was a bloody fight, but eventually the Soga's royal relatives won out. This brought Hasebe Wakasasagi, aka Sushun Tennou, to the throne.  For a time, Wakasasagi and Soga no Umako ruled the land, but eventually Wakasasagi grew suspicious of Umako—perhaps jealous of his power.  He considered taking him out, but Umako caught wind and had the sovereign assassinated, instead.  Umako then put his own niece, Kashikiya Hime, on the throne, where most know her as Suiko Tennou. Kashikiya was no stranger to the court, having served as the wife of her own half-brother, Nunakura, aka Bidatsu Tennou.  Kashikya is thought to have been a compromise candidate, chosen specifically to avert any further power struggles.  Certainly, Umako did not want a repeat performance of what had just happened with Wakasasagi.  And though she reigned, power was apparently shared between Soga no Umako, Kashikiya Hime, and Kashikiya Hime's nephew—Umako's grandnephew—Crown Prince Umayado, aka the legendary Shotoku Taishi.   By all rights, it seemed like things should have gone smoothly.  Umako, the eldest, would pass away to be succeeded by his niece, and it would make sense that after Kashikiya Hime's passing, Umayado would assume the throne.  Instead, Umayado would be the first to pass, creating uncertainty as to the future of the throne.  Then Umako would follow several years later.  Finally, Suiko would pass away soon thereafter. So, in about six years the three most powerful people in court all passed away.  Soga no Umako's son, Soga no Emishi, was still coming out from under his father's shadow.  Furthermore, it was not clear who should sit the throne—should it be Prince Yamashiro no Oe, the son of the Crown Prince, Umayado?  After all, his father would have likely inherited the throne and then it would have no doubt been passed to him.  And yet, there was another contender: Prince Tamura.  Ultimately Soga no Emishi backed Prince Tamura, a man with ties to Nunakura through both his father and mother, and yet who was not truly a royal prince in that his own parents had never held the throne.  Then again, neither had Umayado.  Eventually, Prince Yamashiro no Oe would back down from his claim to avoid bloodshed—and yet blood would be shed anyway.  When Prince Tamura died,  in an apparent bid to keep Soga power and quash any resistance before it started up, Soga no Emishi had Tamura's wife, Takara hime, aka Kougyoku Tennou, installed—but Prince Yamashiro no Ohoe was still alive, and his heirs were still out there.  Soga no Emishi appeared to be content, but his son and heir, Soga no Iruka, was not. And when his father was ill and Iruka had a free hand, he ordered the destruction of Prince Yamashiro no Oe, presumably to avoid a future challenge to the throne and thus to the Soga family's hold on power. This move shocked many, and rather than preventing conflict, it seems to have stirred up ill feelings against the Soga for their heavy hand in the politics of the period.  This would lead Prince Naka no Ohoe and several co-conspirators to rise up, killing Soga no Iruka in court, and then attacking his father, Soga no Emishi, in their home.  See episode 106 for more on that, known as the Isshi Incident.  Naka no Ohoe and his supporters would take their place in the court, but Naka no Ohoe would not ascend to the throne, himself – at least not yet.  Instead, he took the position of Crown Prince, and his uncle, Prince Karu,aka Kotoku Tennou,  took the throne.  However, that still left a loose end.  Prince Furubito no Oe, who had appeared to be the favorite for the throne under the Soga, was still alive.  Furubito no Oe was the son of Tamura and a Soga consort—Hotei no Iratsume, the daughter of Soga no Umako.  Although the Chronicles do not mention it, he seems to have been well placed to be Crown Prince in place of Naka no Oe, especially in a Soga dominated court.  Without that backing, however, his claim may not have been quite so strong.  He had gone into exile in Yoshino, but opponents of Naka no Oe's faction and their bloody coup began to use him as a rallying point.  It is unclear if Prince Furubito himself had any ambitions, but the fact remained that he was a threat, nonetheless, and Prince Naka no Oe had him taken out. By controlling things from behind the throne, Prince Naka no Oe seems to have been able to keep things fairly stable.  When his uncle Karu  passed away, the throne went back to his mother, who is known as Saimei Tennou in her second reign, but Naka no Oe was still in a place of considerable power, and the continuity likely helped keep things on track.  Then Takara Hime passed away in the midst of a national crisis—the mobilization to support Baekje against the Silla-Tang alliance.  That military effort turned out to be less than successful, but by that point, there does not seem to have been much question over who was in charge – it was finally Naka no Oe's turn to take the throne, and he did, as Tenji Tennou. And so it wasn't until Naka no Oe's own death that we again see major violence.  Naka no Oe's brother, Ohoama, is said to have been the Crown Prince, but then Naka no Oe's son, Ohotomo, came of age.  He was made the Dajo Daijin and supported by the most powerful nobles in court.   It is clear that there were divergent factions within the court itself, though, with some supporting Ohotomo and others supporting Ohoama.  In the midst of this, Ohoama chose to bow out, at least while his brother Naka no Oe was still on the throne.  However, Ohotomo and his supporters could not leave Ohoama out there as a loose end.  They knew that he still had a claim and supporters, and they started to make plans to move against him after Naka no Oe's death.  They were too slow, however—Ohoama caught word and moved against the court, instead.  In a bloody struggle that upended the politics of the court one more time, Ohoama came to the throne.  That struggle, the Jinshin no Ran, was covered in detail in episodes 129 to 132. So if we look back we can see that for all of the thoughts of inheritance and legitimacy, most of those who had ascended the throne had done so by eliminating their rivals—either before or just after they assumed the royal mantle.  As such, this is something that Ohoama was, himself, quite concerned about, and he took several steps to try to avoid a repeat of this scenario. First, and perhaps somewhat confusingly, he ensured that those in positions of authority in the government were largely tied by blood to the royal family.  The royal and non-royal princes were all nominally related in one way, shape, or form.  If nothing else this meant that the nobility— those elites without direct blood ties to the throne—were not, themselves, gaining the kind of power and authority that had previously been given out to families like the Ohotomo, the Mononobe, and the Soga.  We don't even hear that much about the relatives of Nakatomi no Kamatari, who had achieved such heights under Naka no Oe that he had become the Naidaijin, the great minister of the interior. One might think that this system still had issues, however.  After all, each princely line had their own tie to a previous sovereign, and we've certainly seen times where a sovereign came in out of left field, with a nominal, but hardly convincing, connection to the throne.  This is particularly true in a time when succession was still not necessarily a strictly patrilineal custom; where it was not unusual for a senior family member to take up the mantle of leadership, rather than just the first-born son of the current ruler. And that seems to be why Ohoama also held the Yoshino conference with his immediate family members in 679.  This included his Queen Consort, Uno; the Royal Prince Kusakabe, the Royal Prince Ohotsu, the Royal Prince Takechi, the Royal Prince Kawashima, the Royal Prince Osakabe, and the Royal Prince Shiki.  These were sons of both Ohoama and Naka no Oe, but they were all considered to be loyal insiders of the royal family.  Ohoama had them swear to work together and to protect one another.  And yet, as we shall see, that promise does not seem to have survived Ohoama himself. So let's talk about some of these characters, now that we are here at another question of succession.  We'll start with the Queen herself, Uno no Sarara. Uno was born in 645, the daughter of Naka no Oe and a consort, Wochi no Iratsume, daughter of Soga no Yamada no Ishikawa no Maro.  Ishikawa no Maro had been a powerful ally of Naka no Oe, assisting with the overthrow of his own uncle and cousin, Soga no Emishi and Soga no Iruka.  In turn, he seems to have become the head of the Soga family.  Despite the rhetoric that the Soga family was destroyed, it was more that the power of Emishi and Iruka was broken.  Ishikawa no Maro had parlayed his assistance into another means to access power at the court, and married his own daughter to Naka no Oe.  That worked until it didn't—enemies in court slandered Ishikawa no Maro and Naka no Oe had him killed in 649. Wochi no Iratsume would have three children with Naka no Oe.  The eldest was Princess Ota, followed by Princess Uno, and finally Prince Takeru.  There is a theory that she died in 651, giving birth to Prince Takeru.  Prince Takeru himself would only survive a short while passing away in 658.  He was only seven years old. Both Princess Ohota and Princess Uno were married off to their uncle, Prince Ohoama.  Princess Ohota was the elder of the two, and bore Princess Ohoku and Prince Ohotsu, whom we'll discuss in a bit.  However, Princess Ohota passed away in 667, during the reign of Naka no Oe, and so did not play as big a role in the politics of the day as her younger sister. Uno, on the other hand, appears to have been Ohoama's ride-or-die.  They were married when she was only thirteen years old, and she followed him when he and Naka no Oe went to Kyushu to oversee the war on the peninsula.  It was there that she gave birth to her first and only son in 662.  She left the court behind to follow Ohoama to Yoshino, along with their son, Prince Kusakabe.  She then followed Ohoama on his lightning blitz through the mountains over to the east.  It is said that while he went on to the front, she maintained a place in the relative safety of the land of Mie.  From there she likely organized the rearguard and would have been involved with the back-end logistics.  She is also said to have made particular entreaties to the deities of Ise shrine, and may have had a hand in raising the Shrine to greater prominence during the reign of Ohoama and later. A key note is the fact that, when Ohoama became ill, and could not effectively manage the affairs of state, Uno stepped in and made sure that things continued to operate.  And so, when Ohoama finally passed away, his projects were not simply left hanging—his queen and consort, Uno no Sarara, was there to see that everything remained on track. As queen, Uno's son, Prince Kusakabe, was the favorite to succeed his father.  In fact, in 681, he was named Crown Prince at the age of 19.  Kusakabe had even married his own aunt, Princess Abe—his mother's half-sister.  Princess Abe was another daughter of Naka no Oe and a Soga related consort; in this case it was Wochi no Iratsume's younger sister, Mehi no Iratsume—sometimes called Sakurai no Iratsume.  I should note that Princess Abe was only about 20 years old in 681, only a year older than the Crown Prince, so it isn't like there was a huge age gap between them, even if he was technically marrying his own aunt.  Still, they had already had a child between them the year before, in 680—this was Princess Hidaka or Niimi.  Two years later, in 683, they had another child, Prince Karu, and later we know that they had a third child, Princess Kibi.  This is all a pretty good start for a future sovereign, and Kusakabe seems to have been on track to succeed his father. By all rights, it seems that Kusakabe should have stepped up in 686 to take the throne, but that was not to be.  Instead, his mother, Queen Uno no Sarara, would retain her place at the head of the government.  It is possible that this was meant to be merely temporary —there were still many things to be taken care of.  With Ohoama's death there were numerous rituals having to do with his interment, and the Crown Prince, Kusakabe, appears to have been integral to those events.  Whereas we may have previously seen powerful nobles step up, with the increased influence of Confucianism, it makes sense that a son would be responsible for ensuring that things were taken care of.   There was also the issue of a new palace that would need to be built, and the court would need to prepare for the various enthronement ceremonies.  After all, Naka no Oe himself wasn't formally enthroned for three years into his supposed reign. And just like his grandfather, as Crown Prince, Kusakabe maintained a powerful portfolio at the court that would still allow him to have a heavy hand on the rudder of the ship of state.  In fact, had things gone differently, then the Chroniclers may have simply counted these early years as part of Kusakabe's reign, as they had done with Naka no Oe. And all that would have been great—except that, despite all those nice family agreements at Yoshino, there were others who seem to have had designs on the throne. The first claim that likely could have been made was by Prince Takechi.  Prince Takechi—written as Takaichi, like the district of the same name—was technically the eldest son of Ohoama.  He had been called to Ohoama's side during the Jinshin no Ran, and given nominal control over the troops waiting to cross the pass from Ohowari into Afumi.  This was likely more of a sinecure, however; Prince Takechi was still quite young, and while the position would no doubt teach him much about organization and leadership, I certainly hope that there were more experienced individuals assisting him. However, for all of that, Prince Takechi had a major strike against him In the form of his parentage.  Although he was Ohoama's eldest son, his mother was not a royal princess.  Instead she was Amago no Iratsume, the daughter of the powerful head of the Munakata family, Munakata no Tokusen. Munakata was a powerful area on the northwest coast of Tsukushi—modern Kyushu.  It is famous for the three Munakata shrines.  The outer, or Hetsu, shrine is on the land, but the middle shrine is on the island of Ohoshima, 11 kilometers from the Hetsu shrine.  Then the Oki, or deep sea, shrine is on the aptly named Okinoshima, another 49 kilometers past that, out in the middle of the Genkai Sea, the body of water between Kyushu, Tsushima, and the Korean peninsula.  Even today, Okinoshima is considered a sacred place, and has never been developed: even today, only those closely associated with the shrine are allowed to set foot there.  Because of that we can see something remarkable, as Okinoshima was held as sacred for hundreds of years, during which time, offerings were regularly made to the kami there, presumably for safe passage across the waters.  These offerings have accumulated over the centuries and serve as a fascinating glimpse back into the history of the shrine and of the relations between the archipelago and the peninsula. The land of Munakata—and by extension the rulers, or Kimi—appear to have had not inconsiderable influence over the trade back and forth across the ocean to the continent.  This is further corroborated by the wealth left at Okinoshima and elsewhere, as well as by large kofun nearby, thought to be those of the ruling family of the area.  This would have no doubt been a powerful and prestigious family to be allied with, especially in Ohoama's role as a Prince.  However, despite all of that, they were not, ultimately, a royal family.   That would seem to have made Prince Takechi ineligible to take the throne—at least without some serious backing and perhaps a little re-working of his parentage. And this brings us to the third eldest son of Ohoama:  Prince Ohotsu.  Unlike Prince Takechi, Prince Ohotsu was the son of a royal princess—Princess Ohota.  In fact, not only was she a royal princess, but she was the sister to Queen Uno.  And Prince Ohotsu was born only a year later than Prince Kusakabe.  Furthermore, during the Jinshin no Ran, Prince Ohotsu was called to Ohoama's side, along with his half-brother, Prince Takechi, and he is specifically mentioned in that role, despite the fact that he was still too young to have played much of a role.  Like Prince Kusakabe, Prince Ohotsu was in his early twenties. So if we put Kusakabe and Ohotsu side-by-side, we can see that they have a lot of similar qualifications. Both were the sons of Ohoama by daughters of Naka no Oe, giving them double-royal lineages.  Their mothers were even full sisters, so they were both great-grandsons of Soga no Ishikawa no Maro, for whatever that means.  Kusakabe was older by a day, but Ohotsu's mother was the eldest of the two sisters.  But for the fact that his mother had passed away, she could possibly have been declared Queen, and Ohotsu might have ended up as Crown Prince, instead of Kusakabe.  Even if something had simply befallen Kusakabe, Ohotsu likely would have been able to step in, especially since Kusakabe had no full-blooded siblings, himself. The reign of Ohoama is replete with examples of Kusakabe, Ohotsu, and Takechi often acting together or being given honors together.  While it is always clear to rank them in that order, it is also clear that all three seemed to hold a place of high esteem.   What we don't seem to see is any ill will between them—but then again, the Chronicles rarely give much attention to anyone who is not the sovereign except to mention them in passing.  As such, we get only a simple sentence in the record, dated barely two weeks after Ohoama's passing, that Prince Ohotsu conspired against the Crown Prince, which is to say, Prince Kusakabe. As is so frustratingly often the case we aren't told how he was conspiring.  Clearly, it refers to succession and we can see that it wouldn't take much for Ohotsu to gather support and place himself on the throne—had that occurred, we likely would see some differences in the Chronicles as well.  However, as it stood, the conspiracy came to naught.  We are told that about one more week later, after the temporary interment of Ohoama's body and the many, many days spent eulogizing him and those around him—seriously, the Chronicles go into way too much detail, which is great for giving us a lot of details on people in the court and their court ranks, but otherwise is mostly paragraphs of names of individuals who were likely important enough for the Chroniclers to ensure that they got at least a mention. It was after that was finished that we are told that Prince Ohotsu's conspiracy was discovered.  He had the support of some thirty nobles, including a priest from Silla and the famous Iki no Muraji no Hakatoko—the one who had written the detailed account of the embassy that had been held under arrest by the Tang court, which we talked about back in Episode 123.  The point is these were people with some amount of clout and who moved in important circles, and for thirty of them to be in Ohotsu's camp might not seem like much, but that doesn't begin to illuminate all of the people that they would have brought with them to the party.  Furthermore, once they went public, who knows how many others might have joined them.  Fortunately for Kusakabe—and unfortunately for Ohotsu—the would-be conspiracy was quashed and quashed hard.  We are told that it was discovered on the second day of the tenth month of 686—less than 30 days after Ohoama's death—and the Queen herself, Uno no Sarara, stepped in and had Ohotsu executed at his own mansion in Wosada.  She then issued a royal decree, stating to everyone that Ohotsu had committed treason, and that the punishment for treason was death.  She also stated that those who had assisted him were also guilty, and should likewise receive the same sentence, except that she was going to be merciful.  And so she ended up pardoning Prince Ohotsu's co-conspirators.  The only exceptions were Toki no Michidzukuri, who was banished to Idzu, and the Silla priest, who was exiled to a temple in Hida.  While we aren't told what roles they played, those two apparently were considered more complicit than the others. A few days later, Prince Ohotsu's sister, Princess Oku, was recalled from her position as the shrine princess of Ise.  It is unclear if this is related, but it seems relevant given the proximity of the two events. There is one other thing I should likely mention, and that seems to come from the Kaifuso.  The Kaifuso is a collection of continental style poetry from the 8th century, similar to the Man'yoshu, but with a different focus.  In both works they often given some description of the authors of the poems, which provide us more information on the people of the time.  For instance, the Kaifuso speaks favorably of Prince Ohotomo, Ohoama's rival in the Jinshin no Ran, and seems more than a little sympathetic towards him and his cause, compared to the way he is treated in the Nihon Shoki's main narrative.  In regards to our current point in the narrative and the treason of Prince Ohotsu the Kaifuso tells us that Prince Ohotsu was ratted out to the Queen by none other than his best friend, Prince Kawashima.  Prince Kawashima was another one of the princes who had been called to Yoshino and who had pledged to work together.  He was not Ohotsu's brother or even half-brother, however, as Kawashima was the son of Naka no Oe.  He was actually a good deal older than Ohoama's actual sons, but apparently trusted by Ohoama at the same time.  The Kaifuso also seems to tell us that Kawashima was rewarded for his efforts by the court. The only problem is that the Nihon Shoki, our primary source, tells us none of this.  Not only is Prince Kawashima not mentioned in regards to the plot, neither is he mentioned as having received any kind of reward or gift by the court.  That doesn't mean the Kaifuso is wrong, but it does raise the question. Similarly, it is just as easy to suggest that the Nihon Shoki itself may be covering up what actually happened.  After all, we only have one side of the story.  What if there wasn't a conspiracy?  Or what if the conspiracy were of the Queen's making, instead.  Prince Ohotsu was clearly popular, and had a reasonable claim to the throne.  That was a threat to her own son's eventual ascension.  It is possible that the Queen, Uno no Sarara, saw a threat and decided to do away with it, herself, keeping her own son's hands relatively clean in the process. Whatever the truth, we likely will never know, and so this is all we have to go on.  Whether it was an actual conspiracy or just the paranoid  concerns of a queen and mother, it is clear that it was not yet enough to have an heir named—there was always the possibility for these things to go sideways and for someone else to jump in with a claim of their own. For all of that, while it seems that Prince Kusakabe was intended to ascend to the throne, for one reason or another, that was delayed.  For some three years, as we've mentioned, Kusakabe and his mother ruled as Queen and Crown Prince, perhaps just because they were handling Ohoama's burial and the creation of a new palace from which Kusakabe himself could then reign.  Unfortunately, it seems that time accomplished what Prince Ohotsu and his conspirators could not, and in 689, Prince Kusakabe passed away.  Shortly thereafter, the Queen, Uno no Sarara, ascended to the throne herself.  This appears to have been because Kusakabe's own son and heir, Royal Prince Karu, was only about 6 years old, having been born in 683, and his daughter was only 9.  So rather than giving up the throne to some other woman's child, Uno no Sarara took the throne for herself.  She is remembered, today, as Jitou Tennou. Jitou Tennou continued to work the initiatives that had been pushed forward during the reign of her husband.  These were projects that she herself was quite familiar with, and in fact, many of the projects are sometimes thought to have been hers, with attribution given to her husband just to give it a greater air of legitimacy.  Ultimately, however, she would oversee some quite formidable changes, even if many of them started in the previous reign or not. And so begins the last reign of the Nihon Shoki, covering the years 686 to 697.  The Nihon Shoki itself wouldn't be complete and presented to the court for another 23 years or so, and yet this is where they chose to leave off.  Perhaps that is because of when it was started, or they just didn't have all the records ready for anything beyond.  They clearly had to end somewhere, after all.  And given that both Ohoama and Uno had such a hand in many of the changes, perhaps it just made sense to end here.  Much of what would come would set the tone for centuries to come. There is one more thing that I want to address in all of this.  We've talked about the lineages of the various individuals, who trace their lineages back to either powerful noble families, like the Soga, or to specific sovereigns.  There is a tendancy by some to talk about Ohoama having started what some would call the Temmu Dynasty.  The idea being that Ohoama's offspring would continue to reign for a time, displacing the offspring of his brother, Naka no Oe.  Then, at a later date, Naka no Oe's line would reassert itself. This seems to be pretty clear cut from a strictly patrilineal viewpoint of royal succession, but I think it ignores a lot about the cultural aspects of the time.  For one thing, descent was about both the father AND the mother, and too often people discount the mother's influence, when, in fact, the mother most likely had more influence in the raising of children than did a royal father.  After all, we don't exactly get a lot of anecdotes about sovereigns spending quality time with their children—and I don't think calling them to help you on campaign counts.  To be fair we get hardly any anecdotes about children.  But we also see that sovereigns were having multiple children with multiple consorts.  Naka no Oe is said to have had about 14 children—possibly more.  I count 17 children for Ohoama.  And we see the ages spread out across the sovereigns' lifetimes, with some children being born at a point that they had not even attained the age of majority by the time their father passed away.  Put another way, look at how Prince Kusakabe was able to marry his own aunt, who was only a year older than he was.  Clearly there was a bit of an age difference between siblings.  I don't imagine that they were being raised by their father, necessarily, but probably by their mothers and the servants at the palace, generally. I would also point out that Ohoama included both his own children as well as children of his brother in the Yoshino conference, further indicating that he did not have any specific intention to entirely shut out the his brother's line. And then there is Uno no Sarara.  She was Ohoama's spouse, but also the daughter of Naka no Oe.  Are we to think that she stopped being her father's daughter because she married someone? That doesn't mean that labels might not be helpful in some ways, but I just don't want to over emphasize the familial or dynastic connections.  Brothers regularly turned on each other, and blood ties were no guarantee of cordial relations.  In fact, only maternal siblings—those with the same mother—were actually considered true siblings in most cases.  That's how they justified so much of what we would consider incest in the royal family in the first place. So while I do think that Ohoama and Uno tweaked the system set up by Naka no Oe and made their own impression on Yamato and, by extension, Japanese culture, I just don't want to read too much into the lineages.  The stories of politics and royal succession are often much more involved and complex. And hopefully, we'll get to see how complex as we continue on down this path.  For now, I think I'm going to leave it here, and so, until next time, 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.

Liege Maximo has hit US retail — and Big Convoy is coming with him whether you like it or not. The crew also digs into the Takara Tomy MPG-20 Hot Rod (same transformation, five times the price), and new comparison shots of the G2 Stunticons confirm the Takara set is the one to have — though JT Prime says the Hasbro versions are closer than you think. In What We Got: Diecast adds FansToys Long Haul to push his Devastator build to four of six, and Brian lands the big one — a boxed, complete G1 Grand Maximus, the piece he never expected to find. RFC 982.

Liege Maximo has hit US retail — and Big Convoy is coming with him whether you like it or not. The crew also digs into the Takara Tomy MPG-20 Hot Rod (same transformation, five times the price), and new comparison shots of the G2 Stunticons confirm the Takara set is the one to have — though JT Prime says the Hasbro versions are closer than you think. In What We Got: Diecast adds FansToys Long Haul to push his Devastator build to four of six, and Brian lands the big one — a boxed, complete G1 Grand Maximus, the piece he never expected to find. RFC 982.

This Week on the Toy Power Podcast; we once again welcome Special Guest Brett Owen into the studio! With his incredible insightful knowledge & overall Collection too; of Mattel's Secret Wars Toyline! With an impressive Roster of characters from all around the Marvel Universe! Kicking off in the early 80s; including a very impressive assortment of Vehicles & Playset. Brett drops some fact bombs that shock the Toy Power team; and he also has some great Toys from his personal collection to chat towards - including (but not limited to); the Doom Copter & Freedom Fighter sets. Then after a fantastic response from our listeners; Trent digs out another retro issue of ToyFare Magazine - in the new segment dubbed: From The Archives! With a look-back at the previous Top-10 list from Toyfare issue #11; how does that stand up against an apparently Fan-Voted 64 Action Figure Tournament -from the pages of ToyFare issue #38?!?! A fun guessing game for the crew; as they try & guess who will be (or was), the Overall Winner?! Do you agree; or were your own guesses different to ours? Enjoy!! Check out Brett on Instagram: @MyNameIsBrett & be sure to follow the Adelaide Comic & Toy Fair on all Social Media platforms! Support the show: http://patreon.com/toypowerpodcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This Week on the Toy Power Podcast; after a flawless start without Frank; we get the ball rolling with Special Guest Brett Owen; assisting us with his one good leg! Latest News starts off with a personal addition to Ben's family in the form of a Four-Legged Friend named: Ziggy! Then we venture into the Plastic Meat Ball world of Battle Of The Planets! Mego have a neat exclusive Marvel set that looks very faithful, but has proved difficult to obtain in the past. YHS continue to entertain the Head-Lines with a New Cyptoids announcement in the form of: Bat-Boy! McFarlane & Entertainment Earth combine forces with a tease of more Super Powers figures.... Plus more announcements of G.I. Joe Classified Figures from the latest Hasbro Pulse Livestream. Then Ben goes down the Rabbit-Hole of a New-ish Modern Toyline that genuinely has something for all; including offers for the die-hard Vintage Toy fans too!! To get a more information & potentially purchase the "Rover Robin" offers; please check out: https://pearia.co (or Google PeariA for your nearest potential stockist of these high quality toys.) Check out Brett on Instagram: @MyNameIsBrett & be sure to follow the Adelaide Comic & Toy Fair on all Social Media platformsSupport the show: http://patreon.com/toypowerpodcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Takara rolls out a new G2 combiner, the Beast Wars Predacons get their own 30th anniversary collection, and did anyone ask for an Autobot Symbol transformer? All this and much, much more on this episode of TransMissions! Order our exclusive Skybound Transformers #1 comic with cover art by E.J. Su! Want some TransMissions swag? Check out our online shop, powered by Dashery! Show Notes: If you enjoy TransMissions, please rate us and subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify! These ratings greatly help podcasts become more discoverable to other people using those services and is an easy way to help out our show. Contact us: Continue reading The post Episode 688 – What Are We Doing? appeared first on TransMissions Podcast Network.

Takara rolls out a new G2 combiner, the Beast Wars Predacons get their own 30th anniversary collection, and did anyone ask for an Autobot Symbol transformer? All this and much, much more on this episode of TransMissions! Order our exclusive Skybound Transformers #1 comic with cover art by E.J. Su! Want some TransMissions swag? Check out our online shop, powered by Dashery! Show Notes: If you enjoy TransMissions, please rate us and subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify! These ratings greatly help podcasts become more discoverable to other people using those services and is an easy way to help out our show. Contact us: Continue reading The post Episode 688 – What Are We Doing? appeared first on TransMissions Podcast Network.

Ben is still recovering so the three Musketeers are at it again. Scot takes us on a trip across the galaxy and comic book history as we look at what might just be the first ever comic book crossover super team. Avengers? Justice League? Never heard of em. Make mine: Defenders of the Earth. These guys are so old school, Scot has to explain where the term "Pulp" Action Heroes comes from! Going a little less further back in time, Trent debuts a new segment called "From the Archives" where we delve into the mind of 1990s Toyfare Magazine writers to see just what they were smoking. And much like the 90s itself, things are a little, funky. We also preview another new segment and some of our upcoming international travels! It's all happening! Support the show: http://patreon.com/toypowerpodcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This Week on the Toy Power Podcast; we get the ball rolling with another Classic Round of The Team. This episode focusing on two unique 80's Toy Properties that are much larger than majority of your other Action-Figures in your ToyBox. Centurions & Bravestarr; join forces to build the Ultimate Good-Guys Crew! Consisting of the stand-out Characters that fit the criteria of: Leader, Muscle, Specialist & Wheelman. Plus an Iconic Vehicle they can get around in! (Spoiler alert, there aren't many characters to pull from this round, so be ready for some clear winners & some heated debate too! Then in our second segment for the episode; we lean on another staple classic topic: Show & Tell. With a VERY mixed bag of Toys to chat towards, its an overall fun round table discussion around what each of us have brought in; as well as why each item is special in it's own right. Enjoy! Support the show: http://patreon.com/toypowerpodcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Blokees reveals a new set of vehicle mode non-transforming figures, Newage shows off a new mini-sized Wreck-Gar, and Takara has a new set of Dramatic Capture figures inspired by… Revenge of the Fallen?! All this and much, much more on this episode of TransMissions! Order our exclusive Skybound Transformers #1 comic with cover art by E.J. Su! Want some TransMissions swag? Check out our online shop, powered by Dashery! Show Notes: If you enjoy TransMissions, please rate us and subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify! These ratings greatly help podcasts become more discoverable to other people using those services and is an easy way to help out our show. Contact us: Continue reading The post Episode 685 – Satisfaction Guaranteed appeared first on TransMissions Podcast Network.

Blokees reveals a new set of vehicle mode non-transforming figures, Newage shows off a new mini-sized Wreck-Gar, and Takara has a new set of Dramatic Capture figures inspired by… Revenge of the Fallen?! All this and much, much more on this episode of TransMissions! Order our exclusive Skybound Transformers #1 comic with cover art by E.J. Su! Want some TransMissions swag? Check out our online shop, powered by Dashery! Show Notes: If you enjoy TransMissions, please rate us and subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify! These ratings greatly help podcasts become more discoverable to other people using those services and is an easy way to help out our show. Contact us: Continue reading The post Episode 685 – Satisfaction Guaranteed appeared first on TransMissions Podcast Network.

Let it never be said that Triple Takeover doesn't enjoy a bit of beast. Having already done deep dives into the classic Kenner line and Takara's Beast Wars II, we're back for more — and this is where things get really weird, with 1999's Beast Wars Neo. Tonight it's all about the Maximals: a crew of twelve toys that run the gamut from intriguing repaints and retools to flat-out Japanese exclusive oddities. Sixo guides Liam and Jason through the roster one figure at a time, discovering some of the more noteworthy alternate modes from the entire Beast era — not to mention the somewhat inexplicable third modes on offer. With giraffes, penguins, horses, rabbits, sharks, and of course the line's notorious tanuki, Beast Wars Neo showcases the sheer creativity (and occasional bewilderment) of late-90s Takara design philosophy. The discussion leans towards the absurd at times — that was somewhat inevitable given the subject matter — but there's genuine reverence for what is, at the end of the day, a fabulous set of classic Transformers toys. Big swings, plenty of fun, and a roster that wasn't afraid to do something different. Fair warning: this episode gets weird. But that's exactly why our Beast Wars discussions always end up being some of the most entertaining episodes we record. Let's hope we don't balls it up.—Chapters0:00:00 Intro0:06:16 Sponsor Segment: Valart0:10:36 What Is Collector Burnout?0:17:53 The Acquisition Problem & Social Media Impact0:30:37 The Benefit of Creative Pursuits0:40:01 Recognising Warning Signs & Finding Balance1:02:27 Community Connection1:13:01 Sponsor Segment: TFSource1:23:38 Final Thoughts & Patron Questions—Enjoying the show? There's more than meets the ear...Find show notes at https://www.tripletakeover.comJoin the conversation with us on DiscordSupport the podcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/tripletakeover

On this episode a new 3rd party company has a new take on G1 Star Saber, Takara announces its new military vehicle themed Overgear toyline, and Hasbro's latest fanstream shows off the newest Age of the Primes figures… All this and much, much more on this episode of TransMissions! Order our exclusive Skybound Transformers #1 comic with cover art by E.J. Su! Want some TransMissions swag? Check out our online shop, powered by Dashery! Show Notes: If you enjoy TransMissions, please rate us and subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify! These ratings greatly help podcasts become more discoverable to other people using those services and is an easy way to help out our show. Contact us: Continue reading The post Alignment | TransMissions Podcast Episode 681 appeared first on TransMissions Podcast Network.

On this episode a new 3rd party company has a new take on G1 Star Saber, Takara announces its new military vehicle themed Overgear toyline, and Hasbro's latest fanstream shows off the newest Age of the Primes figures… All this and much, much more on this episode of TransMissions! Order our exclusive Skybound Transformers #1 comic with cover art by E.J. Su! Want some TransMissions swag? Check out our online shop, powered by Dashery! Show Notes: If you enjoy TransMissions, please rate us and subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify! These ratings greatly help podcasts become more discoverable to other people using those services and is an easy way to help out our show. Contact us: Continue reading The post Alignment | TransMissions Podcast Episode 681 appeared first on TransMissions Podcast Network.

This week on Radio Free Cybertron, the crew breaks down Hasbro landing the Voltron movie toy license and what that could mean for both Hasbro and Voltron going forward. On the Transformers side, we dig into the new Nexus Prime, its plug-in combiner gimmick, and whether it's a weird half-step forward or a faceplant in the snow. There's plenty more toy talk too, including Dramatic Capture Decepticons, Studio Series 86, Takara's upcoming Overgear line, third-party upgrades, and, of course, what we got this week!

This week on Radio Free Cybertron, the crew breaks down Hasbro landing the Voltron movie toy license and what that could mean for both Hasbro and Voltron going forward. On the Transformers side, we dig into the new Nexus Prime, its plug-in combiner gimmick, and whether it's a weird half-step forward or a faceplant in the snow. There's plenty more toy talk too, including Dramatic Capture Decepticons, Studio Series 86, Takara's upcoming Overgear line, third-party upgrades, and, of course, what we got this week!

We first covered the beginnings of Transformers Generations toys with 2006's Classics line back in episode #16, but now we're back for the Takara equivalent: Henkei! Henkei! Transformers. This Japanese roster — which also spans parts of 2008's Universe line and literally translates to "Transform! Transform! Transformers" — is a jewel in the crown of mid-2000s robots in disguise.Henkei! offered surprisingly varied — and often superior — repaint choices on already beloved moulds (including some which have arguably been unfairly maligned, as we'll discuss). It's a line of creative designs, intriguing transformations, and definite ingenuity, but coupled with Takara's attention to detail when it comes to finish, it's not hard to understand why it grabbed so much attention at the time. Even if the abundance of chrome proved surprisingly divisive.We're stepping back to an era before every character received regular Generations updates every few years — a time when classic characters were brought back with real flair for doing something different, and when A-list names like Bumblebee received their first toys in years. It's not an exaggeration to say that the figures in today's spotlight set the template for Generations toys to this day, and we're here to give them their due.—Chapters0:00:00 Intro0:06:16 Sponsor Segment: Valart0:10:36 What Is Collector Burnout?0:17:53 The Acquisition Problem & Social Media Impact0:30:37 The Benefit of Creative Pursuits0:40:01 Recognising Warning Signs & Finding Balance1:02:27 Community Connection1:13:01 Sponsor Segment: TFSource1:23:38 Final Thoughts & Patron Questions—Enjoying the show? There's more than meets the ear...Find show notes at https://www.tripletakeover.comJoin the conversation with us on DiscordSupport the podcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/tripletakeover

  All Hail Unicron: Episode 110: Hotrashbro INTRODUCTION Anybody Get Anything? Movie/Show News Third Party Dr Wu's retuul of their Metroplex is coming https://news.tfw2005.com/2026/01/12/dr-wu-dw-e54g-iron-fortress-sd-metroplex-color-renders-554612 Get ready to pimp out your Alpha Trion https://news.tfw2005.com/2026/01/20/dna-design-dk-81-aotp-alpha-trion-upgrade-kit-555121 Unsolicited G2 Dick pics coming! https://news.tfw2005.com/2026/01/21/newage-toys-h71v-dick-sunset-legends-scale-g2-concept-sideswipe-color-prototype-555191 Official: Recent big reveals from Takara get some stock images https://news.tfw2005.com/2026/01/13/takara-tomy-transformers-mpmn-sideswipe-missing-link-grimlock-mpg-hot-rod-new-legends-green-lio-convoy-official-stock-images-554621 (cut 50 minutes in Rich's Recording)   Need some more Sweeps? Hasbro says, hold our re-released beer https://news.tfw2005.com/2026/01/14/studio-series-86-mtmte-collection-scourge-first-look-554904 Gee, why weren't these released? https://news.tfw2005.com/2026/01/15/unreleased-transformers-rid-2015-construct-bots-renders-554914 Killerbody killing it with Wheelie? https://news.tfw2005.com/2026/01/15/gbo-x-killerbody-movie-rediscovery-project-mrp-03-revenge-of-the-fallen-wheelie-new-images-promotional-video-554925 A full look at Retro Outback and Wheelie https://news.tfw2005.com/2026/01/15/transformers-retro-deluxe-wheelie-and-outback-new-in-hand-images-554979 Get ready to play with your balls https://news.tfw2005.com/2026/01/16/transformers-collaborative-mls-soccer-optimus-prime-revealed-555012 Yolopark Beast Wars Dinobot https://news.tfw2005.com/2026/01/22/yolopark-amk-series-beast-wars-dinobot-design-sneak-peek-555213 Is that a mouth, orrrrr? https://news.tfw2005.com/2026/01/24/tanmi-space-project-r-transformers-optimus-prime-and-megatron-images-555340 MP Prime 4.0 full gallery https://news.tfw2005.com/2026/01/25/transformers-mpg-17-optimus-prime-style-gen-in-hand-gallery-555367 New Masterpiece Bumblebee coming?! Just kidding, it's Bumblecrap https://news.tfw2005.com/2026/01/25/transformers-prime-changers-smash-changers-bumblebee-first-look-555409 Throw your SS86 Megatron down the stairs, or buy this new battle damaged version? Decisions, decisions. https://news.tfw2005.com/2026/01/26/studio-series-mtmte-collection-megatron-first-look-555427 Throw your SS86 Prime down the stairs, or buy this new battle damaged version? Decisions, decisions. (2 links) https://news.tfw2005.com/2026/01/26/__trashed-10-554732 https://news.tfw2005.com/2026/01/26/transformers-studio-series-more-than-meets-the-eye-collection-optimus-prime-in-hand-images-555462   Well, these exist. https://news.tfw2005.com/2026/01/17/duckalooz-x-transformers-optimus-prime-and-bumblebee-found-at-us-retail-555064 Questions? Discussion: Email your questions to: Hailunicroncast@gmail.com    Special Shoutouts: Dustmightz for providing the beats for the theme song! Check the Realm of Collectors on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/groups/realmofcollectors   Everyone who followed us from Shattered Cast Uncut, we are grateful to each and everyone of you for joining us on this journey!   Hosts: T2RX6 http://www.youtube.com/user/T2rx6 Rich “Preordered” H. Oscar Alonso https://www.youtube.com/user/oscarnjboy Robert Duyjuy-sabado-gigante

Play NowThe Twincast / Podcast starts out episode 393 with more impressions about the recently announced and revealed Takara Tomy releases, beginning with the upcoming Missing Link Grimlock. Full images of MPG-20 Hot Rod then have the cast questioning the role of "Style Gen" within the Masterpiece lineup. A quick stop at Hasbro's recently posted reissue preorders for Studio Series Hound and Swoop lead in to a lengthy slate of listener questions. The questions start by asking about how many uses the new Seeker mold will see, then jump to other various topics including Nexus Prime, Cybertronian creation myths, super-powered Transformers, and finally, alt-mode re-shells the cast would like to see. After all the questions, the recurring "Bragging Rights" segment brings the episode to a close in usual fashion.

All Hail Unicron: Episode 109: Creatively Bankrupt with an extra Nipple INTRODUCTION Anybody Get Anything? Movie/Show News New Transformers Animated comic coming! https://news.tfw2005.com/2025/12/29/transformers-animated-mirror-mirror-comic-miniseries-first-look-553728 Third Party CT Toys Bayverse MP scale Prime https://news.tfw2005.com/2025/12/31/ct-toys-ct-10-super-leader-masterpiece-scale-bayverse-trilogy-optimus-prime-color-prototype-553771 What, you want MORE Bayverse MP scale Primes? Fine, Magnificent Mecha has you covered with their RoTF and DotM Primes https://news.tfw2005.com/2026/01/01/magnificent-mecha-mm-02a-2007-rotf-mm02b-dotm-optimus-prime-color-prototipes-553802 Dr Repaint hits us with some Sideswipe repaints and Deluxe Insecticons https://news.tfw2005.com/2026/01/02/dr-wu-dw-e68-gansters-dw-e69-rambo-micromaster-scale-early-draft-sweep-g2-sideswipe-color-sketches-553820 Dr Repaint is doing the Datsun brothers and regular Insecticons too (2 links) https://news.tfw2005.com/2026/01/04/dr-wu-dw-e47-smoke-dust-dw-e48-beetle-horn-micromaster-scale-smokescreen-bombshell-color-prototypes-554052 https://news.tfw2005.com/2026/01/04/dr-wu-dw-e45-silver-lightning-dw-e48-claw-worm-micromaster-scale-bluestreak-sharpnel-color-prototypes-554055 https://showzstore.com/drwu-dw-e43-patrolman-prowl-dw-e44-grasshopper-kickback-set-of-2_p6501.html Dr It's My News Week Battletrap reveal https://news.tfw2005.com/2026/01/07/dr-wu-dw-es02-trap-maker-micromaster-scale-battletrap-color-prototype-554273 Rising Force joins the retro WFC/FoC video game releases with their take on Fall of Cybertron Bruticus https://news.tfw2005.com/2026/01/02/rising-force-war-for-cybertron-combaticons-bruticus-prototypes-553826   Unique Toys is going back to the Bayverse with their take on an MP Age of Extinction Bumblebee https://news.tfw2005.com/2026/01/05/unique-toys-r-11-buzz-guardian-masterpiece-scale-aoe-bumblebee-color-prototype-554097 AotP Superion getting a little more super https://news.tfw2005.com/2026/01/06/dna-design-dk-77-upgrade-kit-for-age-of-the-primes-superion-554199 Big ol' sword add-on https://news.tfw2005.com/2026/01/09/dna-design-dk-69r-max-sword-upgrade-kit-554390 Official: Yolopark Stepper coming to BotCon https://news.tfw2005.com/2025/12/29/yolopark-amk-mini-autobot-ricochet-images-553738 Yolopark week continues with reformatting Megatron https://news.tfw2005.com/2025/12/30/yolopark-amk-mini-g1-transformers-wave-3-g1-megatron-clear-purple-version-official-promotional-video-553749 TRA(sh) Core Tiny Turbo Changers first look https://news.tfw2005.com/2026/01/03/tra-core-tiny-turbo-changers-first-look-553947 Transforming Autobot and Decepticon symbols coming? https://news.tfw2005.com/2026/01/04/transformers-autobot-decepticon-symbols-coming-554074 Missing Link Grimlock, MPG Hot Rod, and more coming from Takara (2 links) https://news.tfw2005.com/2026/01/05/new-takara-teasers-mpmn-sideswipes-ml-grimlock-mpg-hot-rod-more-554124 https://news.tfw2005.com/2026/01/09/takara-mpmn-sideswipes-missing-link-grimlock-mpg-hot-rod-new-legends-green-lio-convoy-full-images-554414 40th TF The Movie Anniversary Hot Rod preorders up and gone in a blink! But more preorders coming? (2 links) https://news.tfw2005.com/2026/01/06/transformers-more-than-meets-the-eye-collection-hot-rod-official-images-554168 https://news.tfw2005.com/2026/01/07/new-transformers-more-than-meets-the-eye-collection-pre-orders-coming-in-january-554255 Studio Series TF One Orion Pax https://news.tfw2005.com/2026/01/06/transformers-studio-series-a-level-deluxe-transformers-one-orion-pax-in-hand-images-554216 Bought the five pack just for Hound did ya? GOT 'EM! https://news.tfw2005.com/2026/01/08/studio-series-86-mtmte-collection-hound-first-look-554343 Human Centipede Dino edition 5-pack coming! https://news.tfw2005.comwd/2026/01/07/transformers-swapticons-dino-mission-5-pack-official-images-554261 Questions? Discussion: Email your questions to: Hailunicroncast@gmail.com    Special Shoutouts: Dustmightz for providing the beats for the theme song! Check the Realm of Collectors on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/groups/realmofcollectors   Everyone who followed us from Shattered Cast Uncut, we are grateful to each and everyone of you for joining us on this journey!   Hosts: T2RX6 http://www.youtube.com/user/T2rx6 Rich “Preordered” H. Oscar Alonso https://www.youtube.com/user/oscarnjboy Robert Duyjuy-sabado-gigante

On this episode DNA Design has more upgrade kits, Dr. Wu has more tiny Transformers, and Takara announced a bunch of upcoming figures. All this and much, much more on this episode of TransMissions! Want some TransMissions swag? Check out our online shop, powered by Dashery! Show Notes: If you enjoy TransMissions, please rate us and subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify! These ratings greatly help podcasts become more discoverable to other people using those services and is an easy way to help out our show. Contact us: Continue reading The post Me Grimlock Missing Link! – Episode 677 appeared first on TransMissions Podcast Network.

On this episode DNA Design has more upgrade kits, Dr. Wu has more tiny Transformers, and Takara announced a bunch of upcoming figures. All this and much, much more on this episode of TransMissions! Want some TransMissions swag? Check out our online shop, powered by Dashery! Show Notes: If you enjoy TransMissions, please rate us and subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify! These ratings greatly help podcasts become more discoverable to other people using those services and is an easy way to help out our show. Contact us: Continue reading The post Me Grimlock Missing Link! – Episode 677 appeared first on TransMissions Podcast Network.