Podcasts about wso

Jim Cramer and other market veterans are advising investors not to let Iran war-induced volatility scare them out of quality stocks. The key is distinguishing between temporary geopolitical noise and fundamental business changes.Today's Stocks & Topics: The Hershey Company (HSY), Market Wrap, Buying Credit Cards Companies, Rheinmetall AG (RNMBY), Fortinet, Inc. (FTNT), Should You Invest During War Volatility? Market Strategy Guide, Watsco, Inc. (WSO), Valvoline Inc. (VVV), Countries Impacted by High Oil Prices, New Car Prices.Introducing our Third Annual InvestTalk Market Madness! Join the mayhem before May 18th at 11:59 pm PST for the chance to win $1,500! Fill out your bracket below: https://kppfinancial.com/investtalk-madnessOur Sponsors:* Check out Anthropic: https://claude.ai/invest* Check out Pebl: https://hipebl.ai* Check out Progressive: https://progressive.com* Check out Quince: https://quince.com/INVESTAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Breaking into Investment Banking with no finance background sounds impossible - but it's not. In this WSO Academy testimonial, Laurence shares how he went from building a $2M startup to landing an Investment Banking offer at JP Morgan. Without a traditional finance background, he had to learn the industry, build the right network, and prepare for one of the most competitive recruiting processes in finance. Chapters 00:30 Intro 02:24 Stepping Away from the Startup 03:00 The Reset Phase 04:12 The Pivot to Finance 05:44 Choosing the MBA Path 06:38 Discovering the WSO Academy 07:51 Preparing for Investment Banking Recruiting 10:29 Lessons & Career Advice Check out WSO Academy — the prep that has helped thousands break into high finance. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Breaking into investment banking and other competitive finance roles can feel confusing without the right guidance. In this mentor session, we discuss the realities of finance recruiting, networking, and preparing for high-performance careers in the industry. This conversation covers practical insights for students and early-career professionals looking to understand how recruiting actually works and what it takes to succeed in demanding finance roles. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Central banks across Asia and globally are being forced into sharp policy rethinks as Middle East conflict drives higher oil prices and reignites inflation fears. The G7 is discussing emergency oil reserve releases while policymakers scramble to balance growth concerns with renewed price pressures.Today's Stocks & Topics: Rogers Communications Inc. (RCI), Watsco, Inc. (WSO), Core & Main, Inc. (CNM), Embraer S.A. (EMBJ), Silver and Precious Metals, Central Bank Pivot: How Geopolitical Chaos is Rewriting Monetary Policy, Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. - Petrobras (PBR), Autodesk, Inc. (ADSK), Northrop Grumman Corporation (NOC), Stagflation.Our Sponsors:* Check out Anthropic: https://claude.ai/invest* Check out Pebl: https://hipebl.ai* Check out Progressive: https://progressive.com* Check out Quince: https://quince.com/INVESTAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Breaking into investment banking from a non-target university isn't easy — especially after 150+ applications, months of rejection, and zero connections. In this student testimonial, Kitty shares how she went from studying politics at the University of Birmingham to landing offers from UBS, Lazard, and Rothschild. From struggling with confidence to facing non-target fears head-on, this is the real story behind breaking into investment banking as a student. Segments  01:19 – Music vs Finance  03:04 – Why University of Birmingham?  03:34 – Switching from Politics to Finance  04:05 – When Banking Became Real  05:27 – Why She Joined Academy  06:55 – Networking Strategy  07:45 – 150+ Applications  08:33 – First Interview Breakthrough  10:44 – Offers from UBS, Lazard & Rothschild  11:58 – Advice to Students Check out WSO Academy — the prep that has helped thousands break into high finance. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From 100+ rejections to landing an Investment Banking role in London — this is the real story of how one student broke into IB with zero connections and no roadmap. Nikita shares his journey from Bocconi and ESSEC to securing a full-time Investment Banking offer, including the struggles, internship experience, networking strategy, and key lessons that helped him succeed. Check out WSO Academy — the prep that has helped thousands break into high finance. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Morning Show 02-10-26 WSO concert-more State of City talk by The Watchdog

In this episode, Chris shares his real investment banking recruiting journey—from a non-target school, with no finance background, to finally landing an offer after multiple Superday rejections. We cover: What it's like recruiting without knowing the “finance language” Dealing with imposter syndrome in IB recruiting Aggressive networking and using platforms like Wall Street Oasis Why most Superdays end in rejection What actually made the difference in getting the offer This is a must-watch for students trying to break into investment banking, finance, or Wall Street from a non-traditional background.

Squash Radio is back for another episode!  PJ and Bill talk change at USQ, the WSO and the PSA tour, along with the all too familiar theme of a young Egyptian star with questionable behavior breaking through with a career first!   Subscribe & Share! Squash Radio is sponsored by Sunrise Courts: www.sunrise-courts.com & Penfold Golf: www.penfoldgolfusa.com.  

In this episode of Coffee with Crainer, we step inside the WSO's upcoming season with Executive Director Patti Lauzon. From guest conductors and student collaborations to Messiah concerts across four churches and the much-loved Holiday Pops, hear how music, community, and tradition are coming together.

#MentorshipPodcast #FinanceCareer #ConsultingJourney #BCG #Vision2030 #CareerGrowth #InternationalBusiness #leadershiplessons Claudio shares his incredible global journey — from starting in European finance and insurance, to working on Vision 2030 transformation projects in Saudi Arabia, and later joining BCG in management consulting. His story is a masterclass in adaptability, mentorship, and lifelong learning across borders.

From studying Business Data Science to landing a role in investment banking at Centerview Partners, this is my honest story of how I discovered my path, the mistakes I made, and what I wish every student knew before starting their career. In this video, I share how I transitioned from college to corporate life — the lessons I learned outside the classroom, why real-world experience matters, and how small opportunities can lead to big growth. Whether you're a university student, career changer, or just curious about finance and personal growth, this episode will give you insight, motivation, and practical steps to help you find your direction.

In this inspiring episode of the Featured Mentor Podcast, we sit down with Arthur, a 28-year-old professional whose path from Brazil to the U.S. and Europe reveals what it really takes to build an international career in finance. From early days at a prep school to studying at Wharton and landing roles at Bank of America and Goldman Sachs, Arthur opens up about the challenges of ambition, adapting across cultures, and learning to define success on his own terms. Listeners will gain insight into: How early mentorship and family values shaped Arthur's global outlook The realities of navigating investment banking and private equity interviews Lessons in resilience, personality, and authenticity in high-pressure careers Perfect for students, young professionals, and anyone redefining what success looks like in global finance and leadership.

In this inspiring interview, Jonathan explains how he reinvented his career after the Army. Get real advice on networking, job searching, mindset, and using modern resources to accelerate your career.

Get ad-free, early access to new 10 Percent True videos: https://www.10percenttrue.com/pricing-plans/listGrease Panarisi, 10 Percent True Episode 73 Part 50:00: Support the channel3:10 Welcome back Grease - and ama question from Blair regarding maritime strike role for the Strike Eagle 7:18 discord follow up on “stand-in” weapon system 13:50 AIM-174 known to USAF? 14:10 Strike Eagle in maritime strike 20:03 fast forward to Quick Strike (mine) 31:13 Grease channels Barnes Wallis 35:53 proving the concept 38:33 carrying the mission forward “quick sink” 41:33 cat and mouse game of weapon evolution and counter weapon evolution 44:08 searching for Starbaby “dirt” 45:53 returning to the career timeline - back to Edwards as a Group Commander 52:19 surveying the command 58:47 the job and the frustration of risk avoidance/mitigation/transfer 1:03:23 any specific examples - APG-63… 1:08:08 PACS upgrade for Strike Eagle and “Raptor Alert” 1:10:18 most important task as group commander 1:13:34 the Global Hawk tale 1:39:01 memorial services and the darker days of group command 1:42:25 lighter times - A-10 emergency divert 1:48:33 how to recover from a week with no runway?! 1:49:41 F-16 spin training event 1:56:25 ejection considered? 1:59:44 Risk 2:06:46 returning to career and involvement in AESA for the Strike Eagle……. 2:15:38 and AIM-9X (“a missile that can turn up its own ass”) 2:18:08 no JHMCS for WSO discuss 2:20:08 IRST 2:23:53 the future, CCA/loyal wingman? 2:34:34 defining “game changing” and the “red air” project 2:42:13 modular airframe project 2:44:28 philosophically analysing China's latest developments/revelations (intro teaser story) 2:49:13 “changing the mind of your adversary”, Gaza, Ukraine….. 2:50:43 thoughts on UAPs? 2:55:28 keeping enough SA to know when you've lost it…. 2:58:05 assessing the assessments from the Gulf War through to thoughts on China 3:02:23 debating Ukraine conflict 3:04:13 wrapping up, thanks Grease and teasing more!

In this week's episode of Dividend Talk, we're back with a jam-packed Dividend Announcements & Earnings deep dive.We kick things off with PayPal initiating its first-ever dividend (welcome to the club, Monkey!), Hershey holding flat to stay off the aristocrat chopping block, and a wild stat on revenue-per-employee (OnlyFans crushes tech giants at $37.6M per head). Then it's over to dividend hikes from Iberdrola (+8.2%), Rockwell Automation, AbbVie, and ExxonMobil, before diving into earnings: Nestlé's volume rebound in China, Schneider Electric riding data-center tailwinds, Altria's cash-rich but growth-poor reality, UnitedHealth's margin squeeze, T. Rowe Price outflows, and Shell's $10B FCF buyback machine.In the Q&A, we tackle benchmarking vs. S&P 500, dollar-cost-averaging into falling knives, estate tax broker moves, covered-call ETFs, Finnish gems, Evolution's permanent pivot, and stock-specific takes on Novo Nordisk, APD, Qualcomm, and more.SEE YOU ON THE INSIDE!!Tickers discussed: PYPL, HSY, GOOGL, MSFT, EBAY, AMZN, IBM, MCD, IEP, IBDR.MC, MUM.DE, SIE.DE, APD, LIN, NOVO-B.CO, EVO.ST, QCOM, ARE, ADC, MO, BATS.L, PM, UNH, TROW, SHEL, XOM, TTE, ITW, ABT, ADP, SCHN.PA, ROC.AX, NOVN.SW, NESN.SW, MCD, APH, DHR, TXN, VFC, RELAS, VWS.CO, WSO, GRG.LJoin us:[Facebook] – Https://www.facebook.com/groups/dividendtalk[Twitter] – @DividendTalk_ , @European_DG[Discord] – https://discord.gg/nJyt9KWAB5[Premium Services] – https://dividendtalk.eu/download-your-free-samples/[Malmo Meetup] – https://t.co/STgV1nMWKj

In this week's episode of Dividend Talk, we're back with Q3 Earnings Roundup.We kick things off with Novo Nordisk shaking up half its board of directors, before covering two big dividend announcements from McDonald's and Amphenol. Then it's over to earnings, where we break down results from Germany's Mensch und Maschine, Danaher, Evolution Gaming, and Texas Instruments.We also review a listener portfolio from “Bella Dividends,” packed with high-yield European names, and share our thoughts on diversification, growth balance, and dividend safety.In the Q&A, we talk estate tax and brokers, the future of quarterly reports, DCF vs. dividend discount models, and stock-specific questions on Intel, TotalEnergies, Watsco, and GreenCoat UK.SEE YOU ON THE INSIDE!!Tickers discussed: NVO, MCD, APH, MUM.DE, DHR, EVO.ST, TXN, SHEL, IBM, TTE, INTL, WSO, RELAS, IBDR.MC, VWS.COJoin us:[Facebook] – Https://www.facebook.com/groups/dividendtalk⁠[Twitter] – @DividendTalk_ , @European_DG[Discord] – ⁠https://discord.gg/nJyt9KWAB5⁠[Premium Services] – ⁠https://dividendtalk.eu/download-your-free-samples/⁠[Malmo Meetup] – https://t.co/STgV1nMWKj

Over 100 networking calls, skipped meals, and 12-hour days from 10AM to 10PM… This is the brutal reality of investment banking recruiting — and how Daniel pushed through to land Ducera NYC.

How do you go from zero experience to landing a Big Four corporate finance role — beating out 200+ other candidates for just one seat?

Mithun went from completing his Master's in Finance at the University of Sydney to landing an equity research role at CLSA—without any prior investment banking experience in India. In this episode, he shares: The game-changing difference between equity research and investment banking he learned firsthand How WSO Academy helped him understand the market, master pitch-building, and improve clarity in interviews WHAT IS WSO ACADEMY? It's a 12-week program to dramatically increase your odds of landing a 6-figure+ role in high finance... What's included?

Juan Pablo went from a late-start sophomore at UChicago to securing a coveted Private Banking summer analyst seat at JPMorgan in Miami. In this episode he reveals: How 50+ cold calls turned into warm referrals—and three Superdays The mock-interview routine inside WSO Academy that leveled up his technical & market questions fast Why targeted outreach (15 banks) beat the scatter-shot 50-application strategy Insider tips on speaking to directors with confidence, building a “precision hobby” resume, and turning econ coursework into market-moving insight If you're gunning for asset & wealth management, private banking, or any front-office role, Juan Pablo's playbook is pure gold. Watch, take notes, and start lining up your own calls. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From managing construction sites in Ann Arbor to breaking into a real-estate private-equity shop—Chandler's detour pays off. After a non-target MBA at Georgia and zero on-campus finance recruiting, he leaned on WSO Academy for brutal coursework, mocked interviews and relentless networking. Hear how he leveraged a single phone call to land a full-time REPE internship, slashing MBA debt with a full ride and proving persistence beats pedigree. Perfect for career-switchers aiming at high-finance from unconventional backgrounds. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

With just three months left in his MEng at University College London, Alkin ditched an engineering track and sprinted into high-finance. Hear how he combined a last-minute PE internship, CFA Level I prep and WSO Academy's modeling + interview bootcamps to master derivatives, send laser-targeted cold emails and wow SocGen's X-Asset Solutions Sales team by nailing the only “impossible” technical of the day—earning the job on the spot. Perfect for late pivots who still want an elite markets seat. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

descriptionGrease Panarisi, 10 Percent True Episode 73 Part 3⸻0:00 intro teaser (pulling offensive - the man with 4 brains)4:30 welcome back Grease 6:55 impressions of a wing EWO in early days of Strike Eagle 12:57 ALQ-135/ALR-56 issues (from Desert Storm) addressed? 15:50 F-111 any better? 16:52 ALQ-131 endorsed!17:22 tasking and deployment reflections following Desert Storm -AEF concept23:26 deployments/learning?27:10 Viper stats and blowing motors30:00 Thoughts on CSAR in the wake of Desert Storm perceived shortcomings 31:50 employment/ROE/improv?33:50 on the job threat assessment?35:03 theatre ramifications of Blackhawk shoot down and a Strike Eagle guy's view on it 43:08 Support the Channel!!43:38 Turkish hosts47:03 Balkan deployment 54:45 employing gbu-24 59:25 gbu-15 and agm-130?1:01:25 facing 2 weeks of war in Balkans with Desert Storm experience in the bag1:04:55 thoughts on the “stick monkeys”1:08:25 expanding upon “the man with 4 brains”1:14:50 how do you do that?!1:16:22 maxing out potential? 1:18:05 correlation between leadership and tactical prowess?1:24:58 Test Pilot School1:32:35 evaluating the Mig-15 as a personal (private) aircraft1:36:00 any knowledge at this point about existing Mig experts in the AF?1:40:40 most “useful” part of course?1:45:35 WSO skills in the mix, other students and A-101:50:15 Test pilot hates mathematics 1:55:20 “W+12” graduation guest speaker2:00:24 guest test at China Lake?2:02:30 rounding out and part 4 preview

How do you pivot from a 2.8 first-year engineering GPA to winning a coveted Scotiabank investment-banking internship? Aditya Mishra breaks it all down—raising his GPA to 3.4, mastering Excel and DCFs with WSO Academy's courses, logging weekly coffee chats, and nailing super-day tech/behavioral rounds thanks to relentless mock interviews. Hear the strategies that turned a non-finance background into a Toronto IB success story. Perfect for STEM majors eyeing Wall Street (or Bay Street) without a traditional profile. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From club rejections to a BMO Capital Markets investment-banking offer—Devin's grind is the blueprint. The Western University (Ivey) sophomore fired off 412 cold emails, converted 60 coffee chats, cracked 9 first-rounds and juggled 4 super-days in a single week to secure his dream 2026 IB internship. Hear how WSO Academy's resume overhaul, bootcamps and rapid-fire mock interviews super-charged his preparation and confidence. Perfect watch if you're targeting Toronto's Big Five or NYC banks and need a proven networking playbook. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In this inspiring chat, Andrew shares his journey from multiple student club rejections at UCLA to landing a coveted investment banking offer at William Blair. Hear how he leveraged the WSO Academy, mock interviews, and cold email networking to turn things around — all while starting late in the recruiting cycle. From setbacks to success, Andrew's story is a must-watch for anyone aiming to break into finance. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In this episode, Patrick Curtis, CEO of Wall Street Oasis, chats with Pranam—a standout student from BITS Pilani who transitioned from JP Morgan in India to a top-tier Quant Research role in the U.S. after completing his master's in Financial Mathematics at NYU Courant. Learn how he navigated recruiting struggles, leveraged WSO Academy to refine his resume and networking strategy, and landed a competitive role in a tough job market. Packed with insights for international students and aspiring quants, this is a must-watch! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jonah's story is a testament to perseverance and continuous self-improvement. Born in London but raised across South Africa, India, and China, Jonah returned to the UK for university with a global mindset but limited finance experience. He now works in middle-market M&A across global sectors, gaining exposure to clients and investors early in his career. A fantastic story of how branding, grit, and networking—even from a semi-target—can pay off. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From rural Ohio to a seat at Morgan Stanley, Aishik's story is one of determination, adaptability, and hustle. As an international student from India attending a small liberal arts college, Aishik faced a steep uphill climb—limited alumni network, a packed STEM schedule, and the need for visa sponsorship. But through WSO Academy, he ramped up his technical prep, scaled networking from 30 to over 150 calls, and landed three Superdays, ultimately securing a highly competitive offer at Morgan Stanley's Hedge Fund Services team.

Luca's journey from South Africa to breaking into M&A in London is a story of persistence and smart strategy. After studying accounting at Stellenbosch University, Luca moved to London to work as an auditor at BDO. Despite being told that transitioning from audit to investment banking was nearly impossible, he leveraged WSO Academy to revamp his approach, scale his networking, and land an M&A analyst role at PCB Partners.

SJ's story is one of resilience and reinvention. After being laid off from a family office private equity role, he leaned into the WSO Academy, ramped up his networking, refined his story, and pivoted into a top consulting role at Alvarez & Marsal. In this interview, SJ shares his non-traditional path from accounting at Brock University to Big 4 to private equity—and how he made his way back in during a tough market. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From the Bay Area to breaking into investment banking—Adrian shares how he leveraged a gap year, transferred from Colgate to Georgetown, and used WSO Academy to land an offer at Wells Fargo. Hear about his early start in networking, internship hustle, and key decisions that shaped his finance journey. Whether you're at a non-target school or considering transferring, Adrian's story is packed with tips and insights to help you stand out. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Andrew took a bold risk — letting an exploding offer go in hopes of something better. And it paid off. In this episode, we chat with Andrew about how he leveraged WSO Academy starting his sophomore year at Case Western to land an investment banking internship at Deutsche Bank. Hear how he prepped with over a dozen mock interviews, handled a 30-hour-per-week PE internship, and navigated high-stakes SuperDays — including two in one day. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From modern languages in Italy to a finance role at KPMG Ireland — Jack's journey is anything but traditional. In this candid and high-energy chat, Jack shares how he went from zero finance experience to landing a job in deal advisory at the Big 4. Learn how he leveraged WSO Academy's bootcamps, built a powerful networking engine (including a photo with the global CEO of KPMG!), and turned his authentic personality into a major asset. If you're coming from a non-target or non-finance background, this one's for you. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From final round rejections to landing a coveted role at Goldman Sachs, Zachary's journey is a masterclass in resilience and preparation. Originally from the U.S. but studying Math & Stats at the University of Warwick, Zachary discovered quant trading through campus clubs and a Citadel Datathon. In this inspiring chat, he breaks down how WSO Academy helped him level up his interview game, polish his story, and stay mentally strong through a competitive recruiting process. If you're aiming for a quant or trading role, this is a must-watch. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nicholas Lam's path to Morgan Stanley equity research is anything but typical. From culinary school to Ivy League — and now to high finance.

Tudor didn't even know what investment banking was until late sophomore year. By then, most students had already recruited and secured internships. But that didn't stop him. He used WSO Academy to stack multiple internships — from Big 4 roles in Romania to equity research and eventually, an investment banking internship in the U.S. In this chat, Tudor shares: How studying abroad at LSE sparked his finance interest The struggle of being a late starter from a non-target school How he overcame visa confusion and international challenges His exact strategy for networking, cold outreach, and internship stacking What finally helped him break into IB through an off-cycle boutique internship This is a must-watch if you're starting late or come from a non-target background. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Send us a textIn this unapologetically chaotic daily drop, Jared rolls through everything from drones dropping grenades to pedos in court and AI that's apparently too complex for senior leadership to Google. Welcome to the April 30th edition of the Ones Ready podcast—where we break down the actual DoD news that gets sent to generals...and then we make fun of it.From failed Firefly launches to tribal warfare over F-15EX seating arrangements, this episode is basically the Pentagon's group chat with better commentary. Also, find out which documentary produced by the Obamas might make you respect the Thunderbirds (but probably won't), and why the “Women, Peace, and Security” program was killed for being “woke,” even though it came from the Trump administration. Yeah, we're confused too.Stick around for:A take on why AI still scares generals more than enlisted TikToksA borderline unhinged breakdown of why drone swarms are everyone's problemWhether dropping 500lb bombs equals dead livestock in Houthi press releasesThoughts on Thunderbirds, martial law, and why fake rifles in basic are weak sauceAnd yes—don't forget to like, subscribe, comment, check out 18AlphaFitness, and hit up the Ones Ready merch store. This podcast is for operators, future operators, and the people wondering why military budgeting is run like a reality show.

In this high-speed, low-altitude ride of So There I Was, the guest—a decorated WSO in both the F-111 Aardvark and F-15E Strike Eagle—shares some of the most intense moments of his flying career. He takes us over the Nevada desert at Mach 1.3 and just 100 feet above ground level. He recalls near-misses, like narrowly avoiding an A-10 while threading a ridge line. The thrill of tactical aviation comes through in every story. The episode also covers his nuclear weapons delivery training in Europe, pulling Gs at 600 knots, and precision strikes during Red and Green Flag exercises. Listeners get an inside look at the F-111's unique systems: its terrain-following radar, manually controlled swing wings, and infamous escape capsule. Hair-raising tales continue with compressor stalls at Mach 1.69, sandstorm landings during Southern Watch, and using sheer speed to evade enemies in mock combat. Throughout the episode, the guest delivers a masterclass in military aviation history, tactics, and aircraft systems—especially the Aardvark's legendary low-level, high-speed mission profile.

This episode we will discuss various embassies to and from Yamato during the reign of Takara Hime, with a particular focus on the embassy of 659, which occured at a particularly eventful time and happened to be extremely well-recorded fro the period by Iki no Hakatoko, who was apparently on the mission to the Tang court itself. For more, check out our blog post at: https://sengokudaimyo.com/podcast/episode-123 Rough Transcript Welcome to Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan.  My name is Joshua, and this is episode 123: Embassy Interrupted.   Iki no Hakatoko sat in his room, gazing out at the city.   It was truly an amazing place, filled with all kinds of people from around the world.  And yet, still, after 9 months of confinement, the place felt small.  Sure, there he hadwere visits from ranking nobles and dignitaries, but even the most lenient of house arrests was still house arrest. But that didn't mean that he had nothing to do.  There were books and more that he had access to—many that had not yet made it to the archipelago, and some of which he no doubt hoped he could bring back with him.  And of course, there was paper, brush, and ink. And then there were the experiences he and others had acquired on this mission to the Great Tang.  From the very beginning the missionit washad been plagued with disaster when they lost half of their ships and company mission to rogue winds on the open seas.  Now they were trapped because the Emperor himself wouldn't let them return home.  They had experienced and seen so much, and that provided ample material for one to catalogue. As the seasons changed, and rumors arrived that perhaps his situation would also something would change soon, Iki no Hakatoko spread out the paper on the desk in front of him, dipped his brush in the ink, and began to write.  He wrote down notes about his experiences, and what had befallen him and the others.  He had no idea who It is unclear whom he thought might read it, and if he was intending this to be an official or personal record, but he wrote it down anyway. Hakatoko He couldn't have known then that his words would eventually be captured in a much larger work, chronicling the entire history of Yamato from its very creation, nor that his would be one of the oldest such personal accounts records to be handed down.  His Itwords  wwould only survive in fragments—or perhaps his writing was simply that terse—but his words they would be preserved, in a format that was still being read over a thousand years later.     Last episode we finished up the story of Xuanzang and his Journey to the West—which is to say the Western Regions -- , and thence on to India, or Tianzhu, where he walked in the footsteps of the historical Buddha, studied the scriptures at the feet of venerable teachers, such as Silabadhra at the Great Monastery of Nalanda, and eventually wound up bringingbrought back hundreds of manuscripts to Chang'an to , which he and others be translated and disseminated, impacting Buddhist thought across East Asia.  HisXuanzang's travels lasted from around 629 to 645, and he was still teaching in Chang'an in the 650s when various student-monks from Yamato  arrived to study and learn from him, eventually bringing back his teachings to the archipelago as part of the Faxiang, or Hossou, school of Buddhism. Before that we talked about the visitors from “Tukhara” and “Sha'e” recorded in the Chronicles.  As we noted, these peopley were morest likely from the Ryukyuan islands, and the names may have been conflated with distant lands overseas – but regardless, .  Whether or not it was a mistake, this it does seem to indicated that Yamato had at least an inkling of the wider world, introduced through the continental literature that they had been importing, if not the direct interactions with individuals from the Korean peninsula and the Tang court. This episode, we're going to talk about some of the relations between Yamato and the continent, including the various embassies sent back and forth, as well as one especially detailed embassy from Yamato to the Tang Court that found itself in a bit of a pickle.  After all, what did you do, back in those days, when you were and ambassador, and your country suddenly went to war?  We'll talk about that and what happened. To reorient ourselves in time, we're in the reign of Takara Hime, called aka Kyogoku Tennou during her first reign, who had reascended to the throne in 655, following the death of her brother, Prince Karu.  The Chroniclers would dub her Saimei Tennou in her second run on the throne. From the very beginning of her second reign, Takara Hime was entertaining foreign envoys.  In 654, the Three Han of the Korean Peninsula—Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla—all sent ambassadors to express their condolence on the death of her brother, and presumably to witness her ascension.  And in the 8th month of her reign, Kawabe no Maro no Omi, along with others, returned from Chang'an.  He Kawabe no Maro no Omi had been the Chief Ambassador to the Tang on an embassy sent , traveling there in the 2nd month of the previous year.  Originally he had been He was under the command of the controlling envoy, Takamuku no Obito no Kuromaro, but Kuromaro who unfortunately died in Chang'an and so Kawabe no Mari no Omi took over his role. That same year, 655, we know that there were about 100 persons recorded in Yamato from Baekje, along with envoys of Goguryeo and Silla.  These are likely the same ones we mentioned back in episode 117 when 150 Baekje envoys were present at court along with multiple members of the Emishi. Silla, for their part, had sent to Yamato a special hostage , whom we know as something like “Mimu”, along with skilled workmen.  Unfortunately, we are told that Mimu fell ill and died.  The Chronicles are pretty sparse on what this meant, but I can't imagine it was great.  After all, the whole idea of sending a hostage to another nation was as a pledge of good behavior – the idea being that the hostage was the idea that they werewas valuable enough that the sending nation wouldn't do anything too rash.  The flip side of that is if the hostage died, Of course, if they perished, the hosting country lost any leverage—and presumably the sending nation would be none too pleased.  That said, people getting sick and passing away was hardly a hostile action, and likely just considered an unfortunate situation. The following year, in 656, we see that Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla again all sent ambassadords were all sent to offer “tribute”.  The Chronicles mention that dark purple curtains were drawn around the palace site to entertain the ambassadors—likely referring to the new palace site at Asuka no Wokamoto, which probably was not yet fully built out, yet.   We are given the name of the Goguryeo ambassador, Talsa, and associate ambassador, Ilchi,  in the 8th month, Talsa and Ilichi, with 81 total members in the Goguryeo retinueof the embassy.  In seeming response, Yamato sent an embassy was sent to Goguryeo with the likes of Kashiwade no Omi no Hatsumi as the Chief Ambassador and Sakahibe no Muraji no Iwasuki as the Associate Ambassador.  Other names mentioned include We also see the likes of Inugami no Shiromaro, Kawachi no Fumi no Obito—no personal name is given—and Ohokura no Maro.  We also see thea note in the Chronicles that Yamato ambassadors to the quote-unquote “Western Sea”—which seems to refer to the Tang court, but could possibly refer to anything from the Korean Peninsula west—returned in that same year.  The two are named as Saheki no Muraji no Takunaha and Oyamashita no Naniha no Kishi no Kunikatsu.  These are both families that were clearly involved in cross-strait relations , based on how they are frequently referenced in the Chronicles as being associated with various overseas missions.  but  However, we don't seem to have clear evidence of them when these particular individualsy leavingft on this mission.  “Kunikatsu” mightay refer to an earlier ambassador to Baekje, but the names are different, so that is largely just speculation.  In any case, Uupon their return, they are said to have brought with them a parrot.  This wasn't the first parrot the court had seen—that feathery traveler had arrived in 647, or at least that is the first parrotinstance  we have in the written record -- .  Aand that one came from Silla as part of that embassy's gifts. Continuing on, in 657, The following year there was another group of ambassadors returned coming  from the “Western Seas”, in this case coming back from—or through—Baekje.  Thisese wasere Adzumi no Muraji no Tsuratari and Tsu no Omi no Kutsuma.  The presents they brought back were, of all things:  one camel and two donkeys.  And can you imagine bringing a camel back across the sea at this point?  Even if they were using the larger ships based on continental designs, it still must have been something else to put up with a camel and donkeys onboard, animals that are not exactly known for their easy-going and compliant nature. Speaking of boats, we should probably touch on what we *think* they were usinghas been going on here.  I say *think* because we only get glimpses  of the various boats being used in the archipelago, whether from mentions in or around Yamato, archaeology, or artistic depictions, many of which came from later periods., and wSo while it is generally assumed that they the Yamato were using Tang style vessels by the 8th and 9th century, there does not appear to be clear evidence of exactly what kind of boats were being used during the early earlier periods of contact. A quick note on boat technology and navigation: while travel between the Japanese archipelago and the Korean Peninsula, and up the Yellow Sea, wasn't safe, it would have been possible with the vessels of the time.  Japan sits on the continental shelf, meaning that to the east where the shelf gives way to the Pacific Ocean with the Phillippine Sea to the south, the waters are much, much deeper than they are to the west.  In deep waters, waves are not necessarily affected by the ocean floor, meaning they can build up much more energy and require different kinds of technology to sail.  In shallower areas, such as the Sea of Japan, the Yellow Sea, the East China Sea or the Korean Straits to the west of the archipelago, there's more drag that dampens out the wave effect – it's not that these areas are uniformly shallow and calm, but they are calmer and easier to navigate in general.  Our oldest example of boats in the archipelago of any kind are dugout canoes, .  These are logs that are hollowed out  and shaped. , and tThese appear to be what Jomon era populations used to cross to the archipelago and travel between the various islands.  Though they may be considered primitive, without many of the later innovations that would increase stability and seaworthiness—something I'll touch on more a bit later—, they were clearly effective enough to populate the islands of the Ryukyuan chain and even get people and livestock, in the form of pigs, down to the Hachijo islands south of modern Tokyo.    So they weren't ineffective. Deep waters mean that the waves are not necessarily affected by the ocean floor.  Once it hits shallower water, there is more drag that affects larger waves.  This means that there can be more energy in these ocean waves.  That usually means that shallower areas tend to be more calm and easier to navigate—though there are other things that can affect that as well. We probably should note, however, that Japan sits on the edge of the continental shelf.  To the west, the seas are deep, but not nearly as deep as they are to the east, where continental shelf gives way to the Pacific ocean, with the Philippine Sea to the south.  These are much deeper waters than those of the Yellow Sea, the East China Sea, or the Korean Straits.  The Sea of Japan does have some depth to it, but even then it doesn't compare in both size and depth. Deep waters mean that the waves are not necessarily affected by the ocean floor.  Once it hits shallower water, there is more drag that affects larger waves.  This means that there can be more energy in these ocean waves.  That usually means that shallower areas tend to be more calm and easier to navigate—though there are other things that can affect that as well. All this to say that travel between the Japanese archipelago and the Korean Peninsula, and up the Yellow Sea, were all things that were likely much easier to navigate with the vessels available at the time, but that doesn't mean that it was safe. Later, we see a different type of vessel appear: .  This is a built vessel, made of multiple hewn pieces of wood.  The examples that we see show a rather square front and back that rise up, sometimes dramatically, .  There are with various protrusions on either side. We see examples of this shape , and we've seen examples in haniwa from about the 6th century, and we have some corresponding wooden pieces found around the Korean peninsula that pretty closely match the haniwa boat shapesuggest similar boats were in use there as well, .  Nnot surprising given the cultural connections.  These boats do not show examples of sails, and were likely crewed by rowers.  Descriptions of some suggest that they might be adorned with branches, jewels, mirrors, and other such things for formal occasions to identify some boats as special -- , and we even have one record of the rowers in ceremonial garb with deer antlers.  But none of this suggests more than one basic boat typevery different types of boats. In the areas of the Yellow and Yangzi rivers, area of modern China, particularly in the modern PRC, the boats we see are a little different.  They tend to be flat bottomed boats, possible evolved from  which appear to have been designed from rafts or similar .   These vessels would have evolved out of those used to transport goods and people up and down the Yellow and Yangzi rivers and their tributaries.  These boats y had developed sails, but still the boats wwere n'ot necessarily the most stable on the open ocean.  Larger boats could perhaps make their way through some of the waves, and were no doubt used throughout the Yellow Sea and similar regions.  However, for going farther abroad, we are told thatcourt chronicles note that there were other boats that were preferred: . These are sometimes called  the Kun'lun-po, or Boats of the Kunlun, or the Boats of the Dark-skinned people.  A quick dive here into how this name came to be. Originally, “Kunlun” appears to refer to a mythical mountain range, the Kunlun-shan, which may have originated in the Shan-hai-jing, the Classic of Mountains and Seas, and so may not have referred to anything specific terrestrial mountain range, ally.  Italthough the term would later attach be used to describe to the mountain chain that forms the northern edge of the Tibetan plateau, on the southern edge of the Tarim Basin. However, at some point, it seems that “Kunlun” came to refer to people -- .  Sspecifically, it came to refer to people of dark complexion, with curly hair.  There are Tang era depictions of such people, but their origin is not exactly known: it might .  It is thought that it may have have equally referred to dark-skinned individuals of African descent, or possibly referring to some of the dark-skinned people who lived in the southern seas—people like the Andamanese living on the islands west of modern Thailand or some of the people of the Malay peninsula, for example. It is these latter groups that likely were the origin, then, of the “Kun'lun-po”, referring to the ships of the south, such as those of Malay and AsutronesianAustronesian origin.  We know that from the period of at least the Northern and Southern Dynasties, and even into the early Tang, these foreign ships often , which were often plyingied the waters from trade port to trade port, and were the preferred sailing vessels for voyages to the south, where the waters could be more treacherous.  Indeed, the Malay language eventually gives us the term of their vessels as “Djong”, a term that eventually made its way into Portuguese as “Junco” and thus into English as “junk”, though this terms has since been rather broadly applied to different “Asian” style sailing vessels. So that leaves us with three ship types that the Yamato court could have been using to send these embassies back and forth to the continent: .  Were they still using their own style of native boat as seen on haniwa,, or were they adopting continental boats to their needs?   If so, were they using the flat-bottomed boats of the Tang dynasty, or the more seaworthy vessels of the foreign merchants?. Which were they using?  The general thinking is that IMost depictions I have seen of the kentoushi, the Japanese embassies to the Tang court, depict them as t is generally thought that they were probably using the more continental-style flat-bottomed, riverine vessels.  After all, they were copying so much of what the Sui and Tang courts were doing, why would they not consider these ships to likewise be superior to their own?  At least for diplomatic purposes.  I suspect that local fishermen did their own were keeping their own counsel as far as ships are concernedthing, and I also have to wonder about what got used they were using from a military standpoint for military purposes.  Certainly we see the Tang style boats used in later centuries, suggesting that these had been adopted at some earlier point, possibly by the 650s or earlier. Whatever they used, and while long-distance sailing vessels could Sailing vessels could be larger than short-distance riverine craft, this was not a luxury cruise.  , but conditions on board were not necessarily a luxury cruise.  From later accounts we know that they would really pack people into these shipspeople could be packed in.  It should be noted that individual beds and bedrooms were a luxury in much of the world, and many people probably had little more than a mat to sleep on.  Furthermore, people could be packed in tight.   Think of the size of some of these embassies, which are said to be 80 to 150 people in size.  A long, overseas journey likely meant getting quite cozy with your neighbors on the voyage.  So how much more so with a camel and two donkeys on board a vessel that was likely never meant to carry them?  Not exactly the most pleasant experience, I imagine – and this is not really any different than European sailing vessels during the later age of exploration.. So, from the records for just the first few years of Takara-hime's second reign, we see that there are lots of people going back and forth, and we have a sense of how they might be getting to and from the continent and peninsula.  Let's dive into Next, we are going to talk about one of the most heavily documented embassies to the Tang court, which set out in the 7th month of the year 659.  Not only do we get a pretty detailed account of this embassy, but we even know who wrote the account: as in our imagined intro, , as this is one of the accounts by the famous Iki no Muraji no Hakatoko, transcribed by Aston as “Yuki” no Muraji. Iki no Hakatoko's name first appears in an entry for 654, where he is quoted as giving information about the status of some of the previous embassies to the Tang court.  Thereafter, various entries are labeled as “Iki no Muraji no Hakatoko says:”, which   This would seem to indicate that these particular entries came are taken directly from another work written by Iki no Hakatoko and referred to as the “Iki Hakatoko Sho”.  Based on the quoted fragments found in the Nihon Shoki, itthis appears to be one of ourthis oldest Japanese travelogues.  It , and spends considerable time on the mission of 659, of which it would appear that Iki no Hakatoko was himself a member, though not a ranking one.  Later, Iki no Hakatoko would find himself mentioned in the Nihon Shoki directly, and he would even be an ambassador, himself. The embassy of 659 itself, as we shall see, was rather momentous.  Although it started easily enough, the embassy would be caught up in some of the most impactful events that would take place between the Tang, Yamato, and the states of the Korean peninsula. This embassy was formally under the command of Sakahibe no Muraji no Iwashiki and Tsumori no Muraji no Kiza.  It's possible In the first instance it is not clear to me if this isthat he is the same person as the previously mentioned associate envoy, Sakahibe no Iwasuki—but the kanji are different enough, and there is another Sakahibe no Kusuri who shows up between the two in the record.  However, they are both listed as envoys during the reign of Takara Hime, aka Saimei Tennou, and as we've abundantly seen, and it wouldn't be the first time that scribal error crept in. has taken place, especially if the Chroniclers were pulling from different sources. The ambassadors took a retinue with them, including members of the northern Emishi, whom they were bringing along with them to show to the Tang court.  TheThey also  embassy ttook two ships—perhaps because of the size of the retinue, but I suspect that this was also because if anything happened to the one, you still had the other.  A kind of backup plan due to the likelihood something went wrong.  And wouldn't you know it, something did go wrong.  You see, things started out fine, departing Mitsu Bay, in Naniwa, on the 3rd day of the 7th month.  They sailed through the Seto Inland Sea and stopped at Tsukushi, likely for one last resupply and to check in with the Dazai, located near modern Fukuoka, who would have been in charge of overseeing ships coming and going to the archipelago.  They departed from Ohotsu bay in Tsukushi on the 11th day of the 8th month. A quick note: Sspeedboats these were not.  Today, one can cross from Fukuoka to Busan, on the southeast corner of the Korean peninsula, in less than a day.  The envoys, however, were taking their time.  They may have even stopped at the islands of Iki and Tsushima on their way.  By the 13th day of the 9th month—over a month from leaving Kyushu behind -- , the  ships finally came to an island along the southern border of Yamato's ally, Baekje.  Hakatoko does not recall the name of the island, but o On the following morning, around 4 AM, so just before sunrise, the two ships put out to sea together to cross the ocean, heading south, towards the mouth of the Yangzi river.  Unfortunately, the following day, the ship Iwashiki was on met with a contrary wind, and was driven away from the other ship – with nothing known of its fate until some time afterwards.  Meanwhile, the other ship, under the command of Tsumori no Muraji no Kiza, continued on and by midnight on the 16th day, it arrived at Mt. Xuan near Kuaiji Commandary in the Yue district, in modern Zhejiang.  Suddenly a violent northeast wind blew up, and p.  Tthey were saileding another 7 days before they finally arrived at Yuyao.  Today, this is part of the city of Ningbo, at the mouth of the Qiantang river, south of Shanghai and considered a part of the Yangzi Delta Region.  This area has been inhabited since at least 6300 years ago, and it has long been a trade port, especially with the creation of the Grand Canal connecting between the Yangzi and the Yellow River, which would have allowed transshipment of goods to both regions. The now half-size Yamato contingenty  left their ship at Yuyao and disembarked, and made their way to Yuezhou, the capital of the Kuaiji Commandary.  This took them a bit of time—a little over a month.  Presumably this was because of paperwork and logistics: they probably because they had to send word ahead, and I suspect they had to inventory everything they brought and negotiate carts and transportationfigure out transportation., since   Tthey didn't exactly have bags of holding to stuff it all in, so they probably needed to negotiate carts and transportation.  The finally made it to Yuezhou on the first day of the 11th intercalary month.  An “intercalary” month refers to an extra month in a year.  It was determined by various calculations and was added to keep the lunar and solar years in relative synch. From Yuezhou, things went a bit more quickly, as they were placed on post-horses up to the Eastern Capital, or Luoyang, where the Emperor Tang Gaozong was in residence.   The Tang kept a capital at Luoyang and another to the west, in Chang'an.  The trip to Luoyang was long—over 1,000 kilometers, or 1 megameter, as it were.  The trip first took them through the Southern Capital, meaning the area of modern Nanjing, which they entered on the 15th day of the month.  They then continued onwards, reaching Luoyang on the 29th day of the 11th month.  The following day, on the 30th day of the 11th intercalary month of the year 659, the Yamato envoys were granted an audience with Emperor Tang Gaozong.  As was proper, he inquired about the health of their sovereign, Takara Hime, and the envoys reported that she was doing well.  He asked other questions about how the officials were doing and whether there was peace in Yamato.  The envoys all responded affirmatively, assuring him that Yamato was at peace. Tang Gaozong also asked about the Emishi they had brought with them.  We mentioned this event previously, back in Episode XXX117 , how the Emishi had been shown to the Tang Emperor, and how they had described them for him.  This is actually one of the earliest accounts that we have describing the Emishi from the Yamato point of view, rather than just naming them—presumably because everyone in Yamato already knew who they were.  From a diplomatic perspective, of course, this was no doubt Yamato demonstrating how they were, in many ways, an Empire, similar to the Tang, with their own subordinate ethnicities and “barbarians”. After answering all of the emperor's questions, the audience was concluded.  The following day, however, was something of its own. This was the first day of the regular 11th lunar month, and it also was the celebration of the Winter Solstice—so though it was the 11th month, it may have been about 22 December according to our modern western calendars.  The envoys once again met with the emperor, and they were treated as distinguished guests—at least according to their own records of it.  Unfortunately, during the festivities, it seems that a fire broke out, creating some confusion, and .  Tthe matters of the diplomatic mission were put on hold while all of that went on. We don't know exactly what happened in the ensuing month.  Presumably the envoys took in the sites of the city, may have visited various monasteries, and likely got to know the movers and shakers in the court, who likely would have wined and dined them, inviting them to various gatherings, as since they brought their own exotic culture and experiences to the Tang court. Unfortunately, things apparently turned sour.  First off, it seems clear that the members of this embassyy weren't the only Japanese in the court.  There may have been various merchants, of course, but and we definitely know that there were students who had come on other missions and were still there likely still studying, such as those who had been learning from studying with Master Xuanzang, whose journeys we mentioned in the last several episodes.  But Wwe are given a very specific name of a troublemaker, however:  Kawachi no Aya no Ohomaro, and we are told that he was aa servant of Han Chihung, who .  Han Chihung, himself, is thought to have possiblymay have been of mixed ethnicity—both Japanese and ethnic Han, and may .  Hhe may have traveled to the Tang court on or around 653. , based on some of the records, but it isn't entirely clear. For whatever reason, on the 3rd day of the 12th month of the year 659, Kawachi no Aya no Ohomaro slandered the envoys, and although .  Wwe don't know exactly what he said, but the Tang court caught wind of the accusations and found the envoys guilty.  They were condemned to banishment, until the author of our tale, none other than Iki no Hakatoko himself, stepped up, .  He made representation to the Emperor, pleading against the slander.  , and tThe punishment was remitted, .  Sso they were no longer banished.  However, they were also then told that they could no't return home.  You see, the Tang court was in the middle of some sensitive military operations in the lands east of the sea—in other words they were working with Silla to and invadeing the Kingdom of Baekje.  Since Yamato was an ally of Baekje, it would be inconvenient if the envoys were to return home and rally Yamato to Baekje's defense. And so the entire Yamato embassy was moved to the Western Capital, Chang'an, where they were placed under individual house arrest.  They no doubt were treated well, but they were not allowed to leave, and .  Tthey ended up spending the next year in this state. of house arrest. Unfortunately, we don't have a record of just how they passed their time in Chang'an.  They likely studied, and were probably visited by nobles and others.  They weren't allowed to leave, but they weren't exactly thrown in jail, either.  After all, they were foreign emissaries, and though the Tang might be at war with their ally, there was no formal declaration of war with Yamato, as far as I can make out.  And so the embassy just sat there, for about 9 months. Finally, in the 7th month of 660, the records tell us we are told thatthat tThe Tang and Silla forces had been successful: .  Baekje was destroyed..  The Tang and Silla forces had been successful.   News must have reached Chang'an a month later, as Iki Hakatoko writes that this occurred in the 8th month of the year 660.  With the Tang special military operation on the Korean peninsula concluded, they released the envoys and allowed them to return to their own countries.  They envoys began their preparations as of the 12th day of the 9th month, no doubt eager to return home, and left were leaving Chang'an a week later, on the 19th day of the 9th month.  From there, it took them almost a month to reach Luoyang, arriving on the 16th day of the 10th month, and here they were greeted with more good news, for here it was that they met up once again with those members of their delegation who had been blown off course. As you may remember, the ship carrying Iwashiki was blown off-course on the 15th day of the 9th month in the year 659, shortly after setting out from the Korean peninsula.  The two ships had lost contact and Tsumori no Muraji no Kiza and his ship had been the one that had continued on.   Iwashiki and those with him, however, found themselves at the mercy of the contrary winds and eventually came ashore at an island in the Southern Sea, which Aston translates as “Erh-kia-wei”.   There appears to be at least some suggestion that this was an island in the Ryukyuan chain, possibly the island of Kikai.  There, local islanders, none too happy about these foreigners crashing into their beach, destroyed the ship, and presumably attacked the embassy.  Several members, including Yamato no Aya no Wosa no Atahe no Arima (yeah, that *is* a mouthful), Sakahibe no Muraji no Inadzumi (perhaps a relative of Iwashiki) and others all stole a local ship and made their way off the island.  They eventually made landfall at a Kuazhou, southeast of Lishui City in modern Zhejiang province, where they met with local officials of the Tang government, who then sent them under escort to the capital at Luoyang.  Once there, they were probably held in a similar state of house arrest, due to the invasion of Baekje, but they met back up with Kiza and Hakatoko's party. The envoys, now reunited, hung out in Luoyang for a bit longer, and thus .  Thus it was on the first day of the 11th month of 660 that they witnessed war captives being brought to the capital.  This included 13 royal persons of Baekje, from the King on down to the Crown Prince and various nobles, including the PRimiePrime Minister, as well as 37 other persons of lower rank—50 people all told.  TheThese captives y were delivered up to the Tang government and led before the emperor.  Of course, with the war concluded, and Baekje no longer a functioning state, while he could have had them executed, Tang Gaozong instead released them, demonstrating a certain amount of magnanimity.  The Yamato envoys remained in Luoyang for most of the month.  On the 19th, they had another audience with the emperor, who bestowed on them various gifts and presents, and then five days later they departed the Luoyang, and began the trek back to the archipelago in earnest. By the 25th day of the first month of 661, the envoys arrived back at Yuezhou, head of the Kuaiji Commandery.  They stayed there for another couple of months, possibly waiting for the right time, as crossing the sea at in the wrong season could be disastrous.  They finally departed east from Yuezhou on the first day of the fourth month, coming to .  They came to Mt. Cheng-an 6 days later, on the 7th, and set out to sea first thing in the morning on the 8th.  They had a southwest wind initially in their favor, but they lost their way in the open ocean, an all too commonall-too-common problem without modern navigational aids.  Fortunately, the favorable winds had carried them far enough that only a day later they made landfall on the island of Tamna, aka Jeju island. Jeju island was, at this point, its own independent kingdom, situated off the southern coast of the Korean peninsula.  Dr. Alexander Vovin suggested that the name “Tamna” may have been a corruption of a Japonic or proto-Japonic name: Tanimura.  The island was apparently quite strange to the Yamato embassy, and they met with various residents natives of Jeju island.  They, even convincinged Prince Aphaki and eight other men of the island to come with them to be presented at the Yamato court. The rest of their journey took a little over a month.  They finally arrived back in Yamato on the 23rd day of the fifth month of 661.  They had been gone for approximately two years, and a lot had changed, especially with the destruction of Baekje.  The Yamato court had already learned of what had happened and was in the process of drawing up plans for an expedition back to the Korean peninsula to restore the Baekje kingdom, and pPrince Naka no Oe himself was set to lead the troops. The icing on the cake was: Tthe reception that the envoys received upon their return was rather cold.  Apparently they were had been slandered to the Yamato court by another follower of Han Chihung—Yamato no Aya no Atahe no Tarushima—and so they weren't met with any fanfare.  We still don't know what it was that Tarsuhima was saying—possibly he had gotten letters from Chihung or Ohomaro and was simply repeating what they had said. Either way, the envoys were sick of it.  They had traveled all the way to the Tang capitals, they had been placed under house arrest for a year, and now they had returned.  They not only had gifts from the Tang emperor, but they were also bringing the first ever embassy from the Kingdom of Tamna along with them.  The slander would not stand.  And so they did what anyone would do at the time:  They apparently appealed to the Kami.  We are told that their anger reached to the Gods of the High Heaven, which is to say the kami of Takamanohara, who killed Tarushima with a thunderbolt.  Which I guess was one way to shut him up. From what we can tell, the embassy was eventually considered a success.  Iki no Hakatoko's star would rise—and fall—and rise again in the court circles.  As I noted, his account of this embassy is really one of the best and most in depth that we have from this time.  It lets us see the relative route that the envoys were taking—the Chronicles in particular note that they traveled to the Great Tang of Wu, and, sure enough, they had set out along the southern route to the old Wu capital, rather than trying to cross the Bohai Sea and make landfall by the Shandong peninsula or at the mouth of the Yellow River.  From there they traveled through Nanjing—the southern “capital” likely referring, in this instance, to the old Wu capital—and then to Luoyang.  Though they stayed there much longer than they had anticipated, they ended up living there through some of the most impactful events that occurred during this point in Northeast Asia.  they And that is something we will touch on next episode.  Until then, thank you once again for listening and for all of your support. If you like what we are doing, please tell your friends and feel free to rate us wherever you listen to podcasts.  If you feel the need to do more, and want to help us keep this going, we have information about how you can donate on Patreon or through our KoFi site, ko-fi.com/sengokudaimyo, or find the links over at our main website,  SengokuDaimyo.com/Podcast, where we will have some more discussion on topics from this episode. Also, feel free to reach out to our Sengoku Daimyo Facebook page.  You can also email us at the.sengoku.daimyo@gmail.com.  Thank you, also, to Ellen for their work editing the podcast. And that's all for now.  Thank you again, and I'll see you next episode on Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan