Egui Japan
By Egui Japan
Categories: History
Japanese history for English speakers, one era at a time. Short, story-driven episodes that give you the big picture first, with no dates to memorize.
8 episodes indexed on PodSearch.
Recent episodes
- The Kenmu Restoration: How Go-Daigo and Takauji Fell Out Over Three Seals of Approval
Emperor Go-Daigo finally ruled Japan himself. About three years later, the warrior who had won him that power drove him out of Kyoto. The answer: the two men were fighting over three seals of approval. This episode follows their struggle over who leads the warriors, who hands out land to…
- The Fall of the Kamakura Shogunate: Why Emperor Go-Daigo Won on His Third Try
A warrior government that lasted about a hundred and fifty years collapsed in just a few weeks. Why did Emperor Go-Daigo fail twice, and win on his third try? The answer: the shogunate fell when its own warriors gave up on it. This episode follows Go-Daigo's three attempts in order, and shows what…
- The Kamakura Shogunate Explained: The Promise of Land That Built It and Broke It
What held Japan's first warrior government together for about a hundred and fifty years? One promise: risk your life in battle, and you will be rewarded with land. As long as the shogunate could keep it, it was strong. When it could not, everything began to fall apart. This episode follows the…
- The Genpei War Explained: Four Challengers Who Brought Down the Taira
Who really brought down the Taira, the family at the top of Japan? Not a single hero, but four challengers, each holding a different trump card: a prince with a written order, a general who seized the capital, a genius of the battlefield, and a man who never once stood on the front line. This…
- The Heian Period Explained: The Grandfathers Who Really Ran Japan
Who really ran Japan during the four hundred years of the Heian period? Not the emperor, but the emperor's grandfather: first the Fujiwara regents, then the retired emperors, and finally Taira no Kiyomori. This episode walks you through the Heian period, from the founding of Heian-kyo in 794 to…
- The Nara Period Explained: Why Japan's Capital Lasted Only 84 Years
Why did Japan's grand capital at Nara last only 84 years? The answer is three shocks that hit the country again and again: feuds between powerful families, epidemics and disasters, and the fight over who would inherit the throne. This episode walks you through the Nara period, from the founding of…
- The Asuka Period in 4 Minutes: How Japan Became an Emperor's Nation
How did Japan go from a loose group of powerful clans to a nation ruled by the emperor? The answer is three events: a religious war, a palace coup, and a civil war within the royal family. This episode walks you through the Asuka period, from the arrival of Buddhism to the founding of Nara. Read…
- Japanese History for Beginners: The Whole Story in 18 Minutes
How did Japan go from Ice Age hunters to one of the world's largest economies? The answer fits in one line: the imperial court, the shogunate, the modern nation, war, and recovery. This first episode walks you through every era of Japanese history, with no dates to memorize, just the big picture…
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