The Rumbling Giant

04/20/24 • 24 min

The first Shogun - Yoritomo of the Genji - was born more than 800 years ago. In this episode we explore the amazing background of Yoritomo's Genji clan - a real-life medieval mix of Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones. And then we see how his father Yoshitomo prepared to protect the samurai honor, by standing against his own family...
Places mentioned in this episode:
Rashomon Gate - made famous by Akira Kurosawa's 1950 film - once stood at the southern entrance to the city of Heian (Kyoto). Nothing remains today except a small memorial in a children's playground. You can see what it once looked at the nearby Kyoto JR station, which has a scale model of the original gate. https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/rajomon-gate
The Shogunzuka mound - or Mound of the General - is located in the eastern mountains overlooking Kyoto. It marks the site where the Emperor Kammu first surveyed the valley where he would build the nation's new capital, Kyoto.
https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3954_shogunzuka.html
Written and presented by Sean Bermingham. Music and sound effects from Pond 5: www.pond5.com

The First Shogun podcast website: https://firstshogun.buzzsprout.com

04/20/24 • 24 min

1 Listener

The First Shogun - The Rumbling Giant

Transcript

Thank you for downloading this podcast. My name is Sean Bermingham. Welcome to The First Shogun.

In the hills overlooking the Japanese city of Kyoto, not far from the temple of Chorakuji, is an ancient site named the shogun-zuka, or Mound of the General. It marks the site where, according to legend, the eighth century Emperor Kammu came to view the site of a new capital that he planned to build.

For many years, the imperial family had ruled from the city of Nara to the so

Generate a badge

Get a badge for your website that links back to this episode

Select type & size

Copy