Why the Middle Ages ended in 19th century Japan

Explicit content warning

04/19/24 • 91 min

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Yes, you heard us right!! Join Olivia and Aran as they defend their most dubious claim to date, which is definitely not just an excuse to step beyond our usual remit and talk about the wild, delightful world that was Edo Period Japan! We explore why Edo Japan was so cut off from the world and the effects this had on its society, plus some of the cultural developments that took place along the way. Also discussed are

The legend of the tanuki and the train
- https://www.proquest.com/docview/1036926966?sourcetype=Scholarly%20Journals
Kume Kunitake's diaries of travel in Europle and the United States
- https://archive.org/details/japanrisingiwaku0000kume/
An overview of the Satsuma rebellion
- https://www.jstor.org/stable/2383560
The decline of the Japanese warrior class
- https://www.jstor.org/stable/25790888

The song used in this episode is sōran bushi, a Japanese folk song traditionally sung by fishers.

The legend of the tanuki and the train
- https://www.proquest.com/docview/1036926966?sourcetype=Scholarly%20Journals
Kume Kunitake's diaries of travel in Europle and the United States
- https://archive.org/details/japanrisingiwaku0000kume/
An overview of the Satsuma rebellion
- https://www.jstor.org/stable/2383560
The decline of the Japanese warrior class
- https://www.jstor.org/stable/25790888

The song used in this episode is sōran bushi, a Japanese folk song traditionally sung by fishers.

Previous Episode

Medieval Welsh bards

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Journey across space and time with Olivia and Aran this week as we head to medieval Wales, home of one of history's finest bardic traditions. But what was a bard, what did they do, and why did Wales have so darn many of them? Give the episode a listen to learn all this and more! Also discussed are sand worms, long houses, and why foxes are better than babes.

For more on some of what we discuss, check out:

English translations of Dafydd ap Gwilym's poetry
- https://dafyddapgwilym.net/eng/3win.php
Y Goddodin
- https://www.jstor.org/stable/48578318
The Court Poets of the Welsh Princes
- https://www.jstor.org/stable/459824
Performance and Literacy in Medieval Welsh Poetry
- https://www.jstor.org/stable/3737807

Music sources for this episode:

Next Episode

Vikings in the Arctic

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It's grim up north...

Why did a five-hundred-year-old Viking colony in Greenland suddenly disappear, with no trace or record? In this episode, Olivia, Aran, and local archaeologist Joe Mason assemble to try and solve one of the most enduring mysteries in medieval history. It's a quest that will take them out of the libertarian "paradise" of 11th century, to the freezing walrus-infested shores of Greenland, and beyond - to the promised land of Vinland. Along the way they'll encounter Native American ghosts, Inuit revenge epics, and the Vikings' love of pointless, cyclical violence.

Sources:

The Saga of the Greenlanders: https://vidforul.wordpress.com/the-saga-of-the-greenlanders/

The Saga of Erik the Red: https://sagadb.org/eiriks_saga_rauda.en

"Tales and Traditions of the Eskimo" by Hinrich Johannes Rink: https://sacred-texts.com/nam/inu/tte/index.htm

Music used:

Peta, Etulu & Susan - This Land is Your Land (Inuktitut) - https://citizenfreak.com/titles/319453-peta-etulu-susan-songs-by-etulu-susan-peta

Olafur reid med Bjorgum fram - https://www.loc.gov/item/2017701460/