A History of Japan

Although Uesugi Kenshin had forged an impressive domain along the north coast of Honshu, he never gave up on his dream of making his title of Kanto Kanrei into an office with real power in Japan's fertile east. Support the show  My latest novel, "Califia's Crusade," is now available at Amazon , Barnes & Noble , Kobo , Apple Books , Bookshop.org , and many other online platf...

Beleaguered and surrounded by enemies, Oda Nobunaga nearly fell into a deadly trap while seeking battle against the Asakura Clan of northern Omi Province. Then the Takeda Clan started stabbing westward, seeking to liberate the shogun from the grasp of Nobunaga. The drama would end, however, with Yoshiaki's removal and subsequent exile from Kyoto, thus marking the end of the Ashikaga Shogunate...

After conquering Mino Province, Oda Nobunaga needed to not only carve a path to the capital itself, but extend his control over a broad section of the Kansai region.  Support the show  My latest novel, "Califia's Crusade," is now available at Amazon , Barnes & Noble , Kobo , Apple Books , Bookshop.org , and many other online platforms! 

After finally conquering his foes in Mino Province, Oda Nobunaga established a new headquarters in the newly-rebuilt Gifu Castle and introduces a new official motto for his regime - Tenka Fubu. Support the show  My latest novel, "Califia's Crusade," is now available at Amazon , Barnes & Noble , Kobo , Apple Books , Bookshop.org , and many other online platforms! 

Oda Nobuhide, the famous "Tiger of Owari," passed away unexpectedly in 1551, leaving his branch of the Oda Clan in the hands of his son, a rude young man with little sense of propriety or politics called "The Fool of Owari." Throughout the 1550s, however, Nobunaga would consolidate his rule over the province and even defend it from a terrifying invasion. Support the show  My la...

Rival daimyo holding long-term grudges and engaging in massive feuds was a common feature of Sengoku Jidai, but there were two daimyo in particular whose rivalry would become the stuff of legend. Support the show  My latest novel, "Califia's Crusade," is now available at Amazon , Barnes & Noble , Kobo , Apple Books , Bookshop.org , and many other online platforms! 

The continuing adventures of the ambitious Miyoshi Clan leaders led to a series of destructive conflicts throughout Kansai that eventually left the remnant of the Bakufu wholly dependent upon powerful daimyo to prop up their withering government. Support the show  My latest novel, "Califia's Crusade," is now available at Amazon , Barnes & Noble , Kobo , Apple Books , Bookshop.or...

In spite of suffering through the occasional violent coup, cruel tyrant, and political purge, the Joseon Dynasty showed real staying power throughout the 14- and 1500s and would even manage some impressive national accomplishments. Support the show  My latest novel, "Califia's Crusade," is now available at Amazon , Barnes & Noble , Kobo , Apple Books , Bookshop.org , and many ot...

The Ming Dynasty approached its peak, before rapidly declining due to corruption, graft, and a gradual decline in the quality of its burueacucrats. Support the show  My latest novel, "Califia's Crusade," is now available at Amazon , Barnes & Noble , Kobo , Apple Books , Bookshop.org , and many other online platforms! 

In the mid-1500s, a Portuguese ship sought safe harbor from Tsukushima Island and thus began a robust, vibrant trade relationship between two distant powers. In addition to guns, silks, and exotic foreign goods, however, these "Southern Barbarians" also brought missionaries preaching a religion heretofore unknown to the Japanese: Roman Catholic Christianity. Support the show  My latest n...

In this third installment of the Sengoku States series, we follow the activities of the Shimazu Clan on Kyushu, the Chosokabe Clan on Shikoku, and the Miyoshi Clan on Shikoku and in Kansai during the early-to-mid 1500s. Support the show  My latest novel, "Califia's Crusade," is now available at Amazon , Barnes & Noble , Kobo , Apple Books , Bookshop.org , and many other online p...

This episode broadly covers the developments in the Date, Oda, and Mori Clans during the first half of the 1500s. Support the show  My latest novel, "Califia's Crusade," is now available at Amazon , Barnes & Noble , Kobo , Apple Books , Bookshop.org , and many other online platforms! 

This episode broadly covers the developments in the Imagawa, Takeda, and Uesugi Clans during the first half of the 1500s. Support the show  My latest novel, "Califia's Crusade," is now available at Amazon , Barnes & Noble , Kobo , Apple Books , Bookshop.org , and many other online platforms! 

In this episode, we examine some of the many ways in which war during the Sengoku Period had a much different character from previous eras because of technology, economics, and necessity. Support the show  My latest novel, "Califia's Crusade," is now available at Amazon , Barnes & Noble , Kobo , Apple Books , Bookshop.org , and many other online platforms! 

After Hosokawa Masamoto's assassination, power was once again up for grabs and Ashikaga Yoshitane was determined to once more sit upon the shogunal throne. He was the first in a series of puppet shoguns elevated by ambitious daimyo who wielded power in their names. Support the show  My latest novel, "Califia's Crusade," is now available at Amazon , Barnes & Noble , Kobo , A...

Somehow, the Hojo have returned. In this episode, we follow the adventures of Nagao Tamekage and Hojo Soun, two samurai who would become a new kind of daimyo for a new age. Support the show  My latest novel, "Califia's Crusade," is now available at Amazon , Barnes & Noble , Kobo , Apple Books , Bookshop.org , and many other online platforms! 

Hatakeyama Masanaga continued to use his influence over the young Shogun Ashikaga Yoshitane to settle his ongoing dispute with his elder cousin. While they are busy in Kawachi Province, Hosokawa Masamoto decides the time is right to make his move. Support the show  My latest novel, "Califia's Crusade," is now available at Amazon , Barnes & Noble , Kobo , Apple Books , Bookshop.o...

A succession dispute in Kaga Province leads to a social revolution launched by radical egalitarians --  followers of Rennyo called the Ikko. Support the show  My latest novel, "Califia's Crusade," is now available at Amazon , Barnes & Noble , Kobo , Apple Books , Bookshop.org , and many other online platforms! 

The capital had been utterly destroyed by the Onin War and when the conflict ended, it was time to rebuild. The Bakufu needed to rebuild its image and Shogun Ashikaga Yoshihisa saw an opportunity in neighboring Omi Province, where a Daimyo of the Rokkaku had been seizing lands without permission. Support the show  My latest novel, "Califia's Crusade," is now available at Amazon , Ba...

Marco Polo and Ibn Battuta were two travelers whose journeys to China made them famous. In this episode, we will explore their accounts and examine the criticism of their skeptics. Support the show  My latest novel, "Califia's Crusade," is now available at Amazon , Barnes & Noble , Kobo , Apple Books , Bookshop.org , and many other online platforms! 

Just like the political upheaval during the Muromachi Period, there was also aesthetic upheaval. The world of Japanese poetry would soon be challenged by a new type of cooperative verse known as Renga. The consequences for its champions, however, would sometimes prove extremely dire. Support the show  My latest novel, "Califia's Crusade," is now available at Amazon , Barnes & No...

In this special bonus episode, we will read the entire Kemmu Shikimoku and selections from Kitabatake Chikafusa's Jinno Shotoki. Support the show  My latest novel, "Califia's Crusade," is now available at Amazon , Barnes & Noble , Kobo , Apple Books , Bookshop.org , and many other online platforms! 

As the Onin War continued to ravage the capital, it sparked regional conflicts and forced the Shugo-daimyo  and peasants to fend for themselves amid the civil war. When the war was over, the political power of the Shogunate reached an all-time low. Support the show  My latest novel, "Califia's Crusade," is now available at Amazon , Barnes & Noble , Kobo , Apple Books , Bookshop....

Ashikaga Yoshimasa wanted to retire from the office of Shogun, so he chose his brother Yoshimi to be his successor. In 1465, however, his wife gave birth to a son. As two powerful clans each threw their weight behind a different candidate, war became imminent. Support the show  My latest novel, "Califia's Crusade," is now available at Amazon , Barnes & Noble , Kobo , Apple Books...

After Yoshimitsu, the Ashikaga Shoguns would all try their hand at keeping the powerful shugo-daimyo clans in line. Ashikaga Yoshinori went to extreme lengths to dominate them, but paid the ultimate price. Support the show  My latest novel, "Califia's Crusade," is now available at Amazon , Barnes & Noble , Kobo , Apple Books , Bookshop.org , and many other online platforms!