I can't deal with this, I just noticed this has only around 500 likes? This is bullshit, this series is a holy grail of japanese culture, how is this not exploding with praise?
Hidden gems. As a TH-cam history enthusiast there’s a great many of them in said genre and really in the whole section of TH-cam history. Doesn’t get a lot of attention but there are so many people putting great amounts of effort into making videos. Just not as many people watching them
Really well done. Even though this is basic history textbook stuff for Japanese, this series goes into way more depth than most English language overviews of Japanese history do. By the way, where is the music from? Specifically 15:00-19:20. Unlike some of the other commenters, I really liked the music.
I'm glad you liked it! I've gotten raked over the coals for the music in these early videos so I greatly appreciate the positivity 🙏 It's a beat that I made a long time ago. It has a sample from some older song in it but it's been so long now that I can't recall what...
@@BuyuudenJapaneseHistory Wow, you did the music yourself? I was already impressed with the content and the visuals but that just blows me away. I'd love to hear more. Best of luck with your future videos!
Yes!! This is just what I was looking for. Most high production documentaries seem to only go back as far as the Sengoku Period. I guess that's what most people nowadays are interested in. Having just visited Nara and Kamakura, I wish I had seen your series first to get a better appreciation of the region and cultural significance of the sites there. Looking forward to part 2 of the Muromachi Period.
The description of the Taika reforms in the Nihon Shoki seems like a classic example of a writer trying to explain why present society is the way it is by attributing it to something familiar. The actual truth might be that this was less of a purposeful reform program and more a slow process where economic and societal forces pushed the country away from the old semi-feudal system and towards a more centralized state. I imagine a major driver of the reform program was also a wish to disempower local lords to prevent a repeat of the situation with the Soga.
I think you are probably on the mark with that interpretation! Sadly, their decision not to adopt China's more meritocratic style of doing things doomed them to multiple repeats of the Soga situation going forward.
I am currently studying Japanology in university and extremely interested in Japan's late 古代 and 中世 periods, but only recently achieved enough level of comprehension ability to enjoy actual native resources (of course, with tones of dictionaries >_
I'm glad I could give you that extra push you needed! Welcome to the asylum (haha). I haven't personally read the 大学の日本史シリーズ, but I like a lot of Yamakawa's stuff. I will have to see if I can find any of the volumes at one of my local used bookstores. I'm actually surprised more people haven't commented on the voice change! Nothing happened, I just decided to try to use a more cinematic, "narrator"-style voice. I think it sounds a bit cooler, although it is definitely NOT how I actually speak 😅 Anyway, thanks a lot for the kind words. Sorry for the late reply, too -- I was so absorbed in making my newest video that I hadn't been checking TH-cam comments at all...
First of all, thank you so much for these video's! I also have a question, in your video's you sometimes use manga panels. Would it be possible to share the name of those manga? Anyways, you got yourself a new subscriber!
Thanks for subscribing! I’ve used a couple different manga but I believe most of them are from a series called 学習漫画・日本の歴史 (gakushū manga: nihon no rekishi) by Shūeisha. They seem to redo the series every decade or so, so there are various iterations out there with different illustrations, etc. I’ve stopped using them in newer episodes because I’m a bit scared of Japan’s unforgivingly strict copyright laws, but they’re very cool!
I am also not a student of Japanese language and I came here just to know more about the history of distant countries, nevertheless I like the mnemonics, it is always interesting to me what methods they have invented to deal with an abundance of dates, as well as how this unique Japanese language works. :)
I just started binging your contents. Really interesting, thank you for going into details! Just. A small thing may be make the music slightly lower so we can hear you better, other than that, love it!
Thank you for this fascinating content!!! These videos are a great insight into both the history of Japan and the presentation of that history in Japanese educational materials!
10:09 Having binged the entire series several times, I noticed something: Could the Abe-guy (Abe No Hirafu) you mentioned here at 10:09, possibly be the same person that may have established the Abe-clan you mentioned in the Deep-Dive-video on the former nine-year's and later three-year's wars?
He is indeed the ancestor of the early-Heian period Chinjufu general Abe no Chikataka, who is thought to have maybe been the progenitor of the Mutsu Abe clan! So it is a likely possibiliy. It would be very cool if that were indeed the case. Thanks for watching!
there is a shojo manga called 天上の虹 that have story around empress Jito, including taika reform to jinshin war to fujiwarakyo anyway when prince Ooama left the capital right before the emperor Tenchi(tenji)'s death and run to yoshino, people described the situation that Tenji "gave the tiger the wings and released it to the field" to say how foolish it was to let him go
My own hip-hop remix of the song Tetego-bashi from the Lone Wolf and Cub movies from the 70s! It's about a lost child, and I guess it's based on an Edo Period lullaby apparently.
Also, not sure if this will become more clear as I slowly make my way through the series, but one things that's kind of been bothering me with creating a more accurate "picture" for this period and the Kofun period, is exactly how "advanced" the Yamato state was, as compared to other civilizations such as China, Korea, and India. Obviously they were weaker in terms of military power and resources, but how about in terms of institutions, culture, and technology? The reason why I ask this is mainly because it becomes clear that eventually Japan does become more developed and even becomes advanced enough to try and invade korea in the 16th century, but how does it actually get to that point if all of their knowledge about the outside world is through Korean immigration and Chinese texts? That presuposses that China and Korea are already more advanced, but my question mainly is regarding "when" this role reversal occurs. Maybe I'll get a clearer understanding as I watch the rest of the series though.
This is a pretty deep question, so I'm not sure I can answer it quite as confidently as the first one. Even from the late Kofun Period, Yamato Japan was already engaging in diplomatic and military activity in the Korean peninsula, and they seem to have viewed themselves as something of an "international" power, so I feel like it's pretty safe to say that they were on par with the Korean kingdoms of the time technologically. Their defeat at the Battle of Baekgang was a pretty major turning point in them becoming a lot more introverted as a country. In regards to the eventual attempted invasion of Korea in the 16th century, I think the social and technological advancements of the Sengoku Period, fueled by contact with Europeans and competition between rival Daimyô lords, played a big role. That being said, they did not succeed in either of the two attempts at that invasion, so I'm not sure if there really ever was a role reversal there (technologically, at least). Honestly, though, I'm not super well-read on the gritty details of the Yamato state. It sounds like it would be a fun topic to read up on more and eventually try to make another video on, though!
This stuff is always facinating to me, just because of how much material culture changes in such a short period of time (from Kofun to Asuka). Would you guess that this rapid change in popular and material culture was mainly religious in nature? Meaning that the reason why Pagotas and Buddhist paintings and murals were adopted was due to them holding religious significance? Or do we only view it in this way because we simply don't have enough evidence for material culture in the Kofun and Yayoi periods?
I think more than anything it was probably political in nature. In contrast to later centuries, Asuka Period Japan was pretty actively trying to be involved in the affairs of continental Asia, and so they likely latched on to Buddhism and its trappings to raise their reputation in the eyes of the Chinese. Also, politics and religion were pretty inseparable at the time, so when they adopted the Ritsuryô government system from China, a lot of cultural changes came with that as byproducts. Actual changes in belief probably came gradually over the subsequent centuries. In many ways, it was similar to what happened in the Meiji Period in the late 19th century, when the Japanese ditched their traditional pre-modern aesthetic for suits and ties and "western-style" architecture. That's what I've heard/read, at least!
The 3rd emperor of Tang dynasty (Li Zhi or Gaozong) doesn't seem to use the term 天皇 (tennō) in his life time (628-683 C.E.). The name 天皇大帝 was given to him postmortem in 684 C.E. by his successor.
Pardon the apparently crass question; I promise I mean it seriously though: what is up with the...er...phallic nature of the head coverings worn by old Emperors? (Lol not that I'm trying to focus on this. I just noticed it in this episode...not sure if it's the first time in this history series. I first noticed it in Shogun's and Emperor's caps in the Sengoku Jidai era...) Although I assume a school textbook would not answer this. However, I once was a teenager. Even if they are super polite and proper, I imagine at some point any teacher would have to address snickering in the classroom... Again I mean this question in all seriousness. I hope if I know the answer I'll stop getting distracted...
thx for the accurate knowledges in this video BUT as a non native English listener, my attention was distracted by the musical background: to high level and unadapted.
Thank you for the feedback! Sadly I can’t go back and fix the music in these early videos but the music gets a lot better from Nara Pt. 2 onward. I hope you’ll check out some of the newer videos!
Ok I need to ask a better question as I'm a little embarrassed with my last. You say that Emperor Tenmu is the first to use the term "Tennō" for Emperor. So when pronouncing it is the full name/title "Tennō Tenmu?" (I assume that almost exact pronunciation matching is purposeful and that's the reason for the name-choice?) It seems weird, like declaring myself "Emperor Emporore!" (I've never heard of any leader in the west doing something like this. The only example I can think of is "King Kong." ) ...argh I made this post trying to make-up for my last, but I fear I am just further exposing my ignorance and idiocy...sorry...
In this era, the Kokushi was! On a provincial level, at least. Powerful local individuals (former Kuni no Miyatsuko families etc.) seem to have been chosen as smaller-scale district managers (Gunji), and they were responsible for collecting taxes in their particular areas and getting that tax delivered to the Kokushi in his provincial headquarters.
I see no value in lacing the documentary with the sounds of a carnival ride. A free tip. Give each episode a number in chronological order. Then we might be able to follow it in chronological order.
I can't deal with this, I just noticed this has only around 500 likes?
This is bullshit, this series is a holy grail of japanese culture, how is this not exploding with praise?
Hidden gems. As a TH-cam history enthusiast there’s a great many of them in said genre and really in the whole section of TH-cam history. Doesn’t get a lot of attention but there are so many people putting great amounts of effort into making videos. Just not as many people watching them
Thanks
Thank you once again! I truly appreciate the generosity.
Really well done. Even though this is basic history textbook stuff for Japanese, this series goes into way more depth than most English language overviews of Japanese history do.
By the way, where is the music from? Specifically 15:00-19:20. Unlike some of the other commenters, I really liked the music.
I'm glad you liked it! I've gotten raked over the coals for the music in these early videos so I greatly appreciate the positivity 🙏 It's a beat that I made a long time ago. It has a sample from some older song in it but it's been so long now that I can't recall what...
@@BuyuudenJapaneseHistory
Wow, you did the music yourself?
I was already impressed with the content and the visuals but that just blows me away. I'd love to hear more.
Best of luck with your future videos!
Yes!! This is just what I was looking for. Most high production documentaries seem to only go back as far as the Sengoku Period. I guess that's what most people nowadays are interested in. Having just visited Nara and Kamakura, I wish I had seen your series first to get a better appreciation of the region and cultural significance of the sites there. Looking forward to part 2 of the Muromachi Period.
The description of the Taika reforms in the Nihon Shoki seems like a classic example of a writer trying to explain why present society is the way it is by attributing it to something familiar. The actual truth might be that this was less of a purposeful reform program and more a slow process where economic and societal forces pushed the country away from the old semi-feudal system and towards a more centralized state. I imagine a major driver of the reform program was also a wish to disempower local lords to prevent a repeat of the situation with the Soga.
I think you are probably on the mark with that interpretation! Sadly, their decision not to adopt China's more meritocratic style of doing things doomed them to multiple repeats of the Soga situation going forward.
this is literally saving me, my finals are next week and i was completely lost with all the information etc, THANKS
Glad to be of service! 😁
You deserve more views/recognition. This channel is excellent.
Thank you, that means a lot!
Thanks for the Video!
Thanks as always for watching!
I hope we get into a serious in depth lesson on the sengoku jidai
I am currently studying Japanology in university and extremely interested in Japan's late 古代 and 中世 periods, but only recently achieved enough level of comprehension ability to enjoy actual native resources (of course, with tones of dictionaries >_
I'm glad I could give you that extra push you needed! Welcome to the asylum (haha). I haven't personally read the 大学の日本史シリーズ, but I like a lot of Yamakawa's stuff. I will have to see if I can find any of the volumes at one of my local used bookstores.
I'm actually surprised more people haven't commented on the voice change! Nothing happened, I just decided to try to use a more cinematic, "narrator"-style voice. I think it sounds a bit cooler, although it is definitely NOT how I actually speak 😅
Anyway, thanks a lot for the kind words. Sorry for the late reply, too -- I was so absorbed in making my newest video that I hadn't been checking TH-cam comments at all...
First of all, thank you so much for these video's!
I also have a question, in your video's you sometimes use manga panels. Would it be possible to share the name of those manga? Anyways, you got yourself a new subscriber!
Thanks for subscribing! I’ve used a couple different manga but I believe most of them are from a series called 学習漫画・日本の歴史 (gakushū manga: nihon no rekishi) by Shūeisha. They seem to redo the series every decade or so, so there are various iterations out there with different illustrations, etc. I’ve stopped using them in newer episodes because I’m a bit scared of Japan’s unforgivingly strict copyright laws, but they’re very cool!
I am also not a student of Japanese language and I came here just to know more about the history of distant countries, nevertheless I like the mnemonics, it is always interesting to me what methods they have invented to deal with an abundance of dates, as well as how this unique Japanese language works. :)
I'm glad you enjoyed it! Yeah, it's a cool way of remembering dates that makes use of some of the more unique aspects of the Japanese language.
I just started binging your contents. Really interesting, thank you for going into details! Just. A small thing may be make the music slightly lower so we can hear you better, other than that, love it!
Thank you for this fascinating content!!! These videos are a great insight into both the history of Japan and the presentation of that history in Japanese educational materials!
I’m glad you are enjoying it!
Brilliant stuff man! Keep it coming!
estoy viendo todos los videos, son geniaaaales!!!! gracias por tanto esfuerzo!!!
Nice episode🎉
10:09 Having binged the entire series several times, I noticed something: Could the Abe-guy (Abe No Hirafu) you mentioned here at 10:09, possibly be the same person that may have established the Abe-clan you mentioned in the Deep-Dive-video on the former nine-year's and later three-year's wars?
He is indeed the ancestor of the early-Heian period Chinjufu general Abe no Chikataka, who is thought to have maybe been the progenitor of the Mutsu Abe clan! So it is a likely possibiliy. It would be very cool if that were indeed the case.
Thanks for watching!
there is a shojo manga called 天上の虹 that have story around empress Jito, including taika reform to jinshin war to fujiwarakyo
anyway when prince Ooama left the capital right before the emperor Tenchi(tenji)'s death and run to yoshino, people described the situation that Tenji "gave the tiger the wings and released it to the field" to say how foolish it was to let him go
I love this series! What is that jam at the theme, its cool. Lyrics?
My own hip-hop remix of the song Tetego-bashi from the Lone Wolf and Cub movies from the 70s! It's about a lost child, and I guess it's based on an Edo Period lullaby apparently.
@@BuyuudenJapaneseHistory
I read the entire Lone Wolf and Cub series. Thanks for the tip!
Rewatching for the second time🙃👍
Great vid, what’s the song at 14:57? It goes hard
Nice
Also, not sure if this will become more clear as I slowly make my way through the series, but one things that's kind of been bothering me with creating a more accurate "picture" for this period and the Kofun period, is exactly how "advanced" the Yamato state was, as compared to other civilizations such as China, Korea, and India.
Obviously they were weaker in terms of military power and resources, but how about in terms of institutions, culture, and technology? The reason why I ask this is mainly because it becomes clear that eventually Japan does become more developed and even becomes advanced enough to try and invade korea in the 16th century, but how does it actually get to that point if all of their knowledge about the outside world is through Korean immigration and Chinese texts? That presuposses that China and Korea are already more advanced, but my question mainly is regarding "when" this role reversal occurs.
Maybe I'll get a clearer understanding as I watch the rest of the series though.
This is a pretty deep question, so I'm not sure I can answer it quite as confidently as the first one. Even from the late Kofun Period, Yamato Japan was already engaging in diplomatic and military activity in the Korean peninsula, and they seem to have viewed themselves as something of an "international" power, so I feel like it's pretty safe to say that they were on par with the Korean kingdoms of the time technologically. Their defeat at the Battle of Baekgang was a pretty major turning point in them becoming a lot more introverted as a country. In regards to the eventual attempted invasion of Korea in the 16th century, I think the social and technological advancements of the Sengoku Period, fueled by contact with Europeans and competition between rival Daimyô lords, played a big role. That being said, they did not succeed in either of the two attempts at that invasion, so I'm not sure if there really ever was a role reversal there (technologically, at least).
Honestly, though, I'm not super well-read on the gritty details of the Yamato state. It sounds like it would be a fun topic to read up on more and eventually try to make another video on, though!
Are there any animes set in super early periods of Japanese history?
I personally am not aware of any. However, the Phoenix (Hi no Tori) manga by Osamu Tezuka has a lot of stories set in the really ancient periods!
This stuff is always facinating to me, just because of how much material culture changes in such a short period of time (from Kofun to Asuka). Would you guess that this rapid change in popular and material culture was mainly religious in nature? Meaning that the reason why Pagotas and Buddhist paintings and murals were adopted was due to them holding religious significance? Or do we only view it in this way because we simply don't have enough evidence for material culture in the Kofun and Yayoi periods?
I think more than anything it was probably political in nature. In contrast to later centuries, Asuka Period Japan was pretty actively trying to be involved in the affairs of continental Asia, and so they likely latched on to Buddhism and its trappings to raise their reputation in the eyes of the Chinese. Also, politics and religion were pretty inseparable at the time, so when they adopted the Ritsuryô government system from China, a lot of cultural changes came with that as byproducts. Actual changes in belief probably came gradually over the subsequent centuries. In many ways, it was similar to what happened in the Meiji Period in the late 19th century, when the Japanese ditched their traditional pre-modern aesthetic for suits and ties and "western-style" architecture. That's what I've heard/read, at least!
Can I just ask. What historical books did you choose as your sources?
The 3rd emperor of Tang dynasty (Li Zhi or Gaozong) doesn't seem to use the term 天皇 (tennō) in his life time (628-683 C.E.). The name 天皇大帝 was given to him postmortem in 684 C.E. by his successor.
Guess Japan was lucky The Silla and Tang turned on each other.
Pardon the apparently crass question; I promise I mean it seriously though: what is up with the...er...phallic nature of the head coverings worn by old Emperors? (Lol not that I'm trying to focus on this. I just noticed it in this episode...not sure if it's the first time in this history series. I first noticed it in Shogun's and Emperor's caps in the Sengoku Jidai era...) Although I assume a school textbook would not answer this. However, I once was a teenager. Even if they are super polite and proper, I imagine at some point any teacher would have to address snickering in the classroom...
Again I mean this question in all seriousness. I hope if I know the answer I'll stop getting distracted...
thx for the accurate knowledges in this video BUT as a non native English listener, my attention was distracted by the musical background: to high level and unadapted.
Thank you for the feedback! Sadly I can’t go back and fix the music in these early videos but the music gets a lot better from Nara Pt. 2 onward. I hope you’ll check out some of the newer videos!
Ok I need to ask a better question as I'm a little embarrassed with my last. You say that Emperor Tenmu is the first to use the term "Tennō" for Emperor. So when pronouncing it is the full name/title "Tennō Tenmu?" (I assume that almost exact pronunciation matching is purposeful and that's the reason for the name-choice?) It seems weird, like declaring myself "Emperor Emporore!" (I've never heard of any leader in the west doing something like this. The only example I can think of is "King Kong." )
...argh I made this post trying to make-up for my last, but I fear I am just further exposing my ignorance and idiocy...sorry...
was Kokushi responsible for tax collection or local lords?
In this era, the Kokushi was! On a provincial level, at least. Powerful local individuals (former Kuni no Miyatsuko families etc.) seem to have been chosen as smaller-scale district managers (Gunji), and they were responsible for collecting taxes in their particular areas and getting that tax delivered to the Kokushi in his provincial headquarters.
@@BuyuudenJapaneseHistory tanx
I see no value in lacing the documentary with the sounds of a carnival ride. A free tip. Give each episode a number in chronological order. Then we might be able to follow it in chronological order.
The music is really annoying
Thanks
I will start the “New Mic Fund” in your name. Thank you!