Edo Japan

Greg Jenner is joined in late antique Egypt by Professor Edith Hall and comedian Olga Koch to learn about the life of mathematician Hypatia of Alexandria. An important mathematical and astronomical thinker, Hypatia is best known today for her brutal death at the hands of Christia ...  Show more

Greg Jenner is joined in medieval England by Professor Marion Turner and comedian Mike Wozniak to learn all about Geoffrey Chaucer, author of the Canterbury Tales. Since the fifteenth century, Chaucer has been referred to as the father of English literature. He was one of the fir ...  Show more

Emperor Meiji of Japan’s reign began in 1867, and it marks a time of significant change in the country’s history. After the emperor and his consort died in the early 20th century, the Meiji Jingu shrine was built to memorialize them.

Research:</stron ...

In the 16th century, Japan was embroiled in what is known as Sengoku jidai - ‘The Warring States’ period. It was a time of bloody battles, social upheaval and is known as the most violent in Japan’s history. 

But how, and when, did 150 years of bitter warfare an ...

During the Onin Wars of the early Sengoku period, Kyoto was razed as civil war struck the Imperial capital. Only with unification did the city begin to rebuild. This episode will explore the rise and fall and rise again of Kyoto, what life in the city might ha ...

At the height of Imperial Japan, during a golden age of court intrigue, obsessive hierarchy, and fabulous sophistication, who was the legendary lothario and emperor’s son, Genji? What can the Tale of Genji - a great masterpiece of Japanese literature - tell us about this remarkab ...  Show more