Once again, we have to reckon with a book that is, unfortunately, part of the historiography. At the Edge of Empire is a 2007 biography of Thomas Blake Glover, noted Scottish drug runner and gun dealer who helped arm the Sat-Chō alliance during the Boshin War and then went on to help build modern Japanese … Continue reading Friday Night History #149, Spotlight on the Sources, Part 7: At the Edge…
Some people are a nexus of connections. Before we begin, I’d like to once again thank you all for your patience, as I get back into the swing of things on the podcast. The past few weeks have been a whirlwind of burnout, sore throat, and exhaustion, and I’m glad to be back, and working … Continue reading Friday Night History #148- Spotlight on the Sources, Part 6- “Shinsengumi Saito Hajime no…
There’s nothing quite like firsthand recollections. They’re flawed, but then, all sources are flawed, and they’re all we’ve got. So, let’s try to understand them. Nagakura Shinpachi is an interesting character in the ranks of the Shinsengumi leadership. Born into a retainer family– one serving the Matsumae clan of the eponymous Matsumae domain– he was … Continue reading Friday Night History #147,…
Before we begin this week, I want to say thank you to everyone who’s donated to the crowdfund for my surgery. It’s unfortunately been delayed to September, but that just gives me more time to continue fundraising for this vital care I’ve awaited for so many years. Check out my social media for more details. … Continue reading (Friday Night History) #146- Spotlight on Sources, Part 4: “Saigō…
Every now and then, there are books in the historiography that aren’t that great, but you have to talk about. This is one of them. French Officers in the End of the Shogunate and the Boshin War (1867-1869), by Emmy Faubry, should by rights be an important contribution to anglophone scholarship. A translation of L’engagement … Continue reading (Friday Night History) #145: Spotlight on Sources, Part…
Let’s get the view from below. Something that is all too easy to forget about Japan in 1868 is the view from below. The war, in short, was the warrior caste fighting itself. For everyone else, life had to go on despite this and the knock-on effects it created. The warrior caste was but a … Continue reading (Friday Night History) #144: Spotlight on Sources, Part 2: “Edo in 1868,” by M. William…
-an imperial decree, February 3, 1868 One: Neutrality Even the Kyoto government understood the gravity of the situation. It was certainly full of people who’d cut their teeth as little more than terrorists in the sonnō-jōi movement of the 1860s, which sought the violent expulsion of all foreigners from Japan. But it had just gotten … Continue reading (Friday Night History) #143 (S5E6)- The Thick…
Let’s take a look at the archives! This week on Friday Night History, I’d like to take a moment to pause from our Season Five story of the Boshin War. This is for a few reasons. First, it’s because now that I’m writing squarely in that upon which my doctoral research focused, I feel like … Continue reading (Friday Night History) #142- Spotlight on Sources, Part 1 – The Papers
“On February 4, Bizen troops were passing through Kobe from the early morning, and about two o’clock in the afternoon the retinue of one of their karō shot an American sailor who had crossed the street just in front, which according to Japanese ideas was an insult that deserved mortal chastisement.” -Sir Ernest Mason Satow … Continue reading (Friday Night History) #141 (S5E5)- Realignments
“The upshot of the matter was the Tycoon was ignominiously whipped, his troops not making fight enough to cause a disaster. and he fled to Yeddo by a frigate belonging to him. When he crossed the bar, not being sure of finding any of his own ships at hand, he brought a letter from our … Continue reading (Friday Night History) #140 (S5E4)- Force Multiplier
