61: Down to Business pt.1: Worth Fighting For

Was Mulan real? Did Mulan exist? And, if so, how accurate is the movie Mulan? This week we get down to business to uncover the history behind our favorite female warrior. Maia spotlights three extraordinary women whose boldness and brilliance helped reshape East Asian and global history: Tamoe Gozen, a Japanese Samurai from the 12th century, whose bravery and romances were featured in Heike monogatari (The Tale of Heike); Murasaki Shikibu, the author of what's thought of as the world's oldest novel, Genji monogatari (The Tale of Genji); and the legendary Hua Mulan, brought to life through a 5th-century poem and her fierce promise to take her father’s place in war. And, of course, we sing a couple of lines from that killer movie soundtrack (singing podcast?). Along the way, they unpack samurai code, Heian-era culture (calligraphy, poetry, doll festivals, and all), and why storytelling remains one of the most powerful weapons in any era—printing press or not. Women in history had something worth fighting for!   00:00:00 Catch-Up 00:28:08 Worth Fighting For 00:34:32 Tomoē Gozen, Samurai Superstar 00:41:12 Seven Heads, Seven WINS 00:42:41 Vanish or Vacation? 00:44:32 Enter Murasaki Shikibu 00:48:16 Genji-mania 00:59:55 The Ballad of Mulan 01:38:48 Japanese Shakespeare 01:39:11 Mulan’s Poetic Mic Drop   Connect with Us Love a good laugh? Stay in the loop with the Well, I Laughed Podcast! Hit up wellilaughed.com for all the fun, throw some love our way on Patreon at https://patreon.com/WellILaughedPodcast, and send us your wildest listener stories at [email protected]—because let’s be real, we know you’ve got some!   Listener stories, topic ideas, or anything else you think belongs on the show—drop it all at wellilaughed.com/contact. We’re all ears—and laughs!   Follow Us On Social Media Instagram: @wellilaughed Tiktok: @wellilaughed Facebook: Well, I Laughed Podcast YouTube: Well, I laughed Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.