This is Samurai | The Samurai Take Control | 2

How did a warrior class born to serve end up ruling Japan for seven centuries? When the Mongols twice tried to invade — and were twice destroyed by typhoons — what did that do to the samurai myth? And, when the Meiji government banned the wearing of swords in public in 1876, was that the end of the samurai — or just the beginning of something stranger?Peter and Afua trace the samurai from their seizure of power under the first shogun, through the Zen culture, the arrival of European firearms, and the Warring States chaos, to their abolition, their afterlife in the Second World War, and why the world can't stop romanticising them.0:00 Minamoto Yoritomo becomes the first shogun in 1192 — and strips all real power from theimperial court6:00 Zen Buddhism arrives and fits the samurai like a glove: discipline, impermanence, acceptanceof death9:00 The Mongol invasions of 1274 and 1281 — and the typhoons that became divine winds14:00 The Ashikaga shogunate: weak political control, extraordinary cultural flourishing18:00 The Warring States period — Japan descends into anarchy, and the samurai finally have theirmoment20:00 Europeans arrive with matchlock guns — and personal martial prowess stops being enough23:00 Christianity enters Japan and starts pulling apart the existing order28:00 Commodore Perry's steam warships in 1853 — and the crisis that ends the samurai age31:00 The Meiji Restoration abolishes the samurai: stipends cut, swords banned, a class erased35:00 Bushido, kamikaze, and Seven Samurai — how a real warrior class became a global mythJoin Legacy Plus for bonus episodes, early access, Q&A;'s, fewer adverts and more.legacy.supportingcast.fmStay connected with Legacy:Instagram: @originallegacypodcastTikTok: @legacy_productionsExplore more from Peter and Afua — essays, sources, and ideas:Substack: peterfrankopan.substack.com | afuahirsch.substack.comJoin Legacy+ for bonus episodes, early access, Q&A's, fewer adverts and more.legacy.supportingcast.fmStay connected with Legacy:Instagram: @originallegacypodcastTikTok: @legacy_productionsExplore more from Peter and Afua — essays, sources, and ideas: Substack: peterfrankopan.substack.com | afuahirsch.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.