Friday Night History
By Nyri A. Bakkalian
Friday Night HistoryAug 13, 2021
Episode 73 (S3E7)- Back Home at the Castle
On castles, cranes, terrain, and what remains.
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Episode 72 (S3E6)- Samurai Codes and Neo-Confucian Dogma
On bushido, BS, and Neo-Confucian dogma.
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Episode 71 (S3E5)- Square Coin, Square Hole
On famine, finance, and the numismatic equivalent of glitter.
Subscribe to Riversidewings on Patreon, or buy some merch at Fourthwall. (Theme is "Ohayashi" by PeriTune, CC4.0)
Episode 70 (S3E4)-Samurai Behaving Badly
On vassalage, the fickle nature of samurai loyalty, and why one family was so extra that its internal dispute got turned into a kabuki.
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Episode 69 (S3E3)- Loopholes, Castles, and Shogunate Law
On Shogunate law, loopholes, and Sendai Domain's dozens of castles that weren't.
Subscribe to Riversidewings on Patreon, or buy some merch at Fourthwall. (Theme is "Ohayashi" by PeriTune, CC4.0)
Episode 68 (S3E2)- Paying Taxes in Crickets
On nature, poetry, conspicuous consumption, matchlock guns, and one little species of cricket that lives in modern Sendai.
Subscribe to Riversidewings on Patreon, or buy some merch at Fourthwall. (Theme is "Ohayashi" by PeriTune, CC4.0, also appearing was "Cricket Chirp," from Pixabay.com/music)
Episode 67 (S3E1)- Honorable Beggars
On Meiji-era Istanbul, crowdfunding 19th century Armenian style, and how the more things change, the more they stay the same.
Subscribe to Riversidewings on Patreon, or buy some merch at Fourthwall. (Theme is "Ohayashi" by PeriTune, CC4.0)
FNH Season 3 Teaser
On crickets, castle loopholes, Samurai Behaving Badly, and what to expect in Friday Night History Season 3.
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Episode 66 (S2E33)- Ninja vs Buchanan
On the antebellum US Navy, Walt Whitman, Herman Melville, and that time a ninja went to the White House and met James Buchanan.
Subscribe to Riversidewings on Patreon, or buy some merch at Fourthwall. (Theme is "Ohayashi" by PeriTune, CC4.0)
Episode 65 (S2E32)- The Introduction of Coffee
By patron request, an old Twitter thread remade into a podcast: on the introduction of coffee to Japan.
Subscribe to Riversidewings on Patreon, or buy some merch at Fourthwall. (Theme is "Ohayashi" by PeriTune, CC4.0)
Episode 64 (S2E31)- Coast Defense and Coffee
On Russian expansionism, Japanese coast defense policy, and coffee as medicine.
Subscribe to Riversidewings on Patreon, or buy some merch at Fourthwall. (Theme is "Ohayashi" by PeriTune, CC4.0)
Episode 63 (S2E30)- Shogunate versus Predator
OKAY, I GUESS WE'RE DOING THIS, YOU GUYS.
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Episode 62 (S2E29)- Tairadate Battery
On coast artillery, the Tsugaru peninsula, and why inadequate preparation is not the same as no preparation.
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Episode 61 (S2E28)- Lady Fujishiro
On one lesser-known woman in command, Tsugaru Tamenobu as an opportunist asshole, reading between the lines in local history, and why you shouldn't trust Wikipedia.
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From Fujishiro to Wakkanai: Friday Night History does Tsugaru Domain
On what to expect over the next set of episodes, and what this all has to do with coffee.
Subscribe to Riversidewings on Patreon, or buy some merch at Fourthwall. (Theme is "Ohayashi" by PeriTune, CC4.0)
Episode 60 (S2E27)- Burying the Lede
On one daimyo with an unlikely connection to a famous incident, and how he passed an overabundance of downtime through the briefly illegal activity of fishing.
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Episode 59 (S2E26)- Lines, Part Two
Part two on family lines, ninjas, and that other time the Tokugawa Shogunate went to war outside Japan.
Subscribe to Riversidewings on Patreon, or buy some merch at Fourthwall. (Theme is "Ohayashi" by PeriTune, CC4.0)
Episode 58 (S2E25)- Lines, Part One
On family lines, ninjas, and that other time the Tokugawa Shogunate went to war outside Japan.
Subscribe to Riversidewings on Patreon, or buy some merch at Fourthwall. (Theme is "Ohayashi" by PeriTune, CC4.0)
Episode 57 (S2E24) - A Curveball
Sometimes, research throws you a curveball.
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Episode 56 (S2E23) - Nanbu Senbei
This week on Friday Night History: born of hard times, still a fixture, this is the story of Nanbu Senbei. Support this podcast: subscribe at Riversidewings on Patreon, or buy some merch at Fourthwall. (Theme is "Ohayashi" by PeriTune, CC4.0)
Friday Night History Goes to Aomori
A teaser for the next trio of episodes, in which we go to Aomori Prefecture.
Episode 55 (S2E22)- Trailing Smoke
This week on Friday Night History: How could you tell you were looking at the Date family's alternate-attendance procession? The smoke, it's the smoke.
Support this podcast: buy my books Grey Dawn: A Tale of Abolition and Union and Confluence: A Person-Shaped Story, and consider becoming a regular patron at patreon.com/riversidewings
Episode 54 (S2E21)- Waffle on a Stick
This week on Friday Night History: What if you put okonomiyaki on a stick?
Support this podcast: buy my books Grey Dawn: A Tale of Abolition and Union and Confluence: A Person-Shaped Story, and consider becoming a regular patron at patreon.com/riversidewings
Episode 53 (S2E20)- The Mail Carrier Cometh
This week on Friday Night History: how did someone in Sendai send mail to Edo? The answer may surprise you!
Support this podcast: buy my books Grey Dawn: A Tale of Abolition and Union and Confluence: A Person-Shaped Story, and consider becoming a regular patron at patreon.com/riversidewings
An Announcement
It's been a hot minute. Let's catch up.
Episode 52 (S2E19)- Shrine Aggregator
This week on Friday Night History: So what do you do when you're an overworked Heian-era bureaucrat out in the proverbial ass end of nowhere, and part of your work involves having to visit your province's shrines? Well, you make a shrine aggregator.
To support this podcast, and for scripts, references, and bonus episodes, sign up at patreon.com/riversidewings. Check out the merch at Redbubble, or buy my new novel Confluence: A Person-Shaped Story at https://balance-of-seven.square.site/ (or from Sapphic Sweets and Reads for international readers) and don't forget to follow me at Twitch, Facebook, Twitter, and itch.io! Thank you for being the wind beneath my wings.
Episode 51 (S2E18)- Boshin War, Part Six-- Saga Domain and Mr Facing Both Ways
This week on Friday Night History, "Boshin War, Part Six - Saga Domain and Mr. Facing Both Ways" In which we continue to talk about another contributor to the Boshin War's victorious coalition, the northern Kyushu domain of Saga.
To support this podcast, and for scripts, references, and bonus episodes, sign up at patreon.com/riversidewings. Check out the merch at Redbubble, or buy my new novel Grey Dawn via bit.ly/greydawnpaperback, and don't forget to follow me at Twitch, Facebook, Twitter, and itch.io! Thank you for being the wind beneath my wings.
On Making a Return to #FridayNightHistory
I burned out, then I got sick, then I was out for much of July. But I'm writing and recording again, so here's what's next for #FridayNightHistory.
For an early look at works in progress and to support this podcast, sign up at patreon.com/riversidewings
On Burnout, Return, and the Future of this Podcast
Episode 50 (S2E17)- Boshin War, Part Five-- Tosa is the Key
This week on Friday Night History, "Boshin War, Part Five - Tosa is the Key" In which we continue to talk about the Boshin War's main trio of victors, continuing with Tosa. To support this podcast, and for scripts, references, and bonus episodes, sign up at patreon.com/riversidewings. Check out the merch at Redbubble, or buy my new novel Grey Dawn via bit.ly/greydawnebook, and don't forget to follow me at Twitch, Facebook, Twitter, and itch.io! Thank you for being the wind beneath my wings.
Episode 49 (S2E16)- Boshin War, Part Four - My Lord, Is It Time Yet?
This week on Friday Night History, "Boshin War, Part Four - My Lord, Is It Time Yet?" In which we continue to talk about the Boshin War's main trio of victors, continuing with Chōshū. To support this podcast, and for scripts, references, and bonus episodes, sign up at patreon.com/riversidewings. Check out the merch at Redbubble, or buy my new novel Grey Dawn via bit.ly/greydawnebook, and don't forget to follow me at Twitch, Facebook, Twitter, and itch.io! Thank you for being the wind beneath my wings.
Episode 48 (S2E15)- Boshin War, Part Three - Prelude to an Empire's Bloody Birth
This week on Friday Night History, "Boshin War, Part Three: Prelude to an Empire's Bloody Birth." In which we talk about the Boshin War's victors, starting with Satsuma.
To support this podcast, and for scripts, references, and bonus episodes, sign up at patreon.com/riversidewings.
Check out the merch at Redbubble, or buy my new novel Grey Dawn via bit.ly/greydawnebook, and don't forget to follow me at Twitch, Facebook, Twitter, itch.io, gumroad!
Episode 47 (S2E14)- Boshin War, Part Two - Staggering Through Innovation
This week on Friday Night History, "Boshin War, Part Two: Staggering Through Innovation." In which we talk about reforms, innovation, and why it wasn't enough to save the Tokugawa Shogunate.
To support this podcast, and for scripts, references, and bonus episodes, sign up at patreon.com/riversidewings.
Check out the merch at Redbubble, or buy my new novel Grey Dawn via bit.ly/greydawnebook, and don't forget to follow me at Twitch, Facebook, Twitter, itch.io, gumroad!
Episode 46 (S2E13)- Boshin War, Part One: A Question of Layers
A return to form! This week on Friday Night History, "Boshin War, Part One: A Question of Layers." In which we talk about sense of scale, the importance of filling a gap in English language discussion on the war, and set out the lay of the land. To support this podcast, and for scripts, references, and bonus episodes, sign up at patreon.com/riversidewings.
Check out the merch at Redbubble, or buy my new novel Grey Dawn via bit.ly/greydawnebook, and don't forget to follow me at Twitch, Facebook, Twitter, itch.io, gumroad!
Episode 45 (S2E12)- The Book, The Book, Tell Us About the Book
This week on Friday Night History, "The Book, The Book, Tell Us About the Book." In which I set the stage for a course correction on this season, and a longer form project to come.
For pictures and references, and a word about the recent hiatus, check out the entry at patreon.com/riversidewings. To support this podcast and the rest of my work, sign up to my Patreon at Patreon.com/riversidewings , check out the merch at Redbubble, or buy my novel Grey Dawn via bit.ly/greydawnebook, and don't forget to follow me at Facebook, Twitter, itch.io, gumroad, Medium, and Twitch!
Thanks for an amazing 2021. Here's to 2022!
Episode 44 (S2E11)- Dancing Through the Siege
This week on Friday Night History, "Dancing Through the Siege." In which the creative and off-the-wall solution breaks through a siege during the Boshin War!
For pictures and references, and a word about the recent hiatus, check out the entry at patreon.com/riversidewings. To support this podcast and the rest of my work, sign up to my Patreon at Patreon.com/riversidewings , check out the merch at Redbubble, or buy my new novel Grey Dawn via bit.ly/greydawnebook, and don't forget to follow me at Facebook, Twitter, itch.io, gumroad, Medium, and Twitch!
Thanks for an amazing 2021. Here's to 2022!
Happy Holidays!
No podcast this week, owing to the Christmas holiday and real-world obligations. Happy Holidays, and we will be back next week.
Episode 43 (S2E10)- Yamakawa Kenjiro Wins
A return to form! This week on Friday Night History, "Yamakawa Kenjirō Wins." For pictures and references, and a word about the recent hiatus, check out the entry at patreon.com/riversidewings.
To support this podcast and the rest of my work, sign up to my Patreon at Patreon.com/riversidewings , check out the merch at Redbubble, or buy my new novel Grey Dawn via bit.ly/greydawnebook, and don't forget to follow me at Facebook, Twitter, itch.io, gumroad, Medium, and Twitch!
Cleyera Episode 2 - Shrines Defined
In Cleyera: Conversations on Shinto Episode 2, Zoe (Cora) and I talk about Shinto shrines, terms, some ways that shrines are created, and what shrines are and are not.
Episode 42 (S2E9)- Reviewing "A Samurai in the Vatican"
This week on Friday Night History: Reviewing "A Samurai in the Vatican."
For pictures and references, check out the entry at patreon.com/riversidewings.
To support this podcast and the rest of my work, sign up to my Patreon at Patreon.com/riversidewings , check out the merch at Redbubble, or buy my new novel Grey Dawn via bit.ly/greydawnebook, and don't forget to follow me at Facebook, Twitter, itch.io, gumroad, Medium, and Twitch!
Episode 41 (S2E8)- Dance and the Gods, Part One
This week on Friday Night History: Dance and the Gods, Part One.
For pictures and references, check out the entry at patreon.com/riversidewings.
To support this podcast and the rest of my work, sign up to my Patreon at Patreon.com/riversidewings , check out the merch at Redbubble, or buy my new novel Grey Dawn via bit.ly/greydawnebook, and don't forget to follow me at Facebook, Twitter, itch.io, gumroad, Medium, and Twitch!
Episode 40 (S2E7)- A Retrospective
This week on Friday Night History: A Retrospective on One Year of the Podcast!
For pictures and references, check out the entry at patreon.com/riversidewings.
To support this podcast and the rest of my work, sign up to my Patreon at Patreon.com/riversidewings , check out the merch at Redbubble, or buy my new novel Grey Dawn via bit.ly/greydawnebook, and don't forget to follow me at Facebook, Twitter, itch.io, gumroad, Medium, and Twitch!
FNH (Interstitial): Dance and the Gods, An Introduction
This week on #FridayNightHistory: Dance and the Gods, an Introduction to a series on Miwa-ryu, a northern tradition of ritual dance at Shinto shrines. (UPDATED 29 October owing to a technical error that cut off several minutes of audio in the original upload)
For pictures and references, check out the entry at patreon.com/riversidewings.
To support this podcast and the rest of my work, sign up to my Patreon at Patreon.com/riversidewings , check out the merch at Redbubble, or buy my new novel Grey Dawn via bit.ly/greydawnebook, and don't forget to follow me at Facebook, Twitter, itch.io, gumroad, Medium, and Twitch!
Cleyera Episode 1 - An Introduction
Welcome, #FridayNightHistory listeners, to the first episode of Cleyera: Conversations on Shinto. Zoe (Cora) and I, two friends and practitioners of Shinto in the anglosphere, talk about their faith, its cultural, historical, and other contexts, and try to bring knowledge and community to others.
In this inaugural episode, we talk about some major terms relevant to Shinto, questions of Great Nature and kegare, discuss some of where we're coming from, and touch on some directions for future discussions.
Episode 39 (S2E6)- Jogezan
This week on Friday Night History: Jōgezan
For pictures and references, check out the entry at patreon.com/riversidewings.
To support this podcast and the rest of my work, sign up to my Patreon at Patreon.com/riversidewings , check out the merch at Redbubble, or buy my new novel Grey Dawn via bit.ly/greydawnebook, and don't forget to follow me at Facebook, Twitter, itch.io, gumroad, Medium, and Twitch!
Episode 38 (S2E5)- The Fox Osan of the Six Spears
This week on Friday Night History: The Fox Osan of the Six Spears.
(A content warning ahead of this week's episode. This week's episode partially addresses the system of public execution in the Edo period.)
For pictures and references, check out the entry at patreon.com/riversidewings.
To support this podcast and the rest of my work, sign up to my Patreon at Patreon.com/riversidewings , check out the merch at Redbubble, or buy my new novel Grey Dawn via bit.ly/greydawnebook, and don't forget to follow me at Facebook, Twitter, itch.io, gumroad, Medium, and Twitch!
Episode 37 (S2E4)- Shin'emon Inari
This week on Friday Night History: Shin'emon Inari Shrine. The bay that rendered one of Japan's greatest poets speechless, an island with a reputation, and one little shrine's very big history. This episode was recorded before a live audience at twitch.tv/riversidewings.
For pictures and references, check out the entry at patreon.com/riversidewings.
To support this podcast and the rest of my work, sign up to my Patreon at Patreon.com/riversidewings , check out the merch at Redbubble, or buy my new novel Grey Dawn via bit.ly/greydawnebook, and don't forget to follow me at Facebook, Twitter, itch.io, gumroad, Medium, and Twitch!
Episode 36 (S2E3)- The Fox Iroha of Okarimiya
This week on Friday Night History: The Fox Iroha of Okarimiya. A shrine, a fox, and a place in Sendai where the rules of the mundane world wear a bit thin. This episode was recorded before a live audience at twitch.tv/riversidewings.
For pictures and references, check out the entry at patreon.com/riversidewings.
To support this podcast and the rest of my work, sign up to my Patreon at Patreon.com/riversidewings , check out the merch at Redbubble, or buy my new novel Grey Dawn via bit.ly/greydawnebook, and don't forget to follow me at Facebook, Twitter, itch.io, gumroad, Medium, and Twitch!
Episode 35 (S2E2)- Kashikobuchi
This week on Friday Night History: Kashikobuchi. A yokai, the Hirose River, and a strange convergence with real-world higher education in central Sendai. This episode was recorded before a live audience at twitch.tv/riversidewings.
(A quick note at the top here. This week's episode focuses on the folktale of the jorogumo of Kashikobuchi. This being was a benevolent, supernatural spider being who lived on the banks of the Hirose River. I won't be including images of spiders, nor will I be namedropping the word spider itself beyond a brief, cursory mention. This is because jorogumo are jorogumo, not real-world arachnids. Still, if you need to stop listening, please feel free, and I will see you next week. Please, friend, now more than ever, be good to yourself.)
For pictures and references, check out the entry at patreon.com/riversidewings.
To support this podcast and the rest of my work, sign up to my Patreon at Patreon.com/riversidewings , check out the merch at Redbubble, or buy my new novel Grey Dawn via bit.ly/greydawnebook, and don't forget to follow me at Facebook, Twitter, itch.io, gumroad, Medium, and Twitch!
Episode 34 (S2E1)- The Cat Who Would Be God
This week on Friday Night History: The Cat Who Would be God. This episode was recorded before a live audience at twitch.tv/riversidewings.
(A quick note at the top here. The topic of consideration here is a cat that was, sadly, killed-- but our story is about that cat's enshrinement, how the deified cat got the last laugh, and how this interfaces with folk beliefs about supernatural cats. Please listen accordingly.)
For pictures and references, check out the entry at patreon.com/riversidewings.
To support this podcast and the rest of my work, sign up to my Patreon at Patreon.com/riversidewings , check out the merch at Redbubble, or buy my new novel Grey Dawn via bit.ly/greydawnebook, and don't forget to follow me at Facebook, Twitter, itch.io, gumroad, Medium, and Twitch!