Titans of the East

Tokugawa Ieyasu (とくがわいえやす): Path to Power

Welcome Back! Today we are discussing the rise of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the man who unified Japan and established the Tokugawa Shogunate, which stood for over 250 years. Sources: Shogun: The Life of Tokugawa Ieyasu by A.L. Sadler  Tokugawa Ieyasu: Shogun, by Conrad Totman  Sekigahara 1600: The Final Struggle for Power by Anthony  Bryant A History of Japan 1334-1615 by George Bailey Sansom

Yasuke: The African Samurai?

Welcome back! Today I'm going to be talking about Yasuke, a mysterious African figure during the Sengoku Jidai period in Japan. Who was he? Where did he come from? And was he a samurai? Sources: African Samurai: The True Story of Yasuke, a Legendary Black Warrior in Feudal Japan by Thomas Lockley and Geoffrey Girard

The Neuropsychiatric Manifestations of Syphilis - "The Great Imitator"

Welcome back! Today, we will do a deeper dive on the signs and symptoms of Neurosyphilis. And was it responsible for Toyotomi Hideyoshi's behavioral changes in later life? Sources: https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/neurosyphilis-when-an-antipsychotic-is-not-enough [https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/neurosyphilis-when-an-antipsychotic-is-not-enough] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10560128/ [https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10560128/] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0033318285728605 [https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0033318285728605] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9851570/ [https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9851570/] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6493817/ [https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6493817/]

The Taiko: Toyotomi Hideyoshi (豊臣 秀吉) - Mania, Dementia, or Syphilis?

Welcome back, we have another episode today on one of the three modern unifiers of Japan, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, a true "rags to riches" story. Hideyoshi rose from a peasant upbringing to be the most powerful man in Japan until his death is 1598. Although known for restraint, caution, and diplomacy in his younger years, he became increasing erratic, impulsive and cruel in his later years. What was the cause of this? Did he have mania, dementia or syphilis? Listen to find out my thoughts. A History of Japan 1334-1615 by George Bailey Sansom Hideyoshi by Mary Elizabeth Berry The Life of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, by Walter Dening Methods in Madness: The Last Years of Toyotomi Hideyoshi by David Douglas Neilson.  A Narrative Review of the Many Psychiatric Manifestations of Neurosyphilis: The Great Imitator: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10560128/ [https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10560128/]

The Fool of Owari: Oda Nobunaga (織田 信長) - Mad or Not?

Welcome back! Today I'm going to look at the life of one of Japan's three great modern unifiers: Oda Nobunaga. We're going to especially feature his most famous battle at Nagashino (1575), his forward-thinking with regards to firearm use, and the attributes that led to his success and downfall. Towards the end, I try to answer the question: Was Nobunaga mentally ill? Sources: The Chronicle of Lord Nobunaga by Ôta Gyûichi, translated by J.S.A. Elisonas and J.P. Lamers.  A History of Japan by George Bailey Sansom Nagashino 1575: Slaughter at the Barricades by Stephen Turbull