Season 4, Episode 10: The Short But Eventful Reign of Emperor Junnin
We didn’t cover the An Lushan Rebellion in depth this episode, but you can see its massive scale on this battle map. It’s not surprising, given the huge areas of land involved, that such massive casualties resulted from this affair. Source: SY, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Because his reign was so short, and because he was prevented from accomplishing much during what little time he had, Emperor Junnin was not a popular figure among Japanese artists. Thus, all I have to show you is his tomb. Source: Public Domain
Todaiji as it exists today. You can get an idea of its sheer mass by comparing its size with the people in the foreground. Source: Wiiii, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
A scale model of Todaiji as it existed in Emperor Shōmu’s time. It was actually larger than the massive structure that exists today. Source: 名古屋太郎, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The Daibutsu statue at Todaiji. This monument has also suffered its share of tragedy throughout history, as the original head fell off in 855 and had to be remade. Source: Public Domain
The ruins of Kuni-kyō, one of many capitals which Emperor Shōmu attempted to construct. Source: 663highland, CC BY-SA 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/, via Wikimedia Commons
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