Tag: Ryukyu

Tolerance and Patience (Politics 1954-1972, Part 2)

June 8, 2026 justin-david-hebert Later Showa, Season 16 0 Comments

Ikeda Hayato managed to garner the necessary support to become the President of the LDP and the Prime Minister of Japan after Kishi Nobusuke’s resignation in 1960. He would prove to be almost the polar opposite of his arch-conservative predecessor, creating much of the social safety net which Japan continues to enjoy today. His successor, Sato Eisaku, lobbied for the return of Okinawa Prefecture and was forced to wrangle with complicated geopolitical challenges and domestic disturbances.

The New Frontier

November 7, 2024 justin-david-hebert Meiji, Season 13 Comments Off on The New Frontier
Season 13, Episode 4: The New Frontier
A photograph of an Ainu man in traditional clothing. Source: Public Domain
A replica of the Hokkaido Development Committee’s headquarters. Source: Public Domain
A photograph of William S. Clark, who served as a foreign expert in Hokkaido in 1876. Source: Public Domain
A photograph of Sho Tai, the last king of the Ryukyu islands. Source: Public Domain
Naha Shuri Castle, which had been the capital building of the Ryukyu Kingdom. Source: 663highland, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Dancers in modern-day Okinawa performing a traditional Ryukyu ceremonial dance. Source: Jean-Pierre Dalbéra from Paris, France, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
A photograph of Japanese soldiers in Taiwan, pictured with friendly villagers assisting in their punitive expedition. Source: Public Domain

The Pax Ashikaga

December 15, 2022 justin-david-hebert Early Muromachi, Season 8 Comments Off on The Pax Ashikaga

In the closing years of the reign of Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, the Shogun would continue to reach ever higher for honors and titles which were usually reserved for sovereigns. He would also continue to refine Japan’s aesthetic tastes by patronizing Noh performances.