Episode 67

Exploring Japan's Castles - Insights from Historians Oleg Benesh and Ran Zwigenberg

Historian-authors Oleg Benesch and Ran Zwigenberg give us insights from their interesting book about Japanese castles which is now in paperback format: BOOK: Japan's Castles - Citadels of Modernity in War and Peace (3/2020 - Cambridge University Press)

Japan's castles have had interesting transitions in how they were rebranded throughout history- especially in post WW2 Japan. The changes were due to shifts in public perspectives of the role of the military and how the government wanted to represent Japan's military past. Changes were also due to domestic and international tourism narratives which change over time.

Interesting shifts in how the castles were used as military headquarters, but are presented without representation of their wartime uses, reflecting older, feudal histories instead.

The repurposing of military facilities into art museums, libraries, schools and sports arenas is another interesting point. The conflict between private and public land as well as the necessities to retrofit the castles to be more accessible and barrier free are also addressed.

More information about the book: https://www.cambridge.org/gb/academic/subjects/history/east-asian-history/japans-castles-citadels-modernity-war-and-peace

Oleg & Ran's Japan's Modern Castles YouTube Channel has awesome videos with deep insights about Japanese Castles: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPRrUo9ORKSNp9uwP_XUoPg

Oleg Benesch - Research on East Asian History, Culture, and Thought

https://www.olegbenesch.com

Ran Zwigenberg - Research on modern Japanese and European history, with a specialization in memory and intellectual history.

https://asian.la.psu.edu/people/ruz12/

Ran Zwigenberg's talk on Seek Sustainable Japan talkshow about his book HIROSHIMA

https://youtu.be/NwLAJeTXUR0

podcast version (episode 401) on any podcast player or here:

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JJWalsh is a sustainability-focused advisor, trainer and consultant based in Hiroshima, Japan. Long-time educator and founder of InboundAmbassador consultancy in 2019 with aims to show sustainability in action & support Japan entrepreneurs, guides and businesses looking to create more sustainable appeal to international consumers.

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My name is Hana Victoria, and I am a Japanese-American singer songwriter who dreams of inspiring, encouraging and empowering others through my music. Every word, melody, and visual comes straight from my heart, and I hope they influence you in some positive way :)

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Hi I'm Joy (JJ) originally from Hawaii & long-time Hiroshima-jin (jin=person). My work and content is focused on sustainability & how we can make better choices to balance the needs of people, planet and profits in our lives, work and travel. Join me as I talk with wonderful people and visit interesting places in Japan.
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