-
#18 Pirates of the East
Click here to go to the YouTube video In this Episode 18: The Pirates of the East, we will look at trades in East Asia around the 14th and 15th centuries. エピソード18は「東アジアの海賊」です。14から15世紀の東アジアの貿易の様子をみてみましょう。 In the 14th century, pirates known as “Wako“, became active. Using islands in Nagasaki as their bases, they smuggled goods in and out of Japan and attacked the Korean Peninsula and the coast of China. 14世紀には「倭寇」として知られる海賊の活動が活発になりました。長崎の島々を拠点として密貿易をしたり、朝鮮半島や中国沿岸を襲ったりしました。 At first, Wako was mainly Japanese, but later Chinese and Korean pirates became the main players. They were large armed forces and became pains in the neck to the Ming and Korean governments. In China, Zhu Yuanzhang founded the Ming Dynasty and…
-
#17 Two Imperial Courts
Click here to go to the YouTube video This episode is about the period of two Imperial Courts. The Kamakura Shogunate had fallen and the country was in turmoil. 今回は2つの朝廷の時代(南北朝時代)についてです。鎌倉幕府が崩壊し、混乱の時代となりました。 After winning the battles against Yuan, the dissatisfaction of many samurais against the government increased because the Kamakura shogunate could not provide sufficient rewards to the warriors. 元との戦いに勝利した後、十分な恩賞を与えない鎌倉幕府に対する武士たちの不満が高まりました。 In Kyoto, Emperor Godaigo was looking for a chance to overthrow the Kamakura Shogunate. With the cooperation of influential warriors like Ashikaga Takauji, Nitta Yoshisada, and Kusunoki Masashige, Emperor Godaigo succeeded to destroy the Kamakura Shogunate in 1333. 京都では後醍醐天皇が鎌倉幕府打倒のチャンスを伺っていましたが、足利尊氏、新田義貞、楠木正成などの有力な武士たちの協力を得て、1333年、鎌倉幕府の打倒に成功しました。 Emperor Godaigo started a new emperor-centered government in Kyoto. His political reform is…