History The history of Japan

Buntaro

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This YouTuber has put together an impressive set of videos on the history of Japan. These are so well done, I thought it would be good to start a thread just for these videos.

Video 1:

Shinto Creation Myth: Izanami and Izanagi | History of Japan 1

 

Last edited: 6 May 2026

Buntaro

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"Who were the First Japanese? | History of Japan 2"

 

Buntaro

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"The Jomon, a 10,000 Year Old Culture (and Pots!) | History of Japan 3"

The Jomon Era lasted from 10,500 BC to 300 BC.

(The first part of this video is a waste of time. Watch from 3:21.)

 

Last edited: 8 May 2026

Buntaro

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The Yayoi Arrive...and Change EVERYTHING! | History of Japan 4

 

Buntaro

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The Yayoi Period, an Age of Spirits and War | History of Japan 5

 

Buntaro

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How the Early Japanese Dealt with China (in the Yayoi Period) | History of Japan 6

 

Buntaro

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Queen Himiko (and the Kingdom of Yamatai) | History of Japan 7

 

Buntaro

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(The previous video says Queen Himiko is the first person in Japan history to be mentioned by name, which surprises me.)

Next video:

Shamanic Worship Before Shinto | History of Japan 8

 

Buntaro

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How did the Ancient Japanese Bury the Dead? | History of Japan 9

 

Buntaro

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How Japan's Imperial Family Rose to Power | History of Japan 10

 

Buntaro

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Emperor vs Clans in Kofun Japan | History of Japan 11

 

Buntaro

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We have reached the point in this study of Japanese history where the emperor becomes important. I thought it would be good to take a look at the lineage of the Japanese emperors.

Japanese Emperors Family Tree | 1,350 Years Ago to Present

 

Buntaro

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If a person wants to know about Japanese history, they need to learn about an ancient Japanese history textbook called the Kojiki (古事記). It is a story, written in 712 AD, about the myths of the creation of the Japanese gods, islands, and its people.

The details of this story seem arbitrary, almost made up by these YouTubers, so I have included two versions of the story, so you can
see and compare how the two videos contain the same details.

The Story of Amaterasu, Susanoo, Tsukuyomi, Izanagi and Izanami (Animated Version)Japanese Mythology


The Story of Japan's Oldest History Book Kojiki (古事記) | History of Japan

 

Buntaro

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There is one more ancient book on the history of Japan which everyone should know. It is the Nihon Shoki (日本書紀). It is an amazing book,
consisting of 30 volumes and taking 40 years to write! The important thing about the 日本書紀 is that is was propaganda and public relations material all at the same time, (Also, China was huge in size but Japan was tiny.) At that time, China and Korea felt that Japan was not much more than a backwater kingdom, whereas China was a huge empire. Japan felt very much put out that China looked down its nose at Japan, so Japan wrote this book to convince China that Japan was very much a country to be reckoned with. 日本書紀 was even written in Classical Chinese (!) So that it was sure that this book would be read by the Chinese.

The Nihon Shoki, EXPLAINED


The following is another video, with more info on the political intrigue behind the decision to write the Nihon Shoki 日本書紀:

Nihon Shoki: Power, Blood, and the Founding of an Empire

 

Last edited: 19 May 2026

Buntaro

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Nihon Shoki is such an amazing book, the least I can do is post a link to the entire book online (407 pages, in English)

Nihongi : chronicles of Japan from the earliest times to A.D. 697 : Aston, W. G. (William George) : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

2 v. : 25 cm

archive.org

 

Last edited: 22 May 2026

thomas

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• 22 May 2026

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Here's a link to the Japanese original, in HTML and PDF by Waseda University:

日本書紀. 巻第1-30

 

Buntaro

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Life in Kofun Japan (Punishment and Religion) | History of Japan 12

 

Buntaro

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thomas said:

Here's a link to the Japanese original, in HTML and PDF by Waseda University:

日本書紀. 巻第1-30

Click to expand...

Thanks for the link, but my ability to read classical Chinese is a little rusty!

 

Buntaro

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Dating, Marriage, and Women (in Ancient Japan) | History of Japan 13

 

Buntaro

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Korea's (and China's) Role in Ancient Japan's Rise | History of Japan 14

 

Buntaro

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How did Buddhism Come to Japan? | History of Japan 15

 

Buntaro

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Prince Shotoku | History of Japan 16

 

Buntaro

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Regarding the previous video, Prince Shotoku is one of the most beloved people in Japanese history. His picture even appeared on Japanese money during the second half of last century.




By the way, did you know that Japan has issued Japanese pesos banknotes as well as Japanese yen banknotes? (I own a ten peso Japanese banknote.)





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Next video:

Fall of the Soga (Part 1) | History of Japan 17

 

Buntaro

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Fall of the Soga (Part 2) | History of Japan 18

 

Buntaro

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This Land is MY Land (Taika Reforms) | History of Japan 19