Dawn of the Samurai: The Shadow of the Sword (Part 1)

The podcast opens with the dramatic prologue from the video game Ghost of Tsushima, depicting 13th-century samurai defending against Mongol invaders on the island between Korea and Japan. Hosts Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook use this to frame their series on the samurai's deeper origins, tracing back to 10th- and 11th-century Japan, a civil war in the late 12th century that produced The Tale of the Heike—Japan's epic akin to the Iliad—and the shift from Kyoto's imperial court to warrior rule.

Samurai Through History

Samurai differ from knights or Vikings by enduring beyond the Middle Ages, evolving into global icons with a modern aesthetic of curved katana swords, silk-laced armor, and helmets adorned with moons, wings, or animal heads. These visuals, from 16th- and 17th-century "warring states" era, appear in the British Museum's samurai exhibit alongside Darth Vader's costume, reflecting influences on Star Wars via Akira Kurosawa films.