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| S-A Podcast Discussion Megathread / FAQ; Everything you wanted to know and talk about, but were afraid to ask. | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Jul 20 2017, 11:25 AM (4,859 Views) | |
| kitsuno | Jul 20 2017, 11:25 AM Post #1 |
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The Shogun
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This thread will be the Samurai Archives podcast megathread, we'll keep all podcast conversation here (I shut down the podcast subforum because having one thread per episode didn't seem to do much more than add clutter, so I think this is a more effective way of doing things). Ask any questions, contribute ideas, discuss episodes, whatever works. As new episodes are posted, I'll put the notifications here. But feel free to discuss past episodes as well. Please read this post before posting to the thread. Podcast Frequently Asked Questions 1. Suggestions/How about topic X? We absolutely welcome suggestions and topic ideas, and we have a list. Just keep in mind that we can't tell you when or even if we'll get to it. There are a few reasons we have to pick and choose topics that we tackle: A. We're all full time doing something else. Until a rich benefactor bankrolls this whole production, we do this during (not much) free time. Some of us don't have the time to explore any topics beyond what we're currently researching, so ideas that are a little too far away from that may not work. B. Some great ideas are just impossible due to lack of sources and a lack of existing scholarship. Over the millennia, documents get lost, burned, looted, and trashed. Sometimes there just aren't any extant documents or information and what actually happened has been lost to history. Or maybe it exists in some mountain temple in Niigata, but hasn't been examined by scholars yet. You get the point. The best we could do would be a discussion about what might have happened, but per point A, no guarantees that will happen. It really depends on the topic/subject. C. Interests matter. If a topic falls outside of the interest or specialty of everyone, it probably won't happen. On the bright side, that's when we can take the opportunity to interview other people with those specialties or interests. So if it's not something we'd tackle, sometimes we can find someone who does. If we try to tackle something that is constrained by A, B, or C, it results in weak episodes, and can (or will) tick off people with that interest. So the cost/benefit ratio is just not worth it. 2. Audio Quality Stuff Up to about early 2013 the episodes were done live in Honolulu, and because there is no winter, buildings for the most part are shoddy third world contraptions with no insulation or soundproofing (I'm looking at you, University of Hawaii). So that's pretty much the main reason why the sound quality was so bad. That and the old digital recorder had a problem with the left speaker. I have a new digital recorder, so any new in-person podcasts should be fine, and otherwise we're at the mercy of skype. Also, since this is all out of (my) pocket, I can't really afford to get super high tech with it. I'd like to get mics and/or a soundboard I could plug into the digital recorder, but that will probably have to wait until the Patreon income reaches that financial goal. I'm a software guy, not a hardware guy, so I do what I can with what I have - and thus spend hours and hours on post production. 3. Format Stuff Mainly our format is to pick one of three formats: 1. A specific research interest one of us has, and talk about it. 2. One or two journal articles with an interesting topic to introduce and talk about. 3. Some sort of event/conference/presentation that one or more of us attended. Ideas that fall into one of those three are the most likely to get done sooner rather than later. Everyone involved in the podcast is free to do one-off type episodes or change the format as they wish - interview a third party, write a "scripted" individual episode, team up with another person and do an episode, etc. It's sort of rare because of time constraints. The Bonus Episodes are an example of "going off format". And with all episodes, if a person wasn't there for the recording, they have nothing to do with it. That should be obvious, but sometimes people don't get it, so there you go. The members of the podcast are much more of a confederation than a team. Sometimes person A is around, sometimes person B, sometimes person C, and sometimes only A and C or B and C, etc. I like to expand the format whenever I can and as much as possible, and I'd like to do more of that as time and ability permits. Some people prefer discussion, some people prefer scholarly treatments, some people prefer philosophical meanderings on Japanese history; I try to address all that when I can. I don't like being locked into one format. Also, I really don't like to "date" the episodes. I like the idea that if someone listens to an episode recorded in 2014 in 2022, it's still relevant, and doesn't include a lot of references to current events, the date, etc. Each episode should be considered a standalone episode, with very little impact on the preceding and following episodes. Are you going to do any narrative history episodes like the XYZ podcast? At least one. More if possible. The sheer volume of reading and research and time that goes into it is staggering. I don't like to half-ass that sort of thing like some other podcasts out there that crank out lots of episodes but with little substance. Just my preference. If I'm going to do it, I want to do it right. 4. How much work goes into the podcast? How hard can it be? Well, depends on a few things. If the topic is a research topic someone is already working on, it's a lot easier, and essentially becomes an interview with that person. Topics based on journal articles basically just require reading that article, and maybe one or two related to get a good foundational base. That plus any prior knowledge. Bigger topics take more time, effort, and reading. The individual episode I'm working on has been in process for about 7 months, with the majority of work being done in the last three months. Currently free time is at a premium, so I do a little bit here and there when I can. The number one thing that requires the most time and effort is editing the audio. Conservatively it takes about 3-5 times as long to edit an episode as the episode is long. So for every hour of audio, it takes an additional 3-5 hours to go through and edit it all into a coherent and clean episode. This is a big reason I'm currently only doing one episode per month. 5. How can I support the podcast/forum/website/blog? The Samurai Archives has been around for 18 years. I've always tried to keep pace with the technology, so that's why there is so much stuff. But doing so means $$$. So I've dutifully paid out of pocket for these 18 years, scraping together funds from the Amazon links, the T-shirt shop, etc. But anything above and beyond that income comes right out of my pocket. SO, help is greatly appreciated. I've set up a Patreon account that is at this point finally paying for the podcast. If you check out the site, you'll see the financial goals that I've set, as well as the little perks you can get for donating. And like I always say, even 1$ an episode helps - As things progress, I can tick off each financial goal, and every time that happens I'll be able to continue improving the podcast. So please take a look, and consider contributing. It's a pretty easy process, and you have full control over how much and how often you contribute: https://www.patreon.com/samuraiarchives You can also toss out a positive review on iTunes and help get the word out. You don't even have to write anything. You can just click the stars, and bam, all done. If you can think of any other questions, feel free to ask them here. |
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| kitsuno | Jul 21 2017, 06:56 PM Post #2 |
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The Shogun
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Next episode will be released on or about July 30th. |
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| kitsuno | Jul 22 2017, 07:12 AM Post #3 |
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The Shogun
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Also, I should mention, I'm hoping to make a push for 100 reviews on iTunes. More reviews pushes us further up the ranks on the iTunes "What's Hot" for history. We're usually around #50, every once in a while we bump up to #35 or so, but more reviews means higher rankings which gets us more noticed. It's super simple, just find the podcast on iTunes, and click a star rating. That's it. You can write a review if you want, but you don't even have to do that. However long it takes to turn on iTunes, find the podcast in the store, and click a button is as long as it will take you. Thanks! |
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| kitsuno | Jul 28 2017, 02:31 PM Post #4 |
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The Shogun
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For all you Patreon Patrons at the $5+ level, check your email, the link to the new episode is out. For the rest, you'll see it on iTunes on July 30th. |
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| kitsuno | Jul 30 2017, 06:11 AM Post #5 |
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The Shogun
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![]() EP133 Teaching Japanese History Today we talk to Mike Baker, long time forum member (Maikeruart) - at least one of the top four oldest members from the original forum 18 years ago, who developed and taught a course on Japanese history at Worcester State University. Basically this is the other side of Episodes 128-129 in order to complete the circle. http://samuraipodcast.com/ep133-teaching-japanese-history |
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| Tatsunoshi | Jul 30 2017, 05:35 PM Post #6 |
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Miko no Kami
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Really enjoyed the "Teaching Japanese History" episode. "I've been around since Henrietta and the Fruit Cellar" is the podcast's single best moment. But besides that, nice job, Mike and Chris. |
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| kitsuno | Jul 30 2017, 06:04 PM Post #7 |
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The Shogun
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That's an inside joke only a few select people will recognize. |
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| Dickjutsu | Jul 30 2017, 06:30 PM Post #8 |
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Artisan
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I can only assume an Evil Dead reference. =/ |
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Richard C. Shaffer Author of Escort Check out Samurai Gaiden on Youtube! | |
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| kitsuno | Jul 30 2017, 08:10 PM Post #9 |
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The Shogun
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An Evil Dead reference and a "you had to be there" callback. |
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| Tatsunoshi | Jul 30 2017, 08:51 PM Post #10 |
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Miko no Kami
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| kitsuno | Aug 5 2017, 08:30 PM Post #11 |
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The Shogun
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So here's a strange request - If there are any guys from the UK here interested in doing a guest voice spot on an upcoming podcast (I basically need someone with a legit accent that I surely can't pull off record a short monologue), it would help me out. It wouldn't take any real time, and there's no money in it, and little glory. But it will be cool. So if you're interested, PM me. |
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| Tatsunoshi | Aug 5 2017, 09:27 PM Post #12 |
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Miko no Kami
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You still have that Turnbull promo I sent you years ago, right ?
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| kitsuno | Aug 23 2017, 05:57 AM Post #13 |
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The Shogun
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The episode I have planned for around 9/30/17 is a complete history of Seppuku. I want it to pretty much answer every question possible surrounding the act, and I don't want to miss anything. So I'm asking everyone to list out all the questions that you can think of related to Seppuku here so that I don't skip over anything. So far I have 25 pages of notes based on about 30 sources that answer the following, in no particular order: 1. What is it 2. How is it done 3. Why is it done 4. How did it start / Where did it come from 5. When, why, and how was it finally banned 6. Different types of seppuku cuts 7. Differences from Hiean to Edo period 8. The full Edo-era rituals and ritualization and protocols 9. Medical aspects - effectiveness, morbidity, modern treatment of stomach cutting 10. Psychological aspects 11. Modern and early-modern psychological theory on suicide from Durkheim to Joiner / modern psychological theory on what is necessary to gain the ability to enact lethal self-harm 12. Modern examples of "seppuku", intentional and otherwise (due to mental illness) 13. 21st century suicide-by-seppuku examples 14. Yukio Mishima, General Nogi, and Nonaka Masaharu 15. Self-determined seppuku vs. judiciary sentencing of seppuku (Edo period) 16. Western witnesses to Seppuku 17. Popularization of Seppuku vis a vis War Tales 18. Popularization of Junshi during the Edo period 19. Problems caused by Junshi during the Edo period 20. Examples of offenses in house codes and laws that are punishable by seppuku 21. All about the Kaishaku-nin 22. Female seppuku equivalents 23. Bungled seppuku and kaishaku 24. Buddhism and seppuku 25. Examples of all of the above If you can think of anything here that I'm missing that wouldn't fall into the above, please feel free to post it. |
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| Maikeruart | Aug 23 2017, 07:00 AM Post #14 |
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Shushou
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I may have overlooked it, but also the media portrayal of it. I mean Harakiri and its remake being just two examples. I remember as an undergrad in college I was planning on replicating seppuku on a medical dummy, since I think peoples understanding of the physical damage (and the smell) is limited. |
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| kitsuno | Aug 23 2017, 11:40 AM Post #15 |
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The Shogun
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The media portrayal (The old and remake of Harakiri specifically) is addressed in the episode coming out next week, actually. But anything more in depth would end up being film study, and possibly start to get further away from the topic than I'm prepared to go. But, good catch. |
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| Dickjutsu | Aug 23 2017, 12:15 PM Post #16 |
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Artisan
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On the subject of the film Harakiri, if you could find any good sources or anecdotes of actual cases of that happening - i.e. Ronin requesting a courtyard to commit seppuku in, either to get a bit of extra suicide esteem or to blackmail them for alms. Touching on peasant suicide might be a nice addition, too. Whether or not peasant Ashigaru would commit suicide to prevent being executed or press-ganged into manual labor for the winners. |
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Richard C. Shaffer Author of Escort Check out Samurai Gaiden on Youtube! | |
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| kitsuno | Aug 23 2017, 01:04 PM Post #17 |
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The Shogun
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I haven't looked too much into either, but also I haven't come across any. In particular the Ashigaru question is a good one, but so far I haven't found anything on it. They were probably ignored by the writers of records as inconsequential I'd assume. Also, I just rechecked my notes, I actually have about 38 pages of notes. This is a monstrous undertaking, not sure how long the podcast episode is going to end up being, but I'm guessing more than two hours. |
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| isshokenmei | Aug 23 2017, 05:27 PM Post #18 |
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Vagrant
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What about the aftermath of seppuku and all it entailed for those who had to go on living? What was the impact on relatives, retainers, friends and other associates of the deceased? How was their status or standing in the community affected, if at all? |
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| Sam | Aug 24 2017, 07:53 AM Post #19 |
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Artisan
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Has anything similar to seppuku existed outside Japan? |
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| kitsuno | Aug 25 2017, 08:59 PM Post #20 |
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The Shogun
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That never even occurred to me. I'll try to look into it, but since I haven't come accross anything that addressed that yet, I doubt I will. But it's a great question. I probably address any affected, at least indirectly.
I do address that, and I could probably do an even deeper analysis, but I'm probably going to restrict it to China, since generally speaking everything came from China. I'll touch on the differences between the Samurai and the Christian Knights at least. But for more info and/or a sneak peak, this article is good, and free online, and I'll probably end up pulling from it. It sort of addresses the question at hand tangentially: Culturally sanctioned suicide: Euthanasia, seppuku, and terrorist martyrdom |
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| Dickjutsu | Aug 26 2017, 06:46 PM Post #21 |
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Artisan
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Here's an interesting angle to address, as well: The Shinju. It was still Edo-era suicide, but for a particular purpose and not done through the style of seppuku's rituals. |
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Richard C. Shaffer Author of Escort Check out Samurai Gaiden on Youtube! | |
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| kitsuno | Aug 29 2017, 11:10 AM Post #22 |
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The Shogun
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Haven't come across this barely at all in Seppuku literature, although I know about it. I'm not sure what or if there was considered any relation between seppuku types of suicide and shinju. Interesting question to think about. If I come across anything, I'll probably address it, otherwise I probably won't, since there doesn't seem to be much connection in what I've been reading. Definitely an interesting question. If I had another 2 months to work on this, I'd probably add that and go even deeper, but I have to have this recorded by around the 27th, and I'm going to be in Japan for a couple weeks between now and then, so unfortunately I have to be a little more selective at this point. |
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| kitsuno | Aug 29 2017, 12:14 PM Post #23 |
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The Shogun
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Next episode is out later tonight. I'll post here when it goes live. ($5+ Patrons already have it). Also, still pushing for that 100 reviews on iTunes, so if you have iTunes and about 3 minutes of free time, please rate it, and only review it if you feel like it. I'm easy. |
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| kitsuno | Aug 29 2017, 04:39 PM Post #24 |
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The Shogun
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![]() EP134 Double Harakiri - BONUS EPISODE 10 http://samuraipodcast.com/ep134-double-harakiri-bonus-episode-10 This episode was recorded maybe 4 years ago with myself and Forest, and has been sitting in my podcast bank. I finally got around to editing it because the following episode will be all about Seppuku, so it seemed a good place to put it. We watched the original and remake of Hara-Kiri, and basically just casually analyzed it. We probably didn't get as deep into the history as we could have, but our goal was more to focus on the movie content rather than historical veracity. I don't think either of us hated either movie. I like both for different reasons, anyway. If you can explain some of the things that we pointed out as not making sense, or if you disagree with anything, post away! Oh, and I did the intro to this episode on a poorly placed mic, so the quality is pretty bad at the start. But it's only like a minute intro, so you'll get through it. Now that I figured out how to use the mic, that shouldn't happen again. |
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| Sam | Aug 29 2017, 08:12 PM Post #25 |
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Artisan
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From an interview with Kobayashi Masaki:
I found the lengthy discussion about whether the premise of the movie is realistic interesting. I just took it as a sign that the movie was very emotionally affecting on our podcasters. For what is worth the Wikipedia plot summary describes the events of the first movie as follows: And from the same interview Kobayashi talks about that brutal scene:
Edited by Sam, Aug 29 2017, 08:59 PM.
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