The History Network
The military history podcast specialists, looking at all aspects of war through the ages.

One of the key issues with the Japanese conscript army was that it had primarily been established to counter an invasion from the continent. As such it had been modelled along the same lines as the enemy forces that the Japanese had assumed they would have to confront. While this army may have initially been quite professional, its potential as a fighting force had dwindled over time. This was in part due to the fact that it saw little or no action, thus very few men amongst its ranks had any actual battlefield experience. Dur: 24mins File: .mp3

Direct download: 2309_Samurai_Part_2.mp3
Category:military -- posted at: 9:00am UTC

The term samurai is a word that is almost universally recognized around the world. This is somewhat unusual for a historically based word, particularly for one that traces its origins back to a culture as unique as 10th century Japan. The image conjured by the term samurai for most people is that of a fierce, sword wielding warrior, and while somewhat cliché, is not entirely incorrect. And yet for a historical word and group that is so widely known, very few people really know anything else about these famed warrior figures of Japan's feudal past. Dur: 30mins File: .mp3

Direct download: 2308_Samurai_Part_1.mp3
Category:military -- posted at: 3:03pm UTC