When Japanese Emperors Had Actual Power (The Capital Goes BROKE!) | History of Japan 35

[@Linfamy]

8:46 Contest to win amzn.to/2K9maeH Find the burning hot secret message that I buried in this video and leave a comment with the message: kzbin.info/www/bejne/i5qyfnSKa8ujaqc Please consider supporting the channel =) 🔸PATREON (blog, art): www.patreon.com/Linfamy 🔸DONATE: www.paypal.me/Linfamy

[@bskorupk]

At 1:40 " Secret Msg: I (heart) Karaoke " :) but I'm not a patreon yet...

[@Linfamy]

Ooh not a patron, but you are fast for sure :p

[@bskorupk]

@@Linfamy You know it's a good channel when a couple of people find an Easter Egg 21 and 22 minutes after the video was uploaded! :)

[@johnrockwell5834]

The imperial house wouldn't have such a trouble if the Emperor was monogamous with the hottest woman in Japan.

[@marykathleensapp6937]

🌿 thank you for your history lessons! I will be going to Japan and South Korea in 2021 and am studying about both countries!! Stay well!!

[@xTheacefrehleyx]

The impression I get is that the japanese court wanted to have a professional government like China, but didn't want to put the effort to make it work, like creating the laws and actually following/enforcing it, and reducing a bit on the nepotism. In China, they only managed to achieve that during the Qin Dynasty, at the cost of a lot bloodshed and tyranny, but in the end, painful as it was, the foundations were laid.

[@Linfamy]

I think the reformer emperors tried hard, but the incentives for change weren't there for the clans. When your court is made up of clan members, there's no incentive for clansmen to give up their own power. One solution would be to beat them into submission with your army, but the military was staffed by the very same clansmen. And then they disbanded their military. Oops. Emperors were also in a precarious position, step a little too far and you face a coup. There were about a million allegations of coup conspiracies. Yes, many of them were political games, but it shows that the fear of a coup was real. I feel like the reformers were in a tough position and just could not gain the upper hand in court.

[@xTheacefrehleyx]

@@Linfamy It makes you wonder if, when the Yamato state was formed around the 3th to 5th century, the clans, tribes and kingdoms that were conquered and integrated were not totally subdued, but just convinced with the right incentives to join the Yamato (Unfortunately, not enough records from this period). This might have created a culture of independence and aversion to central authority that lasted for centuries and made it impossible to emulate China. In China, we have the records to tell us that unification was always a bloody affair, and the winners of the civil wars had no problem beating people up into unconditional submission, specially when Legalism became a mainstream ideology. Just asking nicely 'please, obey me' is not enough.

[@alex_zetsu]

Well one benefit of your court having clansmen is that the clans won't overthrow your government entirely since they already have large influence over the court. They want some stability and that means even if they get rid of you, they would want someone in your dynasty as a cooperator. Disbanding their military might not have been as stupid as it sounds. According to one account, the army had 3,000 ish elite mounted warriors, and a bunch of unpaid conscripts who needed to go back during harvest time. And a few other accounts don't mention he mounted part and just mentioned a coscripted army. At least a few times when putting down rebellion clans, the Imperial Clan's "Army" defected to the local clans (who paid their armies). The army was little more than an elite mounted unit attached to a citizen militia. Unless the Mongols and Koreans invade Japan every decade, this army would have serious loyalty problems. Probably this is why Emperors often augmented their own forces with private armies of friendly clans before they disbanded their military, like in the Peakche restoration plan which was like 7/8 of the Japanese forces being from strongmen from Kyushu, the Yamato plain, and Inner Japan. Fear of coups was certainly a real thing and they believed a good number of the allegations were real.

[@tomlu6820]

Qin State staffed their army with small landowners, after breaking up clan estates. They employed foreign nobles and shi to do this, makes people wonder what would have happened if Japan imported foreign nobles, Chinese and Korean to counter the old clans?

[@e21big]

The Soviet has KGB, Heian Japan has KBShi

[@Linfamy]

😁

[@darryldraven9093]

Hahaha

[@KyoushaPumpItUp]

We're getting close to the Genpei War after the mention of Minamoto and Taira.

[@Linfamy]

Little did they know... the demotions would backfire 😅

[@yossicohen3803]

But first...the nine years war!!!

[@dangduy9727]

Oh come one Kanmu, moving your capital to a few dozen kilometers away from the old one is the equivalent of looking away from your problem.

[@Linfamy]

Haha ikr? But back then a few kilometers was probably a lifetime away 😅

[@Jobe-13]

Dang Duy 😂

[@mier5632]

Though to be fair, moving a whole capital is a little...difficult, I suppose. (And yes I know that's not just a 'little' at all.)

[@TheSmileMile]

Honestly, your channel deserves some more subscribers and junk. It's like a mini Extra history, which is a good thing IMO.

[@Linfamy]

Thanks! And...I agree ;)

[@libor_z]

I love how the new class currently reaching to power just waves back at us. Your videos are just GREAT! Thanks for these playlists!

[@Linfamy]

Glad you like :D

[@MrSzybciutki]

"4/5 gestapos" I love you.

[@Linfamy]

👍🙄

[@Grabovsky85]

Yeah, great joke. Short and sweet, but with such a hard turn at the end.

[@hellokitty11432]

I’m looking forward to learning about the northerners. 🤔 I’m starting to notice lots of places had ‘barbarians in the north’

[@Linfamy]

A fellow game of thrones fan...? =)

[@hellokitty11432]

Linfamy I’m extremely late to it. On the bright side, I can justify getting the entire series on Blu-ray

[@Linfamy]

@hellokitty11432 best show on tv imo. I'm jealous you get to experience it for the first time. Wish I could wipe my memory and rewatch :p

[@amandajean7738]

Ainiu and Emishi?

[@nomblob5592]

The Black Cat Most likely they got wiped out like Native Americans

[@MrSzybciutki]

"crime of not being able to recite a poem on the spot" Was that something like shibboleths? You know, the difficult phrases in a certain language used to distinguish a person belonging to a given nationality from a person just knowing a little bit of their language. They were used in ethnic cleansings, so I was wondering if there were things like that going on back then.

[@Linfamy]

Oh sorry, that was a joke about posh courtly life, it wasn't a crime... that I know of 😅. I should've been more clear. Thanks for introducing me to shibboleths 😉

[@saidtoshimaru1832]

"Now you're Minamoto. Get out from here". "Well... I might go to Kamakura an do some... shoguning".

[@Linfamy]

"Yes yes, go fight wars while we adults do actual ruling.."

[@saidtoshimaru1832]

@@Linfamy But dad, the Tairas are bulling me with exile.

[@demeterruinedmylife3199]

Can’t believe Kanmu didn’t face a rebellion formed by pissed off ex-princes and clans. He removed them from royal status(+money support from court/power, and they’re like "ok, nvm"😂

[@xTheacefrehleyx]

They were all broke and were sent to no-man's land very far from the capital (read, civilization). Hardly a threat (in the short term, because in the long, oh boy...)

[@Linfamy]

Yeah, I need to research more on that. There must have been opposition to it, but I haven't read anyone talking about it

[@Humster]

I guess back in those days, you get killed if you resist openly. It's rather common I guess, judging by the previous videos.

[@李正國-b3i]

Because the practice of removing royal relatives from royal status in Ancient Japan didn't start from Kanmu's reign, but had a much longer tradition. Nobles like Tachibana no Moroe, Ōmi no Mifune in Nara period had royal origin. The Taihō Code enacted in 703 (more precisely, the modified law enacted in 706) stipulated the range of royal relatives, and other members that were not within the range, would be removed from royal status (What we called 臣籍降下 shinsekikōka in Japanese). But still yes, Emperor Kanmu was the first Japanese Emperor that removed royal status such extensively. Also, there were also some merits for not being a royal relative. Starting from the end of the 8th century, the government positions that a royal relative could hold had become more limited. So the removal of royal statues actually gave them opportunities to gain political power (this was mainly due to the development of the concept of "uncleanness" (穢れ) in Shinto religion). I hope that my English is understandable as I don't speak English as my mother language.

[@StMyles]

Thank you for my Saturday cartoons and history lesson. Shared in my FB

[@Linfamy]

Woohoo, thanks for watching

[@RoseBleueDuRosierSec]

I read the title as "had powers" as in, emperors throwing fire balls or lasers and I thought I was having a stroke. The actual video is really cool, I just subbed to you!

[@Linfamy]

Haha like superpowers? That's the next video 😉

[@megansams550]

Stumbled upon this channel and I'm in love! Gotta show everyone

[@Linfamy]

Yes! Glad you like it 😁👍

[@editsonimovie8681]

“Tax free private land, that sounds like a libertarian wet dream”

[@ultraali453]

Excellent, thank you for another interesting video. Looking forward to the next one

[@masterbonzala]

heian period is heating up. Excited to see what happens next

[@Linfamy]

Me too!

[@AngelSanchez-jy3sp]

Fujiwara Clan will have something to do with it, I can feel it

[@amrmohamed1387]

Great channel

[@Linfamy]

Thank you sir 👍

[@silentone11111111]

Haven't watched one of your vids in quite a while. You have really improved your format.great work ! l'll be a regular now 😀

[@Linfamy]

Glad you came back ;)

[@khorkienjoo5292]

6:53-6:57 And they're still doing it now, particularly to those princesses after they marry.

[@Linfamy]

Yeah it does still happen

[@galleryg998]

This was super interesting!

[@Linfamy]

😉👍

[@madambutterfly1997]

Sounds like Game of Thrones.

[@Linfamy]

Lots of political intrigue in this period, too. Is there anything else to do in court, really?

[@LuinTathren]

This should be the next HBO hit show. It probably would be just as expensive to make. Speaking of that, I wonder what costs more: moving the capital or making the GoT episode "Battle of the Bastards".

[@Linfamy]

@Tasarin probably the latter :)

[@just_radical]

"Now I'm gonna go bang my sister" - Fujiwara no Jaime Lannister

[@rabbiteighteen4012]

Kanmu is my favorite emperor so far :) Btw, does the name "Minamoto" have any specific meaning?

[@Linfamy]

I've seen it translated as "origin," to signify that the clan originated from the Imperial Family.

[@MeiziVu]

Love your work!!

[@Jobe-13]

This was really fascinating.

[@thedoruk6324]

The Northern Barbarians = *Emishi!* :) Ainu's cousins :D

[@Linfamy]

Yes! =)

[@thedoruk6324]

@@Linfamy They've no chance against the armor and the samurai steel thought :o

[@htune754]

i wish you were my high school history teacher

[@revolutionarycomrade]

Another great video 😁

[@Linfamy]

Thanks!

[@shannonlove4328]

Centralizing power in Japan was always problematic because the country is mostly mountains. Mountainous terrain is easy to defend making regional secession easier. Centralized power relied more in consent and bribery than force. It wasn't until the gunpowder age that centralization became possible.

[@anhtran6113]

The same thing happened in medieval South China and Southeast Asia as the geography is divided deeply by river streams and forest.

[@krushnaji4940]

I think to centralised Japan you need study source of man and rice it is only available in kanto plane

[@steelfist1305]

I think what this channel is really missing is some royalty free background music.

[@Linfamy]

Maybe :p

[@climberly]

Another great video!

[@manager-nim2623]

Idk how I finished this video I was half asleep so I'll re-watch again after I get some sleep

[@yossicohen3803]

Next episode ...you'll talk about The "haciman taro"?

[@Linfamy]

Not yet, but we'd have to talk about him sometimes, won't we? =)

[@SuryaBudimansyah]

Hello, new to this channel. I was wondering which video(s) of yours that explained the Warring States Period, like... you know, the Nobunaga, Hideyoshi, Tokugawa stuff

[@vincenttekelenburg3740]

Given how many of the processes and events you mention have contemporary equivalents I would not be surprised to see an actual emperor Kanmu Jackson in the coming decades. Can't say that would be a bad thing! #youhearditherefirstfolks

[@Linfamy]

He sounds like a cool dude

[@kizmaa9137]

I'm not a patron but I ♥︎ karoke !

[@Linfamy]

Correct

[@SophiaAstatine]

All these year stamps makes me glad my people only had runestones for a good while. Keeps a lid on my history homework.

[@Linfamy]

Runestones? Who were your people?

[@SophiaAstatine]

@@Linfamy Vikings. They didnt employ much writing. Thise who could scribe carved runestones for various purposes, such as Jellingstenene.

[@Linfamy]

Interesting!

[@SophiaAstatine]

​@@Linfamy Interesting, but also somewhat annoying due to the uncertainties and gaps left regarding their culture. Most of what is widely known is sourced through second hand accounts ( Written accounts made centuries after the Viking age or people who definitely weren't vikings) or what of the culture remains. A good example of the latter, would be the story of how Thor and Tyr travels to Tyr's dad to fetch a kettle that's a mile deep, so they can keep the mead hall party drowning in mead. The cultural aspect of that story is very much still present. I feel it every Friday. Sometimes on Thursdays too. That is the day of Thor after all. I'd opt for Tues(Tyr's) day, but I got university to tend to.

[@MrJMB122]

I just started watching you and I miss the contest!

[@jackiebiskan4748]

4/5 got me good

[@Cuhsynoh]

Great video...

[@Linfamy]

Thanks!

[@codyshi4743]

Interesting.

[@Linfamy]

😁👍

[@mFujiyama]

yey! New video〜🍵🗾

[@Linfamy]

Here, have some Japan and coffee

[@SSJGengar]

Giveaways should never be just for patreons especially when you're not that big lol, back then at least.

[@ShaneGoodson]

"I

[@Linfamy]

That's correct, but someone already got it :p

[@ShaneGoodson]

I saw, was just showing off my smarts

[@Linfamy]

🤣

[@madambutterfly1997]

Love the Tang dynasty.

[@joshuasepeda3289]

So, when are you going to cover the Gempei war? I'm just curious.

[@sylvistream]

That Charlamagne reference had me deaddd 💀

[@josephkim689]

Can you do a video about abe no hirafu?

[@feliksu1530]

Genpei War HYPE

[@Linfamy]

Aaaah

[@kerenzohar999]

in which video can i find the war with the barberians to the north?

[@Linfamy]

BAM kzbin.info/www/bejne/jKqQq3-mnbSCaZI asked and provided ;)

[@bluestrife28]

Wow so the expulsion of many nobles led to them later on making war to take back their world. Kinda like how Peter Pan’s enemies The Pirates were all grown Lost Boys that Peter had kicked out of the group; returning later to make war.

[@harryroger1739]

What about the history of the Emishi(decedents of Jomon) and Yamato(descendants of Yayoi). You cover the Jomon and Yayoi without bridging the history to Emishi and Yamato. The Emishi are recorded as recently as 600AD which means the Jomon didn't just disappear when the Yayoi arrived! The Ainu are the only remaining clan of the Emishi - this is a big deal. This needs to be covered.

[@Linfamy]

Definitely covering the Emishi later.

[@shivamthapa7303]

I can smell a shogunate cooking.

[@Linfamy]

Smells like blood

[@jonathanredacted3245]

Oh god did they actually participate in sibling marriages?

[@Linfamy]

Well, the royals married half-siblings. See: kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZofdiaeQgb6HitE Uncle-niece weddings, also a thing =P

[@jonathanredacted3245]

@@Linfamy *does that thing where you smush your face and chin and make a frown in disgust* That's slightly worse than the hapsburgs but nowhere near as fucked up as the sassanid Persians and ptolomic dynasty greeks

[@poorboi8093]

when did this Saga emperor come in this video? eh? You talked about Kanmu? ehhh

[@thedoruk6324]

So... absolute power corrupts absolutely? D:

[@Linfamy]

In this case, I don't think the emperors were corrupt. They did their best to deal with an economic crisis.

[@thedoruk6324]

@@Linfamy Nice. There're monarch who are benovelent !

[@Cambesa]

Hitobashira?

[@spoiledbeandip2129]

Hey maybe go over more yo-kai?

[@than217]

Can you imagine a police officer giving you a ticket for not knowing how to recite poetry.

[@nDua-wz8ox]

Genpei War is coming

[@Linfamy]

Totes

[@morsch2028]

"Holy " " Roman " really to say the truth the holy roman empire is neither holy nor Roman just German and French and it wasn`t even a theocracy so why HOLY roman empire ,

[@Xo-3130]

Actually, the Holy part is due to them being the only empire crowded by the Pope and due to technically existing to defend the Pope/deal with any issues of two papal claimants.

[@morsch2028]

@@Xo-3130 Yeaa, after a couple years I got the gist, thanks for answering though.

[@castperthewolf3426]

I prefer the name: Holy Hot Mess. Because it's way more accurate.

[@TammyJerkChicken]

1.14 .....wait What?!

[@Linfamy]

That's what royals did back then, didn't they? =P The royals married half-siblings. See: kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZofdiaeQgb6HitE Uncle-niece marriages, also a thing =P

[@stoat2854]

Alabama be like: 1:14

[@thierryvannuffelen1274]

Is it just me or does Tang's China looks a lot like a Tengu? Tang Tengu Tang Tengu mmmm

[@Linfamy]

Hmm you may have something here. Is it a conspiracy? We need to create a Society around this.

[@alana.dyer.author]

0:30 Me: *waits for Fujiwara to be mentioned* 2:20 Me: There it is

[@your_name96]

Bruh 1:15

[@cooldude-vp4lf]

I downloaded an animation software

[@Linfamy]

Noice, what software?

[@cooldude-vp4lf]

Krita

[@Linfamy]

Never heard of it, is it good?

[@cooldude-vp4lf]

It’s incredible, but I’m still trying to figure out how to use onion skin

[@Linfamy]

Not sure what onion skin is, but good luck with creating animations. It's time consuming.

[@ratpoison5547]

How do he know everything about Japan and China ?

[@juleswild9498]

4 out of 5 Gestapos 😂😂😂😂😂

[@Linfamy]

😅

[@juleswild9498]

@@Linfamy I died 😂

[@UnpluggedIndividualYT]

Based

[@josephkim689]

Hola

[@MrAapasuo]

watching these videos in rapid succession has made it seem like Japan was, for most of its history, trying to centralise itself. Never completely succeeding due to one reason or another that and chronic plotting of clans.

[@Linfamy]

It was mostly the Imperial House trying to centralize. People like the Fujiwara were always resistant. Mmm plots.

[@dipanwitadasgupta5221]

And Japan imperial dynasty then wondered why China made faces at it 😰🤮

[@Tyleya]

Lol....Charlemagne.....

[@Linfamy]

😅

[@WildBillCox13]

"By Broker Brothers . . ."

[@tyrannicalgod6064]

Japanese game of thrones 😊

[@sovietlamar1294]

YEE T

[@Linfamy]

🙌

[@CC-983_NOT87]

Secret go Karaoke

[@dallasdelay3468]

Like and coment. Thank yew

[@blindedbliss]

私はみなもとです。

[@gilgameschvonuruk4982]

1:13 Welcome to Alabama

[@AlexAllan1994]

I

[@Linfamy]

Correct, someone got it first though :p

[@BlueWhisperer]

**nerd alert** Please make a video discussing the Kami/legends names used in Naruto and Naruto Shippuden that Kishimoto used. Do you want me to beg? Cuz I'll beg.... #animeISlife

[@sarahmitchell9616]

Zoo we mama

[@talpark8796]

🤨

[@rgreed20081]

Emperor Kanmu had created the troubles which will lead to the Shoguns.

[@just_radical]

Not necessarily. He did create the ancestors of the people who became Shoguns, but if the Minamoto and Taira didn't exist the Fujiwara would have found other people to employ as private armies.

[@Mikeztarp]

Woot Charlemagne! (the real one, not whoever that first guy was)

[@Linfamy]

Do you know...Charlamagne tha God? =P

[@Mikeztarp]

@@Linfamy Never heard of him until now. But thanks for giving me his name, I'll look him up. :)

[@Linfamy]

He's a radio host, not saying I listen, I just know of him :p

[@TR_P]

5:50 DAMN HE THICCCC

[@d.beqiri231]

Calling the native population of Japan, thr Ainu, barbarians, is sinply disgusting. Dislike