Takeda Shingen (武田信玄 / takeda shingen) and Uesugi Kenshin (上杉謙信 / uesugi kenshin) were destined rivals who clashed again and again — and yet respected each other deeply.

This is Episode 5 of our mini-series on Japanese history, made for JLPT N5–N3 learners. In about seven minutes, you'll meet the "Tiger of Kai" and the "Dragon of Echigo," follow their Battles of Kawanakajima (川中島の戦い) and the legend of their duel, and learn the meaning of Shingen's famous banner, Fūrinkazan (風林火山 / fuurinkazan) — "as fast as the wind, as quiet as a forest, as fierce as fire, and as still as a mountain."

You'll also pick up five useful everyday words: 宿命 (shukumei), 激しい (hageshii), 悲しむ (kanashimu), 認める (mitomeru), and 尊敬する (sonkei suru). In our "Japanese You Can Still Use Today" corner, we look at the idiom teki ni shio o okuru (敵に塩を送る), "to send salt to the enemy" — helping a rival in trouble, an attitude that reflects the spirit of bushidō (武士道 / bushidō / bushidou), the way of the samurai.

Next episode: Date Masamune (伊達政宗), the "one-eyed dragon," and Sanada Yukimura (真田幸村), called the greatest warrior in Japan.

🚀 NEXT STEPS FOR YOUR JAPANESE💻Systematic Learning (Self-Study)🎁 Podcast Listener Reward: Claim your exclusive discount through the link below: https://www.udemy.com/course/intermediate-japanese-jlpt-n3-course1/?couponCode=AUG26_NIHONGOCANDY💻Executive Private Coaching (Live):https://www.welcjp.com/forindividuals📱 LinkedIn:www.linkedin.com/in/mikisasakiwelc

#Samurai #JapaneseHistory #SengokuPeriod #SamuraiHistory #AnimeJapanese #TakedaShingen #UesugiKenshin #Bushido #NihongoCandy #LearnJapanese #JapaneseVocabulary #JLPTN5 #JLPTN4 #JLPTN3 #JapaneseForTravel #TravelInJapan #SpeakJapanese #JapanesePhrases #LivingInJapan #JapaneseConversation

Who was Tokugawa Ieyasu (徳川家康 / tokugawa ieyasu), the man who waited and finally won all of Japan?

This is Episode 4 of our mini-series on Japanese history, made for JLPT N5–N3 learners. In about seven minutes, you'll follow Ieyasu from his long years as a hostage (人質) to his victory at the Battle of Sekigahara (関ヶ原の戦い, 1600), and see how he opened the Edo shogunate (江戸幕府, 1603) and began about 260 years of peace.

You'll also meet the famous "cuckoo poems" (ホトトギスの句) that capture the very different characters of the three great heroes — Nobunaga, Hideyoshi, and Ieyasu — and pick up five useful everyday words: 手に入れる (te ni ireru), 恵まれている (megumarete iru), 平和な (heiwa na), 性格 (seikaku), and 我慢する (gaman suru). And here's a fun cultural note: even today, Japanese people sometimes compare themselves or others to one of these three men.

Next episode: Takeda Shingen and Uesugi Kenshin (武田信玄と上杉謙信), the destined rivals of Kawanakajima.

🚀 NEXT STEPS FOR YOUR JAPANESE💻Systematic Learning (Self-Study)🎁 Podcast Listener Reward: Claim your exclusive discount through the link below:https://www.udemy.com/course/intermediate-japanese-jlpt-n3-course1/?couponCode=AUG26_NIHONGOCANDY💻Executive Private Coaching (Live):https://www.welcjp.com/forindividuals📱 LinkedIn:www.linkedin.com/in/mikisasakiwelc

#Samurai #JapaneseHistory #SengokuPeriod #SamuraiHistory #AnimeJapanese #TokugawaIeyasu #NihongoCandy #LearnJapanese #JapaneseVocabulary #JLPTN5 #JLPTN4 #JLPTN3 #JapaneseForTravel #TravelInJapan #SpeakJapanese #JapanesePhrases #LivingInJapan #JapaneseConversation

Who was Toyotomi Hideyoshi (豊臣秀吉 / toyotomi hideyoshi), the man who was born a farmer's son and ended up ruling all of Japan?

This is Episode 3 of our mini-series on Japanese history, made for JLPT N5–N3 learners. In about seven minutes, you'll follow Hideyoshi from his first job carrying his lord's sandals, to the moment he took over after Nobunaga's death, to the unification of Japan in 1590 — and see what he did with that power, through the land survey (検地 / kenchi) and the sword hunt (刀狩 / katanagari).

You'll also pick up five useful everyday words: 出世する (shusse suru), 気が利く (ki ga kiku), 認める (mitomeru), 工夫する (kufū suru / kufuu suru), and 成しとげる (nashitogeru). In our "Japanese You Can Still Use Today" corner, we look at how 出世する is used at work in Japan today.

Next episode: Tokugawa Ieyasu (徳川家康), the man who took power and became the first shōgun of the peaceful Edo period.

🚀 NEXT STEPS FOR YOUR JAPANESE💻Systematic Learning (Self-Study)🎁 Podcast Listener Reward: Claim your exclusive discount through the link below:https://www.udemy.com/course/intermediate-japanese-jlpt-n3-course1/?couponCode=JULY26_NIHONGOCANDY💻Executive Private Coaching (Live):https://www.welcjp.com/forindividuals📱 LinkedIn:www.linkedin.com/in/mikisasakiwelc

#Samurai #JapaneseHistory #SengokuPeriod #SamuraiHistory #AnimeJapanese #ToyotomiHideyoshi #NihongoCandy #LearnJapanese #JapaneseVocabulary #JLPTN5 #JLPTN4 #JLPTN3 #JapaneseForTravel #TravelInJapan #SpeakJapanese #JapanesePhrases #LivingInJapan #JapaneseConversation