What was life like in feudal Japan? If you were born into the chaos of the Warring States period, would you have been a farmer, a merchant or a samurai? Or perhaps even an Emperor?

Delving into the history behind the latest Assassin’s Creed game, Assassin’s Creed Shadows, Matt Lewis and Dr Tomoko Kate Kitagawa shed light on the customs, culture and class structures of medieval Japan. They explore what daily life would have been like for people beyond the famous names of history and legend, and how they saw themselves within the shifting society of the Sengoku era

Echoes of History is a Ubisoft podcast, brought to you by History Hit.

Hosted by: Matt Lewis

Edited by: Ella Blaxill

Produced by: Joseph Knight, Peta Stamper, Matt Lewis

Production Coordinator: Beth Donaldson

Executive Producers: Etienne Bouvier, Julien Fabre, Steve Lanham, Jen Bennett

If you liked this podcast please subscribe, share, rate & review.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

During the Onin Wars of the early Sengoku period, Kyoto was razed as civil war struck the Imperial capital. Only with unification did the city begin to rebuild. This episode will explore the rise and fall and rise again of Kyoto, what life in the city might have looked like, and why it held such significance to unification in the 16th century. In turn, we'll reveal how the Sengoku period shaped the city’s meaning for early modern Japan.

Delving into the history behind a major location in the latest Assassin’s Creed game, Assassin’s Creed Shadows, Matt Lewis and Lesley Downer shed light on the culture, fortunes and misfortunes of the great city of Kyoto.

Echoes of History is a Ubisoft podcast, brought to you by History Hit.

Hosted by: Matt Lewis

Edited by: Ella Blaxill

Produced by: Joseph Knight, Peta Stamper, Matt Lewis

Production Coordinator: Beth Donaldson

Executive Producers: Etienne Bouvier, Julien Fabre, Steve Lanham, Jen Bennett

If you liked this podcast please subscribe, share, rate & review.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the sixth episode delving into the history behind the latest Assassin’s Creed game, Assassin’s Creed Shadows, Matt Lewis and Nathan Ledbetter follow the sound of marching footsteps and clashing blades into Japan’s mountainous Iga province, to learn about the fearsome conflict between samurai armies and guerrilla shinobi, or ninja, that was the Tensho Iga War between 1578 and 1581.

Echoes of History is a Ubisoft Podcast brought to you by History Hit.

​​Hosted by: Matt Lewis

Edited by: Anisha Deva

Produced by: Joseph Knight, Peta Stamper, Matt Lewis

Production Coordinator: Beth Donaldson

Executive Producers: Etienne Bouvier, Julien Fabre, Steve Lanham, Jen Bennett

If you liked this podcast please subscribe, share, rate & review.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Oda Nobunaga. He’s one of feudal Japan’s most infamous and consequential figures, known to many as Japan’s first ‘Great Unifier’. From humble beginnings as the daimyo of Owari province, he embarked on a mission to unite all of Japan under his sole control. But how did he emerge as Japan’s dominant warlord in an era of incessant social upheaval and civil war?

In the fifth episode delving into the history behind the latest Assassin’s Creed game, Assassin’s Creed Shadows, Matt Lewis and Nathan Ledbetter explore Nobunaga’s ruthless ascent to power, his brutal battles with the Shinobi Ikki league and his tragic downfall at the hands of his ally, Akechi Mitsuhide.

Echoes of History is a Ubisoft Podcast brought to you by History Hit.

​​Hosted by: Matt Lewis

Edited by: Anisha Deva

Produced by: Joseph Knight, Peta Stamper, Matt Lewis

Production Coordinator: Beth Donaldson

Executive Producers: Etienne Bouvier, Julien Fabre, Steve Lanham, Jen Bennett

If you liked this podcast please subscribe, share, rate & review.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Yasuke is one of the most captivating and yet mysterious figures within Japanese history. In 1581, at the height of the civil war, he crossed paths with the country’s most powerful warlord, Oda Nobunaga. Their meeting bound the two men together and set Yasuke on a path to becoming the first known samurai of African descent in Japan.

Delving into the history behind one of the two main characters in the latest Assassin’s Creed game, Assassin’s Creed Shadows, Matt Lewis and Thomas Lockley examine the few surviving historical sources to reveal what we know about Yasuke, Japan’s first African samurai.

Echoes of History is a Ubisoft podcast, brought to you by History Hit.

Hosted by: Matt Lewis

Edited by: Anisha Deva

Produced by: Joseph Knight, Peta Stamper, Matt Lewis

Production Coordinator: Beth Donaldson

Executive Producers: Etienne Bouvier, Julien Fabre, Steve Lanham, Jen Bennett

If you liked this podcast please subscribe, share, rate & review.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When Portuguese merchants ran aground on the Japanese isle of Tanegashima in 1543 two worlds collided - Europeans had encountered Japan for the first time. For the next 50 years Portuguese-sponsored missionaries flooded into this newly discovered land aiming to exploit it for western benefit. But in the fiery cauldron of Sengoku Japan, Portuguese missionaries were but one player in the most bloody and brutal of political games.

In the third episode of this series delving into the history behind the latest Assassin’s Creed game, Assassin’s Creed Shadows, join Matt Lewis and Prof. Fredrick Cryns as they uncover how these missionaries fit into 16th century Japan’s patchwork of warlords and daimyos and the momentous impact they had on feudal Japanese warfare and society.

Hosted by: Matt Lewis

Edited by: Anisha Deva

Produced by: Joseph Knight, Peta Stamper, Matt Lewis

Production Coordinator: Beth Donaldson

Executive Producers: Etienne Bouvier, Julien Fabre, Steve Lanham, Jen Bennett

If you liked this podcast please subscribe, share, rate & review.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the 16th century, Japan was embroiled in what is known as Sengoku jidai - ‘The Warring States’ period. It was a time of bloody battles, social upheaval and is known as the most violent in Japan’s history.

But how, and when, did 150 years of bitter warfare and division come to an end? How did unification change the face of Japanese society?

In the second episode of this series delving into the history behind the latest Assassin’s Creed game, Assassin’s Creed Shadows, Matt Lewis and Dr Christopher Harding discover how three men overpowered and outwitted Japan’s rival warlords and in doing so, brought about the unification of a fractured region.

Echoes of History is a Ubisoft podcast, brought to you by History Hit.

Hosted by: Matt Lewis

Edited by: Ella Blaxill

Produced by: Joseph Knight, Peta Stamper, Matt Lewis

Production Coordinator: Beth Donaldson

Executive Producers: Etienne Bouvier, Julien Fabre, Steve Lanham, Jen Bennett

If you liked this podcast please subscribe, share, rate & review.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dating from 1467-1603, the Sengoku or ‘Warring States’ period is known as the bloodiest in Japan’s history; an era of continuous social upheaval and civil war which transformed the country. Shogun-led authority was shattered and 150 years of murder and betrayal followed as fearsome warlords ruled local territories with unflinching ruthlessness.

In the first episode of this series delving into the history behind the latest Assassin’s Creed game, Assassin’s Creed Shadows, Matt Lewis and Dr Christopher Harding discuss the origins of the Sengoku Period. Together, they explore how political power was organised in Japan during this time, introduce some of the key players, and discuss how the seeds were sown for Japanese unification.

Echoes of History is a Ubisoft podcast, brought to you by History Hit.

Hosted by: Matt Lewis

Edited by: Ella Blaxill

Produced by: Joseph Knight, Peta Stamper, Matt Lewis

Production Coordinator: Beth Donaldson

Executive Producers: Etienne Bouvier, Julien Fabre, Steve Lanham, Jen Bennett

If you liked this podcast please subscribe, share, rate & review.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.