Japan’s imperial succession and the invention of tradition
An op-ed on the 2026 Imperial House Law and how modern succession rules reflect long-standing strategies for managing legitimacy.
Osaka Castle Walks with Edward
History Beyond the Postcard
Essays on the people, places, and political struggles that shaped Japan.
A reimagination of Sugawara no Michizane as a young court official
Japan's history is more complicated—and more interesting—than the version most visitors encounter. I write about the people, places, power struggles, and forgotten histories that shaped Japan, with a particular focus on Osaka and the formation of the Japanese state.
Journalism
Commentary and analysis published in established news organizations.
Essays & Research
Some stories don't fit neatly into a newspaper article. These are the longer considerations, following a question from the historical record to the landscape where it unfolded.
Formerly Owned: A Tea Bowl, a Massacre and What Museums Choose to Illuminate
Five words on a museum label — "Formerly owned by Toyotomi Hidetsugu" — and behind them a 1595 massacre, a curator's honest "not sure," and the question of how much history a card can hold.
The Real-Life Bene Gesserit: How Heian Japan Perfected Dune's Shadow Politics
A court coup in 645, a regency that outlasted emperors, and a fictional sisterhood that never needed a throne — how the Fujiwara and the Bene Gesserit both learned that power is never seized, only grown.
Before the Castle: When Osaka was a Prehistoric Lagoon
Long before the first samurai, a lost world of aquatic hunter-gatherers and incoming farmers shaped the ground beneath Osaka Castle.
What the Museum Label Can't Say: The Yuteki Tenmoku and the Weight of Provenance
The National Treasure Yuteki tenmoku tea bowl carries a label naming Toyotomi Hidetsugu. Behind it lies the Ataka Collection, the kiln science of the glaze, and a curator's honest reckoning with what provenance can — and cannot — prove.
Capital Redundancy: Japan's 1,300-Year Instinct
An exploration of why the Japanese state historically maintained backup capitals, and how this architectural and political strategy insured the imperial court against disaster and usurpation.
Choose Your Investigation
Four distinct paths through Osaka's physical past—or a tailored journey of your own.
Personally led by Edward Iftody • One historian. Six guests. One investigation.
Before Japan Had a Name
An Osaka Castle Park tour for hard-core historians who want to separate facts from myth and ancient propaganda.
Most Osaka Castle tours start in the 1500s. This one starts before Japan had a name — because the castle only makes sense once you've stood where it all began.
Warrior Monks, a Peasant, and a Shogun
An Osaka Castle Park tour for Shogun-series fans looking for accurate, accessible history.
Warrior monks fortified it. A peasant rebuilt it. A shogun buried it. Walk the remains of three fortresses, each one burying the last. Discover why Osaka became home to Japan’s most powerful castle.
A Lord, a Concubine, and a Shogun’s Lie
An Osaka Castle Park tour for true-crime lovers looking for modern interpretations of Osaka's greatest mysteries.
Hideyori is dead. His mother too. The Shogun says it was suicide — the evidence disagrees. Investigate the scene with a Resident Historian and leave knowing the real reason Osaka Castle had to fall.
Goddess, Queen, Empress, Concubine
An Osaka Castle Park tour for history fans looking for a focus on Japan's most influential historical women.
Six women. Two thousand years. Each rises to absolute power—divine, political, or cultural—and each is systematically rewritten by the dynasties that followed.
Leave the Choice to a Resident Historian
Undecided Investigators Wanted.
You tell me what brought you to Japan and what you already know about Osaka Castle. I'll build the investigation around your curiosity — no script, no predetermined route.
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