Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Is Tokugawa Ieyasu history's greatest leader? Subscribe here: bit.ly/subhistoryextrayoutube
Samurai and statesman Tokugawa Ieyasu founded the dynasty that unified Japan in the early 16th century. His house ruled the country for more than 250 years. He’s a towering figure from the nation’s history – a man capable of ruthless, decisive action, but who at other moments actively sought to avoid conflict and waited for his enemies to make mistakes.
In this episode, Christopher Harding – senior lecturer in Asian history at the University of Edinburgh, and author of books including 'A Short History of Japan' – guides Mike Soutar through the apparent contradictions of Tokugawa Ieyasu’s story, and reveals the lessons that this feudal lord can impart for the 21st century.
To hear host Mike Soutar's full conversation with Christopher, don't miss History's Greatest Leaders on the HistoryExtra podcast.
Mike Soutar is an entrepreneur and author of 'Next Gen CEO', and advisor on BBC One’s 'The Apprentice'
🎧 Listen now wherever you get your podcasts: https://play.megaphone.fm/xim3wnhes9qxso8n8kjlaa
📱or in the HistoryExtra app: historyextra.com/the-historyextra-app
#HistoryExtra #japan #leadership
00:00 Introduction
01:20 A patchwork of feudal domains
05:50 Life as a hostage
10:15 A 'cold' style of leadership
18:50 A pragmatic approach
24:15 Edo: a laboratory of power
27:31 The battle of Sekigahara
31:00 Coward or clever strategist?
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Unlock the past with leading historians, exclusive ad‑free podcasts and stories from across the globe, only on History Extra.
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Is Tokugawa Ieyasu history's greatest leader? Subscribe here: bit.ly/subhistoryextrayoutube
Samurai and statesman Tokugawa Ieyasu founded the dynasty that unified Japan in the early 16th century. His house ruled the country for more than 250 years. He’s a towering figure from the nation’s history – a man capable of ruthless, decisive action, but who at other moments actively sought to avoid conflict and waited for his enemies to make mistakes.
In this episode, Christopher Harding – senior lecturer in Asian history at the University of Edinburgh, and author of books including 'A Short History of Japan' – guides Mike Soutar through the apparent contradictions of Tokugawa Ieyasu’s story, and reveals the lessons that this feudal lord can impart for the 21st century.
To hear host Mike Soutar's full conversation with Christopher, don't miss History's Greatest Leaders on the HistoryExtra podcast.
Mike Soutar is an entrepreneur and author of 'Next Gen CEO', and advisor on BBC One’s 'The Apprentice'
🎧 Listen now wherever you get your podcasts: https://play.megaphone.fm/xim3wnhes9qxso8n8kjlaa
📱or in the HistoryExtra app: historyextra.com/the-historyextra-app
#HistoryExtra #japan #leadership
00:00 Introduction
01:20 A patchwork of feudal domains
05:50 Life as a hostage
10:15 A 'cold' style of leadership
18:50 A pragmatic approach
24:15 Edo: a laboratory of power
27:31 The battle of Sekigahara
31:00 Coward or clever strategist?
▷ Find out more at historyextra.com
▷ Follow the podcast on iTunes: apple.co/3Y6n8Bt
▷ Like our page on Facebook: facebook.com/HistoryExtra
▷ Follow us on Twitter: https://x.com/HistoryExtra
▷ Follow us Instagram: instagram.com/historyextra
▷ Follow us on TikTok: tiktok.com/@UCy4hMtkf5aFZrlTcHPWRc_g
Subscribe to our Substack for Life Lessons from History with Dr David Musgrove: historyextra.substack.com
🏰 History at your fingertips
Unlock the past with leading historians, exclusive ad‑free podcasts and stories from across the globe, only on History Extra.
historyextra.com/subscribe/?utm_medium=social&utm_content=youtube.com&utm_campaign=youtube-2026
