Monday, Dec. 8, 2025 | 6 – 8 p.m. | Town Hall Seattle
When “Shogun” was released last year, it was a commercial and critical success. So of course, academic historians fretted. Were they concerned that it painted sixteenth-century Japan as another Game of Thrones (with more ninjas and fewer dragons)? Maybe a little. But most scholars were anxious because they understood how important the show would be and how profound an impact it would have on the public’s perception of Japanese culture and history.
In this talk, David Spafford will take a closer look at the complexities of the period and unpack why this particular moment in history matters so much, and how “Shogun” does (or does not) help us understand it.
David Spafford 
is an associate professor of Premodern Japanese History at the University of Pennsylvania, where he teaches courses on samurai, early modern urbanization, and premodern law and violence. He is the author of “A Sense of Place: The Political Landscape in Late Medieval Japan,” which explores the resilience of medieval regional identities and cultural geographies during the early Warring States period.
This event is co-sponsored by the Center for Japanese Studies at the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies and the Department of Asian Languages and Literature at the University of Washington, along with Washin Kai.
Purchase tickets on the Town Hall website.