Preface
Previous articleI recently wrote that I've been listening to "Casual Linguistics Radio" while driving.
However, since I've finished listening to all the latest videos of "Yuru Linguistics Radio," I'm currently listening to all the latest videos of a program called "COTEN RADIO: Learning History in an Interesting Way" (hereinafter referred to as "COTEN RADIO").
This was originally podcast content, but it seems they've started distributing the same content on YouTube as well.
I listen to it as a podcast, but of course, I think there's absolutely no problem with listening to (or watching) it as a YouTube video.
How I found out
In the aforementioned "Casual Linguistics Radio," there was a lot of talk about how interesting Koten Radio is, and that's what initially piqued my interest.
There's an awards ceremony called the "JAPAN PODCAST AWARDS," and Koten Radio won the grand prize at the first ceremony held in 2019.
"Yuru Linguistics Radio" has also won the Best Knowledge Award and the Listeners' Choice No. 1 at this awards, but I was curious about Koten Radio's track record of winning the Grand Prize here, so I decided to give it a listen.
To put it simply, it was a much more entertaining program than I had imagined, and it had a different kind of energy compared to "Casual Linguistics Radio."
The content and its appeal
Contents Introduction
In short, the content of Koten Radio is about "learning history in an interesting way."
For example, the first episode will focus on Yoshida Shoin, so it will highlight his life and discuss in detail the historical context of the time.
When a person is the theme, the story revolves around that person. However, there are other themes as well, such as a country, like the Ottoman Empire, or a historical event, like the French Revolution.
There are various ways to interpret the information, but the way it's presented makes it very clear why each interpretation is important.
About speakers
Koten Radio has three speakers.
First, there's Kiyonori Higuchi, who acts as both moderator and interviewer; Ryunosuke Fukai, who will be doing the main explanation; and then there's Ruizhi Yang, also known as Yang-Yang, who will be adding supplementary information and extra comments to the explanation.
You'll get to know what kind of people they are by listening to Koten Radio, so I'll briefly introduce their roles within the radio show.
The main speaker, Mr. Fukai, explains the historical context and themes in a clear and logical manner.
He reads dozens of books to create a script for a single topic, extracting the important parts and explaining them in an easy-to-understand way.
Sometimes, when he explains something, he gets emotional and passionate, and I, being prone to empathy, find myself getting drawn in and listening intently.
And Higuchi-san, who takes on the role of listener and is an overwhelming history novice (according to the official page), speaks directly on behalf of the listeners, sharing questions and thoughts.
I think this reaction has made Mr. Fukai's lecture feel more like a dialogue than a one-sided presentation.
Finally, Yangyang's role is to add supplementary information or extra insights to Fukai's explanation.
They are adding depth to the discussion by using different approaches and analogies to explain Mr. Fukai's points.
With their gentle voice and tone, they seem to act as a cushion, easing the tense atmosphere.
Interest
I'll write about what I found interesting about Koten Radio.
During my school days, I chose world history as my major.
However, while I knew the terms intellectually, I hardly understood their historical significance.
However, by listening to Koten Radio, I definitely felt that things that were merely terms came to life and became real.
This is not an exaggeration; things that I previously thought of as something distant and unrelated to me now seem to be connected to this world, and even to myself.
After listening to the program's first theme, "Yoshida Shoin," I strongly felt that he was not merely a term, but a real person who lived in this world, just like me.
I found the series, which focuses on a specific person, to be very easy to understand, unlike world history classes which tend to be general in nature, because that person is at the center of the explanation.
Back when I was studying world history, I wondered why they bothered to include people like Xuanzang (the monk) and Saichō/Kūkai, who were only mentioned briefly in textbooks. But listening to Koten Radio completely cleared up that mystery for me.
Now I understand why world history experts thought, "These people absolutely must be included in world history textbooks," when creating them.
In the broad and often superficial world history curriculum, the people whose names appear in textbooks are undoubtedly those who have accomplished extraordinary things.
Just knowing that makes me glad I asked.
(The part about the storming of the Bastille during the French Revolution brought tears to my eyes at the resolve of those who carried out the attack.)
In addition, I believe the content goes beyond mere historical education, encompassing aspects such as the lives, culture, and thoughts of people from the past.
Compared to "Casual Linguistics Radio," this might require a little more energy to listen to.
However, I felt there was definitely something that made me glad I listened.
Those who simply enjoy history and world history will likely find it easy to listen to.
And even for people like me who aren't particularly interested in world history, I think that knowing that "there really were passionate people like this" will naturally pique their interest.
Afterword
I've given you a brief introduction to Koten Radio.
At first, I simply hoped to gain some knowledge in an interesting way, but I feel like I've begun to vaguely grasp a way of perceiving and thinking about things that goes beyond mere knowledge.
This won't dramatically change your daily life.
However, I'm certain that something has changed within me, and I feel that it will be useful in my life going forward.
I think this becomes clearer once you understand the purpose behind the start of Coten Radio and the mission of COTEN Corporation.
(I think you'll understand better if you watch them in order from the first episode.)
However, I think it's perfectly fine to start by simply listening with the casual intention of "I want to learn about history in an interesting way!"
If you're interested, why not take a look?
Summary of lifestyle-related articles
著書: 歴史思考（深井龍之介・著）(Amazon)
Rakuten Market: 歴史思考（深井龍之介・著）