This week's episode is brought to you by Audible.

Audible has over 180,000 titles to choose from, all compatible with iPhone, Android,

Kindle, or your MP3 player of choice.

For listeners of the show, Audible is offering a free 30-day trial membership, complete with credit

for a free audiobook of your choice.

You can cancel any time and keep the free book or keep going with one of Audible subscription offers.

Go to audibletrial.com slash Japan to claim your offer.

This week, I'm going to recommend debt for the first 5,000 years by David Graber.

Dr. Graber, who is an anthropologist, has written a book on a subject that, as a graduate student,

and somebody who hopes to do things like buy a house one day, is near and dear to my heart,

and I imagine to the hearts of many others.

Want to understand the tangled financial web in which we all live?

Well, here's one good place to start.

Go to audibletrial.com slash Japan to clean your copy. Hello and welcome to the History of Japan podcast.

Episode 138, The Fall of the Samurai, Part 21.

So, we finally made it to the end.

Two things on the agenda before we put the series in the rearview mirror.

First, we're going to wrap up the life stories of some of our more key players in the sort of Where Are They Now section. And second, we're going to wrap up the life stories of some of our more key players in the sort of

where are they now section, and second, we're going to talk about the grand themes of the time

period we've been discussing. In the end, what does it all mean? Well, on the government side of

things, I think there's no better place to start than Okubo Toshinichi.

Okubo had been the childhood friend of Saigotakamori, but the two split over the proposed

...