History at the Crossroads
Ages 7–10, with family · Before giving the answer, hear how your child would think.Before giving the answer, hear how your child would think.
For grown-upsDo not grade your child's answer—listen for the reason behind it. History becomes time to discover what your child values.
Choose what you would do before learning the ending, and put your reason into words
Distinguish documented history from dialogue and feelings imagined for the story
See history as collaboration among people who begin, verify, and carry words or work forward—not one lone hero
Episodes
Episode 1They Opened a Book They Could Not ReadFree to readIn Edo-period Japan, with no dependable dictionary, three doctors face a choice: wait until they are ready, or begin with the first word they can understand.
Episode 2A First-Year Student at FiftyMembersAfter supporting both household and village, Ino Tadataka became the student of a teacher nineteen years younger. Would he keep serving Sawara, or entrust the household to others and learn again? This is the adult decision that came before his map of Japan.
Episode 3The Words She EntrustedMembersIn 1221, the imperial court issued an order to strike down Hojo Yoshitoki. Masako entrusted her words to Adachi Kagemori, but each gokenin still had to decide whom to follow. This is a story about the person who entrusts words, the person who carries them, and the people who hear and decide.
Episode 4The Sixth CrossingMembersGanjin, a renowned monk in Tang China, made five unsuccessful attempts to reach Japan. His biography says that he lost his sight during those years. Would he remain in Yangzhou and pass on his teaching there, or attempt a sixth crossing? Resting and continuing can each be a way to protect people and what they have learned.History at the Crossroads
History at the Crossroads pauses just before a real historical decision. Families choose a path, discuss the reason, and only then discover what happened. The series follows the doctors who began translating the book that became Kaitai Shinsho, Ino Tadataka learning again at fifty, gokenin deciding how to respond to entrusted words, and Ganjin boarding a sixth ship after five attempts to reach Japan. Episode 1 is completely free, with no payment details required.
