What Tom Holland has said about Taira no Masakado
2 quotes · 1 episode · Apr 5, 2026
Tom Holland, English actor cast as Telemachus, has been quoted on Taira no Masakado 2 times in 1 episode of The Rest Is History, most recently on April 5, 2026. Each quote below is verbatim and links to the moment it was said.
In their words
Holland recounts the legend that Masakado's severed head spoke, refused to rot and flew off to Kanto, where its tomb still stands in Tokyo's business district.
“it stands right in the middle of Tokyo's business district, among the most valuable real estate in the entire world”
The Rest Is History: 658. Dawn of the Samurai: The Shadow of the Sword (Part 1) (Apr 5, 2026) · Listen from 34:34
Holland says that by proclaiming himself emperor of Kanto, Masakado made his own destruction inevitable.
“by declaring himself emperor of Canto, effectively, he signed his own death warrant”
The Rest Is History: 658. Dawn of the Samurai: The Shadow of the Sword (Part 1) (Apr 5, 2026) · Listen from 56:46
Episodes
658. Dawn of the Samurai: The Shadow of the Sword (Part 1)The Rest Is History · Apr 5, 2026 · 1 h 3 min
Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook trace the origins of Japan's samurai, from the Tokugawa shogunate and the Bushido myth back to the 10th-century warlord Taira no Masakado.
Tom Holland on other topics
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