Doctor Who: 25 time periods Thirteen and Team TARDIS should visit

Act XI Fifth Episode (Actually Fourth)- Ronin Stopped from Crossing Ryogoku Bridge by Shogun’s Representative By Utagawa Hiroshige (Japan, Edo, 1797-1858) Public Domain

Shogunate Japan

This is a time period that will offer Doctor Who a lot of options –and feels a little like cheating as far as this list goes, because it’s very imprecise. (Sorry, guys, I was just super into that Shogun World thing in Westworld last season.)

Shogun is a word for the military dictator of Japan, and this was their primary form of government from about 1185 to 1868. The shoguns held almost absolute power (and were even often named “emperors”, ceremonially speaking). Doctor Who hasn’t ever done a story set in any part of this time period, though spinoff series Torchwood did feature a samurai terrorizing the modern day Tokyo subway system.

Historical figures we might meet: The Edo Period is probably the era of shogunate Japan that most people are familiar with via pop culture, largely because this was the time in which the samurai became the ruling class of the country. There are many famous samurai, including Miyamoto Musashi, Yagyū Jūbei Mitsuyoshi, and the famous group of 47 ronin who avenged the death of their master.

Potential adventures: There’s such cultural significance attached to the story of the ronin that it could be very interesting to see Doctor Who give one a real face and background to go along with the part of the story that we know. (And we do know that one of the ronin survived – after receiving a pardon from the shogun for unknown reasons, he lived to age 87.) Additionally, this particular time period gave humanity a great deal of incredible art, and spotlighting one of the lesser known people creating it might also make an appealing tale.