A Leicester based living history company bringing history to life with workshops, interpretation days, classes and lectures.
26/03/2026
Today I had to say goodbye the my little man, my old bright eyes, my fun time boy, Tarik.
Nearly twenty years old and 15 years together, he's been with me through some of the best and toughest parts of my life.
I'll always love you, bright eyes. Goodbye, Tarik.
02/02/2026
Day three: started off with me and Charlotte Robey-Turner at the imperial Gardens spotting birds. Saw the imperial Palace, the statue of Kusunoki Masashige, the grave of Taira no Masakado's head.
Then went solo and visited the Sengaku-ji and the graves of the 47 Ronin where I placed incense on every single grave. The museum en site displayed the actual letters and banners written by the ronin and the actual spear used to kill the slanderer of their master!
Ended the day with a romp around Shinjuku including the Godzilla store, the Toho cinema and an amazing meal at the White Dragon Castle, an incredibly cool curry restaurant the size of my bedroom (kitchen and bar including!) themed around fantasy rpg games with music from final fantasy and Dragon quest playing!
Only downside is that I caught a pretty nasty cold and a blister the size of a grape on my little toe swelled and burst leading to an open wound that lasted for the rest of the holiday. The team said I was a trooper for keeping going despite that!
02/02/2026
03/09/2024
Hi guys!
I'll be giving a talk at the King Richard III Visitor Centre on the 19th of November about the weird and unusual similarities between the Wars of the Roses in England and the Sengoku Jidai in Japan.
It'll also be a compare and contrast between the samurai and their knightly equivalents in Europe with some weapons and armour to demonstrate.
Tickets are available now:
Home - King Richard III Visitor Centre Discover the incredible story of the king under the car park at the award-winning King Richard III Visitor Centre in Leicester
14/06/2024
On the 29th of June I'll be attending Military History Live at the Adult Education Centre on Belvoir Street from 10am until 3pm.
I'll be in my full samurai regalia ready to chat about the history of the samurai!
It's an amazing chance to learn about Leicester's military heritage and hear speakers from a variety of disciplines and heritage groups!
The itinerary for the event is here
https://doc-media-centre.org/2024/05/27/military-history-live/
07/06/2024
We'll be talking about the Crisis of the Third Century at the Guildhall in Leicester on the 28th of July. Come along and learn about what caused the crisis, the emperors who ruled throughout and what the consequences both short and long term were.
Tickets are £5 and it will start at 2pm
https://www.leicestermuseums.org/event-details/?id=a062c2d6-0a12-4086-a287-fa39fd57bfee
25/04/2024
I'll be delivering the Plague and its Doctors talk at the Guildhall in Leicester on Sunday the 5th of May at 2pm. We'll be discussing the history of the black death, the changes it brought to European society and the origins of the doctors who tried to combat it.
Tickets are only £5 and available from the website below
https://www.leicestermuseums.org/event-details/?id=41f39c71-a5a0-4618-ac0e-defac2acf19e
22/10/2023
The talk at the Guildhall went very well today! Thank you to everyone who attended and to my ma and da who were excellent squires helping me set up!
16/10/2023
The Sword Master is back at the King Richard III Visitor Centre this week! Come learn about some of the many swords of history, who wielded them and how.
Tickets are valid for a whole year too!
09/10/2023
Just finished wrapping the tsuka handle for my nagamaki this evening. All ready for the talk next Sunday!
Not perfect but pretty pleased considering it's my first attempt
15/09/2023
Don't forget everyone, I'm giving a talk on the samurai at the Guildhall in Leicester on October 22nd at 2pm. We'll be discussing some of the common myths about these enigmatic warriors and breaking down the pop culture version we often see to learn about the real warriors of history. I'll be in full samurai armour and have a big selection of weapons people can handle!
Tickets are £7.50 and available now on arttickets.com now!
Hope to see there!
https://leicestermuseums.arttickets.org.uk/leicester-guildhall/2023-10-22-history-with-joe-presents-gekukujo-the-samurai