Department of Oriental History

e-mail:	toyoshi(at)l.u-tokyo.ac.jp *Replace (at) with @.
Tel:	03-5841-3781

The Department of Oriental History focuses on Asian and African history and the history of interactions between Asia, Africa and beyond, with emphasis on empirical methods in historiography, by consulting primary historical sources. The Department is in charge of the program for undergraduate students specializing in oriental history at the Faculty of Letters. In addition, the Department provides a graduate program in Asian history for MA and PhD students at the Graduate School of Humanities and Sociology, in cooperation with some faculty members from the Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia of the University of Tokyo.

Teaching staff

Eiji SAGAWA (Professor), History

Research fields:	Ancient Chinese history, with a particular focus on the history from the Qin-Han period to the Sui-Tang period; History of the land system; History of the capital city system; and Study of inscriptions.
Courses taught:	In the seminar, students read historical documents pertaining to ancient Chinese history, learning how to research ancient history to suit their interests. The lectures introduce various issues in ancient Chinese history by year. In the graduate course, students delve into reading and analyzing historical documents, gaining insights into advanced approaches to the study of ancient history.

Seiichiro YOSHIZAWA (Professor), History

Research fields:	Modern history of China, especially political movements, socio-economic changes, and intellectuals in modern China.
Courses taught:	In undergraduate seminars, students read historical documents and research articles on modern China. Lectures introduce students to various aspects of Chinese history, including urban and rural society and culture, with themes determined by the year. The goal of the graduate program is to broaden participants' perspectives. To this end, it includes critical discussion of recently published research monographs in Japanese, Chinese, and English, and introduction to various historical documents.

Research fields:

Modern history of China, especially political movements, socio-economic changes, and intellectuals in modern China.

Courses taught:

In undergraduate seminars, students read historical documents and research articles on modern China. Lectures introduce students to various aspects of Chinese history, including urban and rural society and culture, with themes determined by the year. The goal of the graduate program is to broaden participants' perspectives. To this end, it includes critical discussion of recently published research monographs in Japanese, Chinese, and English, and introduction to various historical documents.

Tomoko MORIKAWA (Associate Professor), History

Research fields:	History of West and Central Asia, especially Pilgrimages to holy places and shrines; History of Islamic societies; Armenian networks; and History of urban societies in early modern West Asia
Courses taught:	In undergraduate lectures, she gives lectures on West Asian urban history, pilgrimage, religious minorities, and other topics based on her research interests. In the seminars, participants present their research in line with their own interests, critically read and discuss articles and primary historical sources.

Ryuto SHIMADA (Associate Professor), History

Research fields:	History of South and Southeast Asia; Asian economic history; History of cross-cultural relations; and Global history
Courses taught:	The lectures at the Faculty of Letters focus on various topics on maritime Asian history, while in the College of Arts and Sciences lectures on global history is offered for first- and second-year undergraduate students. In the undergraduate and graduate seminars, participants report their own research and critically read recently published significant research articles.

Yoshiyuki TAKUMA (Research Associate)

Research fields:	Ancient Chinese History