TOHOKU UNIVERSITYTHE HASEKURA BULLETIN
Newsletter of the Hasekura League for Japanese Studies

VOL.

04

March, 2024 Edition

GREETINGS FROM THE DIRECTOR - “NOT A VESSEL”
Prof. Koji Ono
Director of the International Graduate Program for Japanese Studies (GPJS)
Tohoku University (TU), Japanpassage. This is not just because its activities address the “one skill”

The Analects of Confucius (Master Kong) includes the passage,
jun zi bu qi (君子不器) meaning “An exemplary person is not a

problem inherent in the specialization of the humanities and social

vessel” in the chapter on the government principles. Shibusawa

sciences (SSH). This is rather because I ﬁnd the network is becom-

Eiichi, a Japanese industrialist who knew the Analects well,ing a space where researchers and young graduate students, often

interpreted the passage as “Just as chopsticks are best used for

conﬁned to small, isolated spheres, engage in dialogue about theeating and brushes for writing, mediocre persons have their own

invisible aspects of each otherʼs thinking, sensibilities, and values.

unique skill and not general abilities applicable everywhere.

These dialogues make possible new kinds of mutual growth andHowever, extraordinary and knowledgeable individuals transcend

reﬁnement through continuous interaction. There, the passage

the limitations of a single skill; they possess an inexhaustible depth“not a vessel” seems to teach us a lesson that we have to growakin to a vessel, beﬁtting of a leader.” He recalled Ōkubo Toshimi-

without being conﬁned to a predetermined size. Of course, we arechi, who had opposed him regarding the ﬁnancial policies of the

not “exemplary persons (君子),” except for a few among us. One

Meiji government, as such a person. This ideology is manifested inplausible reason why this passage has been passed down to thethe imperial examination, known as the “keju” held widely in thepresent day is that such challenges are diﬃcult to overcome. Yet, I

Imperial China. It evaluated moral virtues based on literary

believe that this is an ideal for us to pursue without stopping.
Here we are delighted to deliver the fourth issue of THE HASEKU-

cultivation rather than speciﬁc vocational aptitudes or abilities,

RA BULLETIN. We are pleased to convey to you the recent activities

thereby inﬂuencing the structure of society.

of the network, which continues to grow with each new event.

Management of the Hasekura League always reminds me of thisNEWS

UPCOMING EVENTS

November 2023 - Hasekura League Network Reaches 30

April 3-5, 2024 - The 4th International Doctoral Symposium on

Universities!

Studies at the Caʼ Foscari University of Venice (Italy)

The Hasekura League expanded to include the University ofApril 18-19, 2024 - International Symposium: Literature andWarsaw (Poland) and Cambridge University (UK) in 2023.

Ecology at Grenoble Alpes University (France)

March 26, 2024 - Two GPJS Graduates Have Obtained PhDs!
July 2025 - The 9th Annual Hasekura Symposium at theCongratulations to the young Drs. Yoko Kagami (Linguistics) andUniversity of British Columbia (Canada)

Tomoya Masuda (History of Thought) on their success!

The next Hasekura Symposium will be held in July 2025 at the
March 2024 - Prof. Emer. Hiroo Sato of TU Retire

Unviersity of British Columbia in Vancouver. Marking the ﬁrst of

After his long-standing contributions to the establishment andour annual symposiums to be held in North America, it will havedevelopment of the Hasekura League in supporting the research

the tentative theme of “Embodied Discourse, Embodied Practice:of younger generations, Prof. Emer. Hiroo Sato is retiring from the

The Body as Text, Medium, and Testimony in Asia.” After the

GPJS. During the last GPJS summer camp in the southern area of

extraordinary success of this year's symposium in Rome (p. 6), we

Miyagi, he led the way to Kosai Castle, which has a strong connet-

have high hopes that the Vancouver event will bring together

ion with. Please see the report of the last Tohoku Conference ofscholars from North America, Europe, and Japan to continue

Global Studies (p. 4) highlighting his lecture (S. Kiyama).

taking the Hasekura League to new heights. (C. Craig)

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ACTIVITY REPORTS（July 2023 - March 2024）
August 1 (Thu.), 2023 - The 14th Hasekura Seminar (TU)
“Secrecy in Early 18th-Century Freemasonary”
Speaker: Prof. Henrik Bogdan (University of Gothenburg,
Sweden)August 27 (Tue.) - 29 (Thu.), 2023 - GPJS Annual SummerCamp (The southern area of Miyagi, Japan)
November 30 (Thu.), 2023 - The 17th Hasekura Seminar / The

October 24 (Tue.), 2023 - The 15th Hasekura Seminar (TU)

4th GPJS Research Cluster Meeting (TU)

“Japanese Language Education in Kenya”
Speakers: Ms. Njeri Kagema（Doctoral Student, Graduate“The Soseki Bunko as Research Commons: Rethinking

School of International Cultural Studies, TU / Chairperson,

Property in Modern Literature”

Japanese Language Teachersʼ Association of Kanya), Ms.

Speaker: Prof. Michael K. Bourdaghs (University of Chicago,

Satone Komoriya (GPJS student, TU)

USA)

November 8 (Wed.), 2023 - Inaugural Curtin Japan Engage-

December 9 (Sat.) - 10 (Sun.), 2023 - 5th Tohoku Conference

ment Event (Curtin University, Australia)

on Global Studies (TU) (p. 4-5)

“Japan in the World: Past, Present, Future” (p. 3)

January 25 (Thu.) - 26 (Fri.), 2024 - 8th Hasekura Annual
International Japanese Studies Symposium (Sapienza

November 10 (Fri.), 2023 - Workshop on Japanese Studies

University of Rome, Italy)(Jagiellonian University, Poland)“Embodied Discourse, Embodied Practice: The Body as Text,“East Meats East” (p. 3)

Medium, and Testimony in Japan” (p. 6)
March 4 (Mon.), 2024 - The 18th Hasekura Seminar / The 29th

November 14 (Tue.), 2023 - Workshop on Japanese Studies

Meeting of Narrative Media Research Group (TU)

(University of Warsaw, Poland）“Experiencing Manga: Creation, Interpretation, and Visual“University of Warsaw and Tohoku University Joint Workshop”(p. 3)

Imitation”
Speakers: Prof. Berndt Jaqueline (Stockholm University,
Sweden), Prof. I-yun Lee (National Chengchi University,
Taiwan), Assist. Prof. Miho Takeuchi (Seisa Dohto University,
Japan), Ms. Dalma Kálovics (Researcher at Yokote Masuda
Manga Museum, Japan), and Assist. Prof. Olga Kopylova (TU)
March 21 (Thu.), 2024 - GPJS Symposium (TU)
“Small to Medium-sized Enterprises and Areas: Past andPresent”
Speakers: Prof. Shuichi Sone (Shizuoka University of Art andCulture, Japan) and Prof. Masayuki Tanimoto (University ofTokyo, Japan）
March 29 (Fri.), 2024 - The 19th Hasekura Seminar“Representation and Reception of the “Medieval”- Examples

November 17 (Fri.), 2023 - The 16th Hasekura Seminar (TU)

from Japan and Europe”“Disciples of Hell: The History of Satanism”

Speakers: Assoc. Prof. Taku Kuroiwa（Vice Director, GPJS, TU),

Speaker: Assoc. Prof. Per Faxneld (Södertörn University,

Ms. Marine Massenzio (Doctoral Student, Rennes 2 University,

Sweden / Visiting Assoc. Prof. at TU）

France), and Sr. Assist. Prof. Chloe Bellech (TU)

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March, 2024 Edition | 04

EVENT HIGHLIGHT
Inaugural Curtin Japan Engagement Event“Japan in the World: Past, Present, Future”
November 8 (Wed.), 2023 at Curtin University, Australia
In the morning session on "Energy Transition and Critical
Minerals," Prof. Kazuyo Matsuyae (TU) presented online. In theafternoon session on "Japan and Australia in Global History," Prof.
Hiroaki Adachi (TU) and GPJS students Mr. Takuma Hosoi and Mr.
Zibo Chen presented in person. Despite being their ﬁrst English
presentations overseas, the studentsʼ talks on Japan's and theworld's economy were successful and well-received by theparticipants. Assoc. Prof. Lorenzo Marinucci (TU) joined, enriching
the exchange with faculty members of Curtin University's Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, which recently joined the
Hasekura League (H. Adachi).

Workshop on Japanese Studies (University of Warsaw)

Workshop on Japanese Studies (Jagiellonian University)“East Meats East”“University of Warsaw and Tohoku University Joint Workshop”

November 10 (Fri.), 2023 at Jagiellonian University, Poland

November 14 (Tue.), 2023 at University of Warsaw, Poland

Prof. Toshiya Ueki, the Executive Vice President of TU, andProf. Hideo Ohno, the President of TU, was awarded an honorary

members of GPJS visited Jagiellonian University, one of the main

doctorate from the University of Warsaw, and GPJS members

hubs of the Hasekura League. They paid a courtesy visit to theattended the ceremony. To commemorate this occasion, work-

Vice-Rector and the Director of the International Cultural Studies

shops in spintronics, international law, and Japanese studies wereInstitute, followed by a workshop. In the keynote speech entitled

held. In the Japanese studies workshop, presentations were given"Natural Disaster and Religious Culture in Japan," Prof. Toshiaki

by Prof. Agnieszka Koziła, Prof. Iwona Kordzi㶠ska-Nabłotzka, Ms.

Kimura (Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Letters) discussed the role

Monika Nawrocka, and Ms. Urszula Zongue-Mach from Warsaw.

of religion in overcoming disasters. Other talks included those by

From TU, after an introduction to the Hasekura League by Assoc.

Assoc. Prof. Sachiko Kiyama and Ms. Sang-yun Han from TU, as

Prof. Christopher Craig, Prof. Kimura, Assoc. Prof. Kiyama, and Ms.

well as Prof. Ewa Kami㶠ska, Ms. Sophia Pla㶊uch, and Ms. Margarita

Han gave presentations. In addition, Prof. Koziła led a tour throughSaran from Jagiellonian University, followed by fruitful discussions

the new library and tea room. The Japanese Studies Department atwith a multidisciplinary audience. This visit allowed us to reunite

the University of Warsaw boasts the longest tradition of Japanesewith Prof. Franciszek Czech, who spoke at the Hasekura Summit instudies in Poland, and this workshop became a memorable day of2022 to solidify the exchange between the Japanese studies of

exchange for the future of GPJS. We are pleased to have theboth universities (S. Kiyama).

University of Warsaw join the Hasekura League (H. Yokomizo).

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5th Tohoku Conference on Global Studies
December 9 (Sat.) - 10 (Sun.), 2023 at TU
Organizer: Assoc. Prof. Taku Kuroiwa (Vice Director, GPJS, TU)
We were honored to invite experts in various ﬁelds to theconference, which included ﬁve sessions on the ﬁrst day. The
second day featured a student session, where GPJS students hadoral examinations for the completion of their master's and doctoral
degrees. Invited speakers also joined the Q & A session. The"Hasekura Award," given for outstanding presentations in themaster's program, was awarded to Ms. Shiori Kato (T. Kuroiwa).

Main Session: “Empathy and The Unseen”
Moderator: Prof. Ryusaku Nagaoka (GPJS, TU)
Speakers: Prof. Emer. Hiroo Sato (GPJS, TU)
Prof. Makoto Hayashi (Aichi Gakuin University, Japan)
Assoc. Prof. Ioannis Gaitanidis (Chiba University, Japan)
The three keynote speeches discussed the role of religion in
diﬀerent ways, to examine the fundamental purpose of GPJS inconsidering how SSH can contribute to addressing global issues.
Prof. Sato explored how Japanese people have endeavored to build
relationships and seek harmony with others from ancient times tothe present, oﬀering condolences to the deceased as an example.
Prof. Hayashi then examined attempts by Japanese people toperceive the unseen within Buddhism, using the Shumisen diagram
as a key to insight. Prof. Gaitanidis raised methodological issues
concerning interdisciplinary knowledge sharing on the relationshipbetween the world and religion. These lectures and the following
discussion can be viewed on GPJS's YouTube channel (S. Kiyama).
Part 1: Greetings, Lecture by Prof. Satohttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-TJXgsYN8E&t=2991s
Part 2：Lecture by Prof. Hayashi
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xv4raYDOjjo&t=0s
Part 3：Lecture by Prof. Gaitanidis, Discussion
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFUTwD1Hlek&t=0s

Session 1: “Luther Goes East: Reformation Narratives inModern China and Japan”
Organizer: Assoc. Prof. Orion Klautau (GPJS, TU)
Moderator: Prof. Seiji Hoshino (Kokugakuin University, Japan)
Speakers: Assoc. Prof. Orion Klautau (GPJS, TU)
Asst. Prof. Peoyap Wi (Shanghai Normal University, China)
Dr. James C. Ungureanu (The Stony Brook School, USA)The session explored the transnational inﬂuence of Reformation
tropes on the religious and intellectual landscapes of late 19th andearly 20th centuries in China and Japan. Prof. Klautau highlighted
how ﬁgures like Kitabatake Dōryū and Takahashi Gorō egarded
Martin Lutherʼs Protestant Reformation, suggesting a similartransformative potential for Japanese Buddhism. Meanwhile, Dr.
Peiyao focused on the Confucianism Reform Movement led by
Kang Youwei, considering how it became a symbol of religious andpolitical reform. Presided over by Prof. Hoshino, with a response by
Dr. Ungureanu, this session illuminated how the Reformationʼslegacy, characterized by calls for religious renewal and critique ofestablished doctrines, found resonance in the East (O. Klautau).
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March, 2024 Edition | 04

Session 2: “Empathy and Language”
Organizer/Moderator: Assoc. Prof. Sachiko Kiyama (GPJS, TU)
Speakers: Sr. Asst. Prof. Toshiki Iwabuchi (Hamamatsu University
School of Medicine, Japan)
Assoc. Prof. Sachiko Kiyama (GPJS, TU)
Asst. Prof. Kexing Xiong (TU)
Ms. Lewei Tan (GPJS student, TU)
Discussant: Prof. Masatoshi Koizumi (TU)
This session, conducted in person as well as online, focused on
the neurocognitive basis of empathy required for language
communication. Prof. Iwabuchiʼs lecture introduced the latest
ﬁndings and methodologies on the developmental processes of

Session 4: “Historiography on Standards of Living and Family”

empathy and its individual and cultural diﬀerences. The threepresentations following reported on experimental results demon-

Organizer: Assoc. Prof. Takenobu Yuki (GPJS, TU)

strating the roles of empathy in understanding Japanese empa-

Moderator: Assoc. Prof. Kazuho Sakai (TU)

thetic sentence-ﬁnal particles, poetry, and indirect speech acts.

Speakers: Assist. Prof. Tingting Zhang (TU)

The session concluded by highlighting that empathy is essential in

Dr. Yuzuru Kumon (Norwegian School of Economics)

diverse societies (S. Kiyama).

Prof. Miyuki Takahashi (Rissho University, Japan), Prof.
Satomi Kurosu (Reitaku University, Japan), and Atsushi

Session 3: “Indegenous Way of Knowing”

Nagaoka (Chiba University of Commerce, Japan)

Organizer/Moderator: Assoc. Prof. Yosuke Washiya (GPJS, TU)

Prof. Shoko Hirai (Kobe University, Japan)

Speakers: Prof. Bevan Erueti (Massey University, New Zealand)

All presentations were set between the early modern period andProf. Hsu Pei-Hsin (Taiwan Forestry Research Institute)

the Meiji period, using primary historical documents containing

Mr. Ryota Kawasaki (NHK Fukuoka, Japan)

individual-level information, such as religious records and employ-

The session centered on the concept of indigeneity with particu-

ment contracts, to clarify the demographics, standards of living,lar attention to one of the Japanese equivalent words, which

and the reality of the "family," the basic structure of Japanesecontains the meaning “soil.” The speakers introduced Maorisociety at that time. Since each presentation deployed a variety ofknowledge and methodology, Taiwanʼs indigenous people andmethods such as historical demography, historical sociology,

tourism and the intertwined identity and land issues in New

economic history, and econometrics, the issues were presented

Zealand. The session provoked new understandings of indigeneityfrom diﬀerent perspectives. The common viewpoint was that weand groundedness. The session closed by discussing possibilities

should be cautious about generalizing the facts because they are

and impacts connected with tackling taking on the concepts in the

primary historical documents, and that the overall picture willcontext of Japan, under the current academic climate (Y. Washiya).

emerge through the accumulation of empirical analyses (T. Yuki).

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The 8th Annual Hasekura International Japanese Studies
Symposium“Embodied Discourse, Embodied Practice: The Body as Text,
Medium, and Testimony in Japan”
January 25-26, 2024 at Sapienza University of Rome (Italy)
The School of Oriental Studies at the Sapienza University ofRome including Profs. Matilda Mastrangelo and Stefano Romagnoli hosted the 8th Annual Hasekura International Japanese Studies
Symposium, co-organized by the University of British Columbia(Canada) and TU. Researchers in Japanese studies from around theworld gathered in the city of Rome where history is embodied, forlively discussions of the embodiment associated with Japanesestudies. From TU, eight faculty members (Profs. Akihiro Ozaki,
Mitsuru Haga, Hiroaki Adachi, Hiroshi Yokomizo, Christopher Craig,
Sachiko Kiyama, Lorenzo Marinucci, and Airin Izumi) and four
graduate students (Ms. Eelena Fabretti, Ms. Chisato Makishima, Ms.
Ding Shuwen and Ms. Asumi Suzuki) attended the conference togive presentations or moderate sessions.

The symposium aimed to explore how the human body, as aphysical object or in imagination, interacts with the world, either
from the individualistic or collectivistic perspective. The researchers
reconsidered the concept of “embodiment” across various ﬁelds
including literature, philosophy, history, linguistics, anthropology,
and art (S. Kiyama).

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GPJS ALUMNA HIGHLIGHT#2
Yoko Kagami, Ph.D. (Letters / Asian and African Studies)
Department of Japanese Studies, Graduate School of Arts and Letters, TU
Department of Asian and North African Studies, Caʼ Foscari University of Venice, Italy

Q1. Kagami-san, why did you apply to GPJS, and how was yourQ3. You achieved a double degree between TU and Caʼ Foscari.

experience as a GPJS student?

This is deﬁnitely a big challenge. What diﬃculties did you face inpursuing your double degree, and how did you tackle them?

ーI wanted to take full advantage of the resources at TU to learn
across national and academic borders, and I thought GPJS would

ーAs I studied at Caʼ Foscari, my idea changed and deviated fromallow me to do that. I was also attracted to the fact that GPJS was a

the research plan I initially envisioned, so I got confused about

new initiative, the ﬁrst International Joint Graduate Program of TU

what I should do. It was painful to feel that time was passingin SSH. At ﬁrst, I struggled with presenting my research to people

without any progress in my research. A proverb says, “Canʼt see thein other ﬁelds and with connecting my research to social issues

forest for the trees.” However, in my case, I often frustrate myself

from a broad perspective. I was always concerned that it was a

by looking too much at the forest, which I also experienced at that

reckless challenge for me. However, after observing the methodol-time. It is a state where I am trying to make the whole thing perfectogies of others at international conferences and trying various

ﬁrst, but failing and not even being able to do what was in front ofapproaches, I am beginning to ﬁnd my own way.

me. Then, I decided to start with what I could do in front of me,
and as I read articles and produced ideas, I found myself breaking
away. I learned that while it is important to have some overall
perspective, it is necessary for me to be conscious of planting thetrees in front of me ﬁrst, without looking too much at the forest.
Q4. Looking back over ﬁve years, what do you consider thestrengths of GPJS? How do you anticipate these strengths will
beneﬁt your future life?
ーThe best thing about the GPJS is that it allows us to see thingsfrom multiple perspectives. I had many opportunities to see avariety of research at international conferences, to develop English
proﬁciency to access information from around the world, and tointeract with professors and students from other ﬁelds, which
helped me broaden my perspective and acquire the ability to

Q2. Why did you choose the University of Caʼ Foscari in Venice forapproach issues from various viewpoints. This ability is essential

your one-year study abroad program? And please share how you

not only for a researcher but also for a human living in a contempo-

look back on those days.

rary society. That is because many things in the world are very
diﬃcult to evaluate as right or wrong, good or evil, and requireーI aimed to conduct research on Japanese linguistics to apply it toconsidering various standpoints and situations. What I learned at

language education, and I wanted to study Japanese language

GPJS will be highly beneﬁcial to me in my future work in researcheducation in my study abroad destination. When I was searchingand education, as well as in all other aspects of my life.

for information on Japanese language education overseas, I foundthat the then president of the“Association of Japanese Language

Thank you so much. Again, congratulations on your big success!

Teachers in Europe” was a professor at the Caʼ Foscari University of

We deeply appreciate your persistent eﬀorts.

Venice, and I was so impressed by her research that I decided to
study at the university. In Venice, while I also became a language
learner of Italian, I participated in Japanese language classes andseminars on Japanese language education, and I conducted asurvey for my research. That was a greatly fulﬁlling time. I was able
to communicate with professors and students on a daily basis, andeverything from the comments they gave me about my research
to casual conversation was a good stimulus that has led to mycurrent attitude toward my research.
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March, 2024 Edition | 04

THE CURRENT HASEKURA LEAGUEMember Universities（As of March 2024)
1. Curtin University, Australia

11. University of Bologna, Italy

21. Autonomous University of Madrid, Spain

2. University of Vienna, Austria

12. University of Florence, Italy

22. University of Granada, Spain

3. Ghent University, Belgium

13. University of Padova, Italy

23. University of Salamanca, Spain

4. KU Leuven, Belgium

14. Leiden University, Netherlands

24. Stockholm University, Sweden

5. University of British Columbia, Canada

15. Utrecht University, Netherlands

25. University of Lausanne, Switzerland

6. University of Grenoble Alpes, France

16. University of Oslo, Norway

26. University of Cambridge, United Kingdom

7. Heidelberg University, Germany

17. Jagiellonian University, Poland

27. University of East Anglia, United Kingdom

8. Caʼ Foscari University of Venice, Italy

18. University of Warsaw, Poland

28. University of Sheﬃeld, United Kingdom

9. LʼOrientale University of Naples, Italy

19. Nova University Lisbon, Portgal

29. University of Georgia, United States of America

10. Sapienza University of Rome, Italy

20. Moscow State University, Russia

30. Tohoku University, Japan

Letter from the Editor: I hope the fourth issue showcased the thriving period of growth for theOﬃce of the International

Hasekura League and the return to activity with resumed face-to-face interactions without

Graduate Program formasks after the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. Now I am grateful to those who supported theJapanese Studies (GPJS)

leagueʼs research activities especially in its early years. The next issue will introduce publications

27-1 Kawauchi, Aoba-ku,

by researchers from the league. We welcome submissions for information of your own or yourSendai 980-8576 Japan

colleagues (Assoc. Prof. Sachiko Kiyama, GPJS committee member for public relations).

e-mail: gpjs@grp.tohoku.ac.jp8