Asian history
Since the founding of this course, it places great importance on the history of China and Northern/Central Asia. To date, significant achievements have been realized, particularly regarding socio-economic history, legal history and popular movements from early modern times to the present day China, together with the history of North/Central Asia during the period from the Chinese Sui and Tang dynasties to the Mongolian Empire. Today, this major course has expanded its scope of studies to encompass the medieval to early modern periods of Southeast Asia, particularly Vietnam, and the maritime relations of East/Southeast Asia. In addition to studies based on literature, this course places priority on field studies. Second-year students learn basic skills for reading documents derived from historical periods, in addition to developing general understanding of Asian history. From the third year, students study specific themes concerning the history of one of the three regions, i.e. China, Northern/Central Asia, and Southeast/Maritime Asia. Studies of all three regions require sufficient ability to read sources written in classical Chinese. Accordingly, first-grade students are requested to study reading Chinese classics, in addition to learning one or more Foreign languages.
Professors
- ARAKAWA, Masaharu (Ph.D.)
- Central Asian History (Sui-Tang times); Research on the Tun-huang and Turfan Documents; Study on the Cross Cultural Trade in Central Asia and the Tang
- KATAYAMA, Tsuyoshi (M.Lit.)
- Chinese History; Social History in South China from the 14th to 20th Centuries
- MOMOKI, Shiro (Ph.D.)
- Southeast and Maritime Asian History; State and Society of Dai Viet (Vietnam) in the 10th to 18th Centuries
- MORIYASU, Takao (Ph.D.)
- Central Asian History (pre-Mongol times); Research on the Tun-huang and Turfan Documents; Old Turkic Philology