The Japanese Literature program offers an all-encompassing education in the literature of Japan, from the ancient to the medieval and early modern as well as modern and contemporary. The course involves detailed readings of individual works and suggests various ways to approach different authors and the prevailing trends of different eras, resulting in significant findings. Members of the faculty include Professor Iikura Yōichi (early modern literature), Associate Professor Saitō Masao (modern and contemporary literature), and Associate Professor Seta Michio (medieval literature). The department also regularly welcomes guest lecturers from outside the university.

The faculty is home to several active societies: The Osaka University Society of Japanese Language and Literature, which releases the biannual journal Gobun ; the Osaka University Society of Ancient and Medieval Japanese Literature, which holds monthly research presentation meetings and publishes the journal Shirin twice a year; and the Osaka University Society of Modern Japanese Literature, which publishes the journal Handai Kindai Bungaku Kenkyu . Meanwhile, the Society of Kamigata Literature Research works in collaboration with researchers outside the university to publish the Kamigata Bungei Kenkyu .

Professors

IIKURA, Yoichi (Ph.D.)

Japanese Literature; Study on Japanese Literature in Edo Period

TAKIGAWA, Koji (Ph.D.)

Japanese Literature; Study on Japanese Literature in Heian Period

SAITO, Masao (Ph.D.)

Japanese Literature; Study on DAZAI Osamu and ODA Sakunosuke; Japanese Literature in the 20th Century

Associate Professors

SETA, Michio (Ph.D.)

Japanese Literature; Study on Japanese Medieval Literature

WATANABE, Eri