Department of Japanese Literature

We seek the future by learning about Japan’s traditional culture and spirit systematically, to understand the essence of that culture.

The Department of Japanese Literature continues the traditions of Koten Kokyusho, founded in 1882, and comprehensively and systematically captures Japanese culture through research in such fields as Japanese literature, language, manners and customs, and courtesies from ancient times to the present. Our aim is to make studies of the spirit and culture of the Japanese to be guides for our lives and creations now.

Japanese Literature major

While we cover the major works and authors of every period from ancient times to the present, and understand the overall flow of Japanese literature, we also conduct focused research on particular works. In that way we aim to clarify the spirit, significance, and character of the Japanese people as shown in literature.
Japanese Language major

We research a wide range of Japanese language subjects, including pronunciation, characters, inscriptions, grammar, vocabulary, and dialects from ancient to modern times, using a variety of forms of source documentation and types of media, including functions of modern Japanese language. Furthermore, we learn the necessary knowledge of linguistics education or Japanese language education depending on the course, fostering the ability to process language information, aiming to clarify the fundamental rules of the Japanese language.
Traditional Culture major

Our subject is the culture transmitted and inherited in the words of legends and folktales, the behavior of folk manners, and the form of folk implements. Accordingly, in practical terms, at the same time that we take up literature such as highly traditional narrative literature and songs, we also learn the theoretical framework of Japanese ethnology, and seek to clarify the characteristics of Japanese folk culture.