# data[].attributes.body
A short article on bronze bells and material culture in premodern Japan for the American Historical Association's Perspectives on History magazine.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Millions of tourists flock each year to Japan's ancient Tōji temple in Kyoto, most often to see its famous Five-Story Pagoda, originally built in the ninth century. But wandering a bit farther afield in the temple complex, one can find subtler treasures of its rich past. Tucked away in the northwest corner is an unassuming bronze bell, hung in a small tower atop a stone foundation, adorned only by a wooden plaque. The plaque notes that the bell was completed in 1348 and donated to the temple by Ashikaga Takauji, the warrior leader who established Japan's second military government.

Reading closely, one may be disappointed to learn that this bell is not the original. After sustaining damage from 650 years of continuous use, the actual bell is now safely stored in the temple's preservation hall, replaced by a replica created in the early 1990s. The very need to safeguard a well-loved original and install a copy is a compelling reminder of how valuable bells were, and continue to be, to their community.

Large cast bells like this one are common in Japan. Visitors rarely give them a second thought unless they have the chance to pull back the thick wooden strikers to set loose their sonorous tones or view them for public ceremonies. On the eve of the New Year, temple bells are rung 108 times to cast out the desires and defilements of the world, with the most famous bells drawing crowds in the hundreds to pay their respects.

Though they may seem quaint or commonplace today, bells were a crucial part of everyday life in the premodern archipelago. They ornamented temples, shrines, and village halls. They kept time throughout the day, alerted residents to danger, and aided spiritual rituals. Bells were thus fiercely coveted objects; armed forces commandeered them for use in war, thieves whisked them away for their precious metal, and locals buried them in fields to protect them from invaders. On occasion, bells were even voluntarily tossed into the sea as offerings to the dragon god. People sealed oaths by striking bells and sometimes hired metal casters from distant provinces with advanced skills to ensure their bells were cast properly, able to survive centuries of use.

Inscriptions on bells are a crucial source of information that tell us a great deal about the lives and afterlives of these objects and their makers: when they were created, by whom, who sponsored them, how the bells may have been damaged (such as falling during earthquakes), when they were moved to new locations, or even if they had been recast entirely. Takauji's bell lacks these details, making it, at first glance, frustratingly impenetrable. Yet it is decorated with a Sanskrit character and gentle curved lines that resemble clouds or waves, hinting at its legacy as an object of veneration and ritual use.

Did Takauji's bell endure wear and tear from natural disasters or human intervention after its casting in 1348? For whom did it toll in the medieval period, and how far could it be heard? Replica or not, with its solemn tones echoing through and beyond Tōji, the bell reminds us of the generations its predecessor dutifully served day in and day out for over half a millennium. Though the pagoda draws visitors to be awed by height and splendor, there is much to admire in the past of a largely ordinary bell like this one, quietly sitting in the northwest corner of history waiting for its next ring.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. Attribution must provide author name, article title, Perspectives on History, date of publication, and a link to this page. This license applies only to the article, not to text or images used here by permission.

The American Historical Association welcomes comments in the discussion area below, at AHA Communities, and in letters to the editor. Please read our commenting and letters policy before submitting.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Millions of tourists flock each year to Japan's ancient Tōji temple in Kyoto, most often to see its famous Five-Story Pagoda, originally built in the ninth century. But wandering a bit farther afield in the temple complex, one can find subtler treasures of its rich past.

# data[].attributes.headline
Article: Recent Developments in Digital Japanese Studies

# data[].attributes.subject
Article: Recent Developments in Digital Japanese Studies

# data[].attributes.body
A newsletter article for International Institute for Asian Studies on the current state of digital humanities and Japan Studies.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Over the last two years, the COVID-19 pandemic has invigorated discussions of the so-called "digital shift," bringing new visibility to the significance of online and open-access resources for research and teaching. Though Digital Humanities (DH) as a field has been active and evolving over the last several decades, its intersections with conventional modes of scholarly engagement and pedagogy are still occurring in fits and starts across different disciplines and geographic specializations. In North America, which hosts the vast majority of Asian Studies programs, we are still seeing that East Asian languages, including Japanese, have been slow to gain representation in digital educational and research offerings despite an overall growth in interest and demand.

Though occasional presentations on digital Japanese Studies have been held at the Association for Asian Studies (AAS) and other conferences over the last decade, a 2016 University of Chicago workshop - The Impact of the Digital in Japanese Studies - was among the first to explicitly address the topic. While in attendance, the 13 presenters and the audience of scholars, librarians, and data science professionals emphasized the need to centralize efforts to build a digital Japan community, leading to a Japanese Language Text Mining Workshop held at Emory University in 2017. This event was attended by 25-30 participants and funded by the Japan Foundation. The original 2016 presenters subsequently met again at a 2018 workshop to discuss the progress of their work and brainstorm future directions for digital Japan scholarship.

These gatherings underscored the need to actively create community spaces for digital scholarship in Japanese Studies, particularly in more accessible and inclusive ways. This led to the creation of the Digital Humanities Japan initiative, which hosts a scholars' database, a mailing list, and a wiki on Japanese digital tools, tutorials, and publications. The DH Japan project will hopefully continue to grow.

In 2019, AAS held its first "Digital Expo" to highlight advances in digitally-inflected Asian Studies research and teaching; the event included work by five scholars of Japan. In June of 2019, six Japanese scholars made a special effort to bring their knowledge to the Digital Humanities Summer Institute (DHSI) at the University of Victoria, one of the premier digital humanities training venues. They offered a week-long course, "Digital Humanities for Japanese Culture: Resources & Methods," which was attended by 11 participants, including graduate students, tenured faculty, and librarians. The course covered topics such as the International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF), the Text Encoding Initiative (TEI), crowdsourced transcriptions, and more, helping to fill instructional and networking gaps keenly felt in North America and other areas outside of Japan.

Although AAS 2020 was canceled, the 2021 conference saw a significant increase in the number of Japanese DH-related presentations, with six on-demand sessions and at least five panels in which a digital Japan-specific topic was presented. The virtual DH Japan Meeting-in-Conjunction was attended by over 30 people.

In June 2021, Paul Vierthaler (a specialist in Chinese literature at William & Mary) and myself were invited to run a four-day virtual course, East Asian Studies and Digital Humanities, for the University of Pennsylvania's Dream Lab program in DH training. We covered a wide range of subjects at the introductory level from the perspective of East Asian Studies. We explicitly stated that we would prioritize graduate students and contingent faculty applicants. Nevertheless, our applicant pool was still nearly three times larger than the 25 participants we could accept, and over one-third were Japan-focused. Because we held the course virtually, we had participants from as far as Korea, the Czech Republic, and Chile. The great international demand for East Asia-focused digital education, particularly at the introductory level, signals the growing relevance of this field and the gap students and faculty face between demand and supply. We will hold another introduction to EAS DH course in June 2022. Given the incredible number of applicants from overseas, we will continue to offer it virtually. Also on the horizon is another Japanese-language text mining workshop from Digital Humanities Japan collaborators, which will be conducted at the University of Chicago in June 2022.

Despite challenges for obtaining training in Digital Humanities through East Asian Studies, a large number of academic job advertisements list digital studies as a desired field. Thus far in the 2021-2022 academic job cycle (July 2021-March 2022), among postings specifically seeking specialists in some aspect of East Asia, a total of 56 positions have included the term "digital," with 26 specifying a desire for "digital humanities." Other relevant phrases include "digital technologies," "digital pedagogy," and "digital media," among many others. Of these 56 posts, 18 ads seek a specialization in Japan and the digital, with 20 such ads for generalist East Asia positions (that could include Japan). With four months remaining in the annual job market cycle, these numbers already exceed the 2020-2021 academic year, which featured 33 "digital" ads, eight of which were Japan-focused. Harvard University's Japan Digital Research Center and Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies have previously hosted a digital Japan postdoctoral researcher, with two fellows taking up the role over the past several years. This year, the University of Texas at Austin is offering two postdoctoral positions at their newly-established Japan Lab, specializing in history and literature, respectively. The creation of the Japan Lab marks new institutional investment in Japan-centric digital studies in the Anglophone world, the first of its kind at a public university.

As for digital resource development, in partnership with Michael Emmerich of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), work is currently underway to build a new online platform for resources in Japanese Studies known as Japan Past & Present (JPP). This is a collaborative venture with UCLA and Waseda University, sponsored by the Yanai Initiative. JPP will serve as a central hub for digitally-accessible Japanese Studies materials in a variety of languages. In the future, it will sponsor events and projects related to Japanese Studies as well.

Despite the challenges of the pandemic, the acceleration of digital activity over the last two years has generated new opportunities for community building and scholarly exchange in virtual spaces. We would be wise to leverage these changes to advocate for expanded support in the intersecting fields of Japanese (and East Asian) Studies and Digital Humanities at the institutional level and to continue building an infrastructure that allows us to share knowledge, offer educational opportunities, and promote interdisciplinary and international collaborations.

Paula R. Curtis, Postdoctoral Fellow, Terasaki Center for Japanese Studies, University of California, Los Angeles, prcurtis@ucla.edu

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Recent Developments in Digital Japanese Studies

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Over the last two years, the COVID-19 pandemic has invigorated discussions of the so-called "digital shift," bringing new visibility to the significance of online and open-access resources for research and teaching.

# data[].attributes.headline
Article:  Finding Japan Studies Materials with the Digital Resources and Projects on East Asia Database

# data[].attributes.subject
Article:  Finding Japan Studies Materials with the Digital Resources and Projects on East Asia Database

# data[].attributes.body
An article introducing my Digital Resources & Projects on East Asia Database for the North American Coordinating Council on Japanese Library Resources.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Skip to Main Content

It looks like you're using Internet Explorer 11 or older. This website works best with modern browsers such as the latest versions of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge. If you continue with this browser, you may see unexpected results.

Subscribe

Email address Enter your e-mail address to receive notifications of new posts by e-mail.

Subscribe

Archive

View blog archive by month and year

North American Coordinating Council on Japanese Library Resources
北米日本研究資料調整協議会
Copyright 2017
Contact the Webmaster

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
News - NCC News - LibGuides at North American Coordinating Council on Japanese Library Resources

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Skip to Main Content It looks like you're using Internet Explorer 11 or older. This website works best with modern browsers such as the latest versions of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge. If you continue with this browser, you may see unexpected results.

# data[].attributes.headline
Twitter thread: Slavery in Premodern Japan

# data[].attributes.subject
Twitter thread: Slavery in Premodern Japan

# data[].attributes.body
A lengthy Twitter thread on the history of slavery in Japan posted in response to historical denialist claims.

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.text
Premodern historian here. No. Slavery absolutely existed in Japan for centuries. There were various forms of unfreedom experienced by Japanese as well as Chinese, Koreans, and likely others in various time periods. Bondage that was linked to debt, that was hereditary, etc. 🧵 https://t.co/p1cgbVNmEo

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.original_text
Premodern historian here. No. Slavery absolutely existed in Japan for centuries. There were various forms of unfreedom experienced by Japanese as well as Chinese, Koreans, and likely others in various time periods. Bondage that was linked to debt, that was hereditary, etc. 🧵 https://t.co/p1cgbVNmEo

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.referenced_tweets[].text
@RWPUSA @astanley711 @JAPAN_Forward_ @bull_japanese In ancient times, half of the Korean people were slaves.  It was the Koreans who enslaved the Koreans.  Unlike Korea, slavery never existed in Japan. https://t.co/oNTQaQvkKq

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.embed_code
Premodern historian here. No. Slavery absolutely existed in Japan for centuries. There were various forms of unfreedom experienced by Japanese as well as Chinese, Koreans, and likely others in various time periods. Bondage that was linked to debt, that was hereditary, etc. 🧵 https://t.co/p1cgbVNmEo
— Dr. Paula R. Curtis (@paularcurtis) December 7, 2022

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props_source.data.text
Premodern historian here. No. Slavery absolutely existed in Japan for centuries. There were various forms of unfreedom experienced by Japanese as well as Chinese, Koreans, and likely others in various time periods. Bondage that was linked to debt, that was hereditary, etc. 🧵 https://t.co/p1cgbVNmEo

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props_source.includes.tweets[].text
@RWPUSA @astanley711 @JAPAN_Forward_ @bull_japanese In ancient times, half of the Korean people were slaves.  It was the Koreans who enslaved the Koreans.  Unlike Korea, slavery never existed in Japan. https://t.co/oNTQaQvkKq

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.original_text
Premodern historian here. No. Slavery absolutely existed in Japan for centuries. There were various forms of unfreedom experienced by Japanese as well as Chinese, Koreans, and likely others in various time periods. Bondage that was linked to debt, that was hereditary, etc. 🧵 https://t.co/p1cgbVNmEo

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.text
Premodern historian here. No. Slavery absolutely existed in Japan for centuries. There were various forms of unfreedom experienced by Japanese as well as Chinese, Koreans, and likely others in various time periods. Bondage that was linked to debt, that was hereditary, etc. 🧵 https://t.co/p1cgbVNmEo

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.referenced_tweets[].text
@RWPUSA @astanley711 @JAPAN_Forward_ @bull_japanese In ancient times, half of the Korean people were slaves.  It was the Koreans who enslaved the Koreans.  Unlike Korea, slavery never existed in Japan. https://t.co/oNTQaQvkKq

# data[].attributes.headline
Intro Video: Dream Lab - East Asian Studies and Digital Humanities

# data[].attributes.subject
Intro Video: Dream Lab - East Asian Studies and Digital Humanities

# data[].attributes.body
An introductory video co-authored with Paul Vierthaler (William & Mary) for DH 2022 explaining our Dream Lab virtual course teaching East Asian Studies & DH.

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.text
🎥 Here are Dr. Paula R. Curtis, Postdoctoral Fellow at UCLA Teresaki Center for Japanese Studies & Dr. Paul Vierthaler, Asst Professor of Chinese Studies at William & Mary, introducing their DH x East Asian Studies summer course! 📝 Nom. by ACH (@achdotorg) #AsianDiversityInDH

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.original_text
🎥 Here are Dr. Paula R. Curtis, Postdoctoral Fellow at UCLA Teresaki Center for Japanese Studies & Dr. Paul Vierthaler, Asst Professor of Chinese Studies at William & Mary, introducing their DH x East Asian Studies summer course! 📝 Nom. by ACH (@achdotorg) #AsianDiversityInDH https://t.co/wJtOb90Lkm

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.embed_code
🎥 Here are Dr. Paula R. Curtis, Postdoctoral Fellow at UCLA Teresaki Center for Japanese Studies & Dr. Paul Vierthaler, Asst Professor of Chinese Studies at William & Mary, introducing their DH x East Asian Studies summer course! 📝 Nom. by ACH (@achdotorg) #AsianDiversityInDH pic.twitter.com/wJtOb90Lkm
— DH2022 (@DH2022_Tokyo) July 13, 2022

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props_source.data.text
🎥 Here are Dr. Paula R. Curtis, Postdoctoral Fellow at UCLA Teresaki Center for Japanese Studies & Dr. Paul Vierthaler, Asst Professor of Chinese Studies at William & Mary, introducing their DH x East Asian Studies summer course! 📝 Nom. by ACH (@achdotorg) #AsianDiversityInDH https://t.co/wJtOb90Lkm

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.original_text
🎥 Here are Dr. Paula R. Curtis, Postdoctoral Fellow at UCLA Teresaki Center for Japanese Studies & Dr. Paul Vierthaler, Asst Professor of Chinese Studies at William & Mary, introducing their DH x East Asian Studies summer course! 📝 Nom. by ACH (@achdotorg) #AsianDiversityInDH https://t.co/wJtOb90Lkm

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.text
🎥 Here are Dr. Paula R. Curtis, Postdoctoral Fellow at UCLA Teresaki Center for Japanese Studies & Dr. Paul Vierthaler, Asst Professor of Chinese Studies at William & Mary, introducing their DH x East Asian Studies summer course! 📝 Nom. by ACH (@achdotorg) #AsianDiversityInDH

# data[].attributes.body
This page hosts open-access educational resources produced as a part of the Association for Asian Studies Digital Dialogues Series: Academics Online. These webinar events address online harassment, digital engagement, and its impact on scholars and activists of Asia.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Association for Asian Studies
Digital Dialogues Series:
Academics Online

This page hosts open-access educational resources produced as a part of the Association for Asian Studies Digital Dialogues Series: Academics Online. These webinar events address online harassment, digital engagement, and its impact on scholars and activists of Asia.

The goals of these sessions are to build knowledge and awareness among colleagues, offer practical instruction on operating in virtual spaces such as Twitter, and build ties among many types of educators to generate fruitful collaborations and solidarity for future activities and initiatives. The focus of this series, which may be expanded upon in future iterations, is activity related to China, India, Hong Kong, and Japan. The organizers and participants would like to express our gratitude to the AAS for hosting this series and to our other generous sponsors for making it possible.

Academics Online featured the following events (click to jump to a session description and its resources):
Session 1: Digital Harassment Across Asias (Feb 16, 2022)
Session 2: Best Practices for Social Media Safety (Mar 10, 2022)
Session 3: Activists and Advocacy Beyond Academia (May 2, 2022) Event organizers:

Paula R. Curtis (Terasaki Center for Japanese Studies, UCLA)

Ran Zwigenberg (Associate Professor, Pennsylvania State University)

Tomomi Yamaguchi (Associate Professor, Montana State University)

Hiromu Nagahara (Associate Professor, MIT)

Ethan Mark (Senior University Lecturer, Leiden University)

Event sponsors:

Asian Languages and Cultures, UCLA

Association for Asian Studies

Center for Chinese Studies, UCLA

Center for Korean Studies, UCLA

Comfort Women Action for Redress and Education (CARE)

The Haruhisa Handa Professorship of Shinto Studies, UCLA

Japanese Arts & Globalizations Group, UCLA

Tadashi Yanai Initiative for Globalizing Japanese Humanities

Terasaki Center for Japanese Language Studies, UCLA

Verge: Studies in Global Asias and the Global Asias Initiative (GAI), The Pennsylvania State University

February 16, 2022
AAS page

Session 1 Speakers:

Mary Gallagher (Amy and Alan Lowenstein Professor of Democracy, Democratization, and Human Rights, University of Michigan)

Michael Berry (Professor and Director of the Center for Chinese Studies, UCLA)

Nitasha Kaul (Associate Professor (Reader) in Politics and International Relations, Centre for the Study of Democracy, University of Westminster)

Audrey Truschke (Associate Professor, Rutgers University-Newark)

Jeffrey J. Hall (Lecturer, Kanda University of International Studies)

Tomomi Yamaguchi (Associate Professor of Anthropology, Montana State University)

Helena Wu (Assistant Professor of Hong Kong Studies, University of British Columbia)

Lillian Ngan (PhD Student, East Asian Languages and Cultures, University of Southern California)

Paula R. Curtis (Postdoctoral Fellow, Terasaki Center for Japanese Studies, University of California Los Angeles)

March 10, 2022
AAS page

Safety Guide

May 2, 2022
AAS page

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
AAS Digital Dialogues - Academics Online

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This page hosts open-access educational resources produced as a part of the Association for Asian Studies Digital Dialogues Series: Academics Online . These webinar events address online harassment, digital engagement, and its impact on scholars and activists of Asia.

# data[].attributes.headline
Interview: Digital Literacies in and Beyond the Classroom: Some Reflections on DH in Teaching with Dr. Paula R. Curtis

# data[].attributes.subject
Interview: Digital Literacies in and Beyond the Classroom: Some Reflections on DH in Teaching with Dr. Paula R. Curtis

# data[].attributes.body
A interview with Matthew Hayes of The Digital Orientalist blog on the role of the digital in teaching and research.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Over the last decade, the growing number of accessible digital archives and repositories has been matched by the continued development of new digital tools for conducting analysis. This growth has significantly widened the scope of research for scholars working in Japanese Studies, but it has also contributed to a growing pool of scholars who use these tools in their teaching. For students, this engagement has enhanced many aspects of the classroom experience, including how they investigate, analyze, and integrate Japanese historical materials in their research. For professors, it has also demanded new pedagogical frameworks for how and in what contexts these tools are most effectively deployed in the classroom. With the acute technological integration necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic, the promises (and limitations) of digital technology in the classroom have remained in constant negotiation. Where are we now? And what are we to make of digital pedagogy in light of these negotiations? Most importantly, how might professors continue to leverage technology in ways that enhance the learning experience of students in Japanese Studies as the field continues to evolve?

In order to shed light on the current state and future possibilities of teaching through digital tools, I corresponded with Dr. Paula R. Curtis, a historian of premodern Japan and Postdoctoral Fellow at the Terasaki Center for Japanese Studies and Lecturer in History at UCLA. Dr. Curtis's research focuses on the history of metal caster organizations and socioeconomic relationships in medieval Japan, as well as on premodern documentary cultures and forgery. She works collaboratively with the Digital Humanities Japan initiative, maintains a database of digital resources in East Asian Studies, and tracks and analyzes data on academic employment opportunities related to East Asia. She also manages the blog "What can I do with a B.A. in Japanese Studies? (Shinpai Deshou)," a rich resource guide for leveraging one's undergraduate training in the field.

Dr. Curtis's experience with digital humanities in Japanese Studies provides an important counterbalance at a moment when all of us have been forced to become more technologically dependent inside and outside of the classroom. On the one hand, the pandemic has demanded creative solutions to what appeared, at the start of 2020, to be basic pedagogical impossibilities (e.g. how to deliver a course lecture over Zoom, or how to rethink traditional assignment formats), and videotelophony platforms have met these demands with general success. On the other hand, it has also renewed interests in technologically innovative pedagogy (e.g. utilizing new virtual "tours" of spaces across the world, or crowdsourcing data for digital mapping projects). While these two levels of technological integration are distinct, they do share in the fact that digital tools-from Zoom to text-mining software--have a greater presence in academic contexts than ever before. The pandemic has not simply created digital humanists out of all of us in the traditional sense, but it has indeed revealed previously unseen possibilities for "digital pedagogy," some (not all) of which may categorically align with the field of digital humanities. As a digital humanist, Dr. Curtis takes great care to recognize the range with which scholars and teachers identify with technology in their teaching:

Both "teaching with technology" and "digital pedagogy" have intersections with what we might consider the "digital humanities," but it's unproductive to quibble over where those boundaries begin and end. DH can be defined a myriad of ways (just look at whatisdigitalhumanities.com!) and what it is, or can be, is in part a function of how you choose to use it. Personally, when I talk about digital humanities I am interested in DH as a method for approaching humanistic research questions using digital tools and techniques. But this might look very different for someone with another goal or focus. A job ad might ask an instructor to be familiar with "teaching with technology." This does not necessarily mean that they want them to be proficient in network analysis or text mining, which are frequently associated with DH methods, but rather virtual instruction and technology-based assessment. Yet, it would not be incorrect to say that one is teaching with technology or deploying DH methods if the goal of your course is, say, using ArcGIS or StoryMaps to develop digital storytelling as a pedagogical exercise. As much as we like to cling to the idea that we can fit this or that into categorical boxes and claim expertise, one of the benefits of digital work is that it can be porous, opening up new possibilities for exploration, research, and teaching. What labels do what work for you might change depending on the context.

While this porous quality of digital work may offer many new approaches to teaching, it may also give the false sense that "one size fits all" when it comes to deploying digital tools in the classroom. There is, after all, an excitement and eagerness that comes along with discovering a new digital tool or platform, and while it may serve the professor in narrow pedagogical contexts, there is also sometimes the tendency for widespread use for the sake of maintaining a continually innovative classroom. For this reason, recognizing the proper context in which digital tools may be most useful is just as important as understanding how to use the tools themselves. Of course, this rings true even for analog pedagogical methodologies; exercises in close readings and textual analyses, for example, provide distinct benefits depending on the learning outcomes intended for the students and the materials at hand, and it ought to be exercised judiciously as those outcomes and materials change. For professors new to digital tools and who have committed to their curricular integration, even at a small scale, this same judiciousness applies here. Dr. Curtis sees these principles as an important part of effective teaching with digital tools:

As with any pedagogical practice, digital methods need to be deployed with intention. What skills or approaches do you want students to develop and learn from your exercise? Without clear goals in mind for any exercise, it's bound to fail. And I think here we need to be careful to make a distinction between "digital literacy" and "digital humanities literacy." The former is broader and can encompass anything from evaluating online resources to learning how to navigate a teaching platform like Canvas or Moodle. In contrast, if it is a question of digital humanities literacy, for my classroom, at least, it has more to do with interpretive and research skills.

This is a crucial distinction to keep in mind, especially since "digital literacy" very often develops alongside "digital humanities literacy." Students are more tech-savvy today than they ever have been, but this is only one part of the puzzle. While they may be more intuitively able to navigate a user interface, run basic searches, and gather data, that maneuverability leads nowhere if students are unable to effectively interpret the data they gather. Dr. Curtis keenly recognizes this imperative to simultaneously cultivate a "digital literacy" and a "digital humanities literacy," and one example from her curriculum makes this clear:

In my course on text and textuality in pre-1600 Japan, I like to do a demonstration with Voyant, an out-of-the-box text analysis tool. I've created several corpora for the Goseibai Shikimoku 御成敗式目, a thirteenth-century law code-one is the original, in all Chinese characters; one is the yomikudashi, or the reading of those Chinese characters into a premodern Japanese orthography; one is a modern Japanese translation; and one is an English translation. Each law article is its own text file.
After a brief introduction to text analysis and some of its research possibilities, I provide students with two or more of these datasets and ask them to play around with them in Voyant, looking at word frequency, concordance, article length, and more. Even after a short time they can see that in one version there are issues with word division, while in another, keywords that would seem to have some kind of statistical significance in one corpus might seem negligible in another. They aren't by any means text analysis gurus by the end of class, but this kind of exploration of how the different corpora reveal very different emphases guides students to understand the transformative nature of translation, how it can affect research outcomes, and how digital infrastructures, reliant on what we feed them, can aid our thought process as much as mislead it. These are lessons they can take into close readings of primary and secondary sources, even if they then choose analog routes of analysis.

Voyant interface with the Goseibai Shikimoku, manually segmented, with stop words.

One aspect of effective teaching through digital tools, therefore, is the simple recognition that the core skills that professors are seeking to cultivate-the interpretation, analysis, and synthesis of information-remain unchanged. Likewise, the beauty of platforms like Voyant is that they offer inroads to analysis that are inherently familiar to the current generation of users. Users can produce word clouds using the Cirrus tool and linear graphs using the Trends tools, and can also gather data using standard search techniques like truncation. This means that even if students in Dr. Curtis's classes have no experience with Voyant, her demonstrations play to already-familiar mechanisms and methods of data gathering and visualization. Students therefore begin their work by leaning on pre-existing experiences with technology and end it having built upon those skills in at least two ways: they sharpen their "digital literacy" and cultivate new skills in "digital humanities literacy." In a world where technology saturates the lives of students both inside and outside of the university, careful attention to the expertise that students bring into the classroom, the learning goals of the class or assignment, and the transferability of skills fostered in digitally rich classrooms can yield great benefits for both the student and professor that need not be confined to digital spaces.

Collection of word clouds of each Goseibai Shikimoku corpus, with and without stop words added.

Of course, part and parcel of integrated technologies in the classroom is the potential for collaboration among teachers across the world. In the case of premodern Japanese Studies, especially, new avenues for text- and image-based analysis have become possible through efforts to digitize, organize, and make accessible otherwise rare and archival materials. This is especially promising for colleges that do not have access to rare collections on campus, or that lack the necessary resources and support for hosting workshops with local or national specialists. As a specialist who continually collaborates across international divisions, Dr. Curtis recognizes the future promise of this shift toward more transnational and inclusive modes of instruction through technology:

One area where I can see the "digital shift" encouraging many more collaborative opportunities in Japan Studies is through the application of technologies like IIIF (International Image Interoperability Framework). With the ability to share high-quality digitized surrogates of rare and valuable texts and images with users around the world and ever-evolving crowd-sourcing platforms, it has become easier to incorporate archival materials into the classroom. Though I have not yet had the opportunity to do this myself, we have already seen it at work in collaborations like the Early Modern Japanese Palaeography workshops hosted at Cambridge. Yuta Hashimoto, who developed the crowdsourcing transcription platform Minna de Honkoku*, and Laura Moretti (University Associate Professor in Pre-Modern Japanese Studies) have been using these technologies to train students in calligraphic transcription and translation of early modern woodblock printed manuscripts. With more and more Japanese scholars and academic institutions embracing workshops and exchanges over Zoom, it's not difficult to imagine the impact this could have on transregional collaborations, with different groups of students and educators oceans apart collaborating on the study of the same materials.

If recent years are any testament to the importance of transnational collaboration, it seems very clear that more large-scale, generative projects that both draw from and serve the community of scholars in Japanese Studies will be on the horizon. Today's classrooms are globally networked, and taking advantage of the expertise within a vast network of specialists can help to collectively advance the field of Japanese Studies researchers and teachers. And while the last two years of the pandemic may have dictated an overwhelming presence of technology in our classrooms at the logistical level, the type of measured approach advocated by Dr. Curtis's models of digital pedagogy, which carefully consider the goals, orientations, and transferable skill sets of students, is important to bear in mind as the category of "digital humanities" remains fluid.

The divisions between "digital literacy" and "digital humanities literacy" may have become a bit blurrier given the radical transformation of our relationship to technology in recent years, and yet it is important to remind ourselves of the distinction as we slowly return to the in-person classroom. As more scholars join the ranks of digital humanists in Japanese Studies and become eager to deploy digital tools in innovative ways, the core pedagogical principles that guide learning outcomes remain the same; professors seek to foster interpretive and analytical skills, and the use of digital tools are only one among a range of possible approaches. In this way, Dr. Curtis's encouragement to deploy these tools with intention is one way to ensure that classroom technology remains a means rather than an end.

Keep an eye on this outlet for highlights of future projects by Dr. Paula Curtis focused on digital pedagogy. For more information on her work as a scholar and digital humanist in the classroom, please visit her website. Please also read her excellent contribution (with co-contributors Hoyt Long, Molly Des Jardin, and Mark Ravina) on the collaborative potential with Digital Humanities Japan.

*For more on Minna de Honkoku, please see this interview conducted by Digital Orientalist managing editor for Northeast Asian Studies James Harry Morris.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Digital Literacies in and Beyond the Classroom: Some Reflections on DH in Teaching with Dr. Paula R. Curtis

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Over the last decade, the growing number of accessible digital archives and repositories has been matched by the continued development of new digital tools for conducting analysis. This growth has significantly widened the scope of research for scholars working in Japanese Studies, but it has also contributed to a growing pool of scholars who use...

# data[].attributes.headline
Interview: Historians & Online Harassment

# data[].attributes.subject
Interview: Historians & Online Harassment

# data[].attributes.body
A podcast interview on the role of social media in extremist harassment, the villainization of academics, and the need for administrators to educate themselves on the virtual battlegrounds of history.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
This week we are joined by Dr Paula R Curtis, Postdoctoral Fellow with the Terasaki Center for Japanese Studies at UCLA, to discuss Historians and Online Harassment. Paula will share with me her experiences of being harassed by netto-uyoku (ネット右翼), online far-right nationalists who seek to hassle and discredit historians for their critical approach to Japan's war history, as well as offer advice for researchers of controversial history who run afoul of nationalist netizens.

Read Paula's article, 'Taking the Fight for Japan's History Online'

Read Prof J. Mark Ramseyer's article, ' Contracting for sex in the Pacific War '

Read the Asia-Pacific Journal's refutation of Ramseyer's article, "Contracting for Sex in the Pacific War": The Case for Retraction on Grounds of Academic Misconduct

Follow Paula on Twitter to see how she handles online harassment.
Image and audio credits
Intro-outro music: jasonszklarek / MotionElements.com

[L] Unveiling of Comfort Women Memorial by Melissa Wall

[R] Social Media Keyboard by Shahid Abdullah

Copyright © 2021 Oliver Moxham, ℗ 2021 Oliver Moxham. May be freely distributed in a classroom setting.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
[S2E12] 🤬 Historians & Online Harassment with Dr Paula R. Curtis

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This week we are joined by Dr Paula R Curtis, Postdoctoral Fellow with the Terasaki Center for Japanese Studies at UCLA, to discuss Historians and Online Harassment. Paula will share with me her experiences of being harassed by netto-uyoku (ネット右翼), online far-right nationalists who seek to hassle and discredit historians for their critical approach to...

# data[].attributes.headline
Article: Taking the Fight for Japan’s History Online: The Ramseyer Controversy and Social Media

# data[].attributes.subject
Article: Taking the Fight for Japan’s History Online: The Ramseyer Controversy and Social Media

# data[].attributes.body
A revised and expanded version of my earlier Critical Asian Studies commentary on right-wing extremism in online communities and public engagement by academics.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
As a historian of premodern Japan active on Twitter, I seldom find myself embroiled in controversies in real time. I occasionally get pushback when I discuss the legacy of female emperors or nationalistic myths of ethnic homogeneity, but by and large, there's little trouble. So I hardly expected any powerful backlash in February of 2021 when I retweeted an article in The New Yorker by Harvard Law School professor Jeannie Suk Gersen on a contentious publication regarding comfort women. In the tweet I had simply remarked "This is a fabulous summary of how this event unfolded across media and academic circles, also placing the major issues in historical perspective." The result, however, was a ferocious Twitter storm from historical denialists that came to absorb my life and the lives of a number of my colleagues for months thereafter.

Far from existing solely in online spaces, the vicious attacks on scholars (and their supporters) continue to endure and are indicative of broader patterns of internet-based harassment that many academics have faced in the last decade. These attacks can affect the personal lives and professional careers of any academic or institution, regardless of their level of public interaction. In what follows, I outline how this particular controversy over Japan's wartime atrocities unfolded, traveling from the digital pages of a journal into extremist online communities and, eventually, permeating the lives of digitally-engaged academics.

As information wars rage across social media, it is imperative that researchers and their institutions take seriously the public-facing engagement and scholarship increasingly demanded of academics at all career stages, at schools large and small. We are in an era when "fake news" and the widespread distrust of higher education threaten to eclipse the rigorous work that researchers do. Recent denialist stances on comfort women history and the fallout from their propagation in virtual spaces demonstrate that it is critical for humanities and social science specialists alike to understand digital modes of engagement, appreciate their real world implications, and fight for the integrity of knowledge. These are the tools with which educators can mobilize to combat persistent untruths, effectively serve the public, and fulfill our responsibilities as researchers and educators, whether the battlefield is on or offline.

"Contracting for Sex in the Pacific War" Across Media

On December 1, 2020, the digital version of a forthcoming article by J. Mark Ramseyer, Mitsubishi Professor of Japanese Legal Studies at Harvard University, was published online in the International Review of Law and Economics (IRLE). Entitled " Contracting for Sex in the Pacific War," this eight-page article argued that women enslaved for sex during World War II by the Japanese military-known euphemistically as "comfort women"-were highly-paid, voluntary actors who entered into prostitution through a system of contracts they could freely leave after 1-2 years. Using the idea of "credible commitments," a logic from game theory, Ramseyer asserts that contracts were used to incentivize women to voluntarily engage in dangerous and disreputable overseas work for advantageous wages; that is, he argues that "brothels could not-and did not- trap or imprison all or even most of the women," and "they chose prostitution over... alternative opportunities." ¹

Ramseyer reiterated these claims in a January 12 op-ed in the right wing news site JAPAN Forward, an English outlet of the conservative Sankei newspaper, in which he referred to the idea that comfort women were sex slaves as "pure fiction." On January 28, Sankei itself ran a Japanese-language article that lauded Ramseyer as a "giant" of Japanese research whose findings, "having passed through peer review by other specialist researchers," have great significance to arguments that comfort women were never trafficked. Ramseyer's assertions, which run counter to decades of survivor testimonies and Japanese and international scholarly research, immediately began to attract attention.

News of these publications spread rapidly, first across Korean media , then . Finally, they hit English-language media. As historians expressed their shock that such a paper ever saw the light of day, a swell of media coverage followed across a wide range of outlets through February, March, and April, from university newspapers to international news sources like and The New York Times as well as more popular online platforms like and Jezebel. Two US Congresspeople expressed their anger on Twitter, with Young Kim (CA) calling Ramseyer's work " untrue, misleading & disgusting" and Marilyn Strickland (WA) writing that his claims were " misleading & deplorable." The Chinese government reaffirmed their condemnation of denying war atrocities at a February 19 press conference, where Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying responded to a question about Ramseyer's paper and the comfort women issue at large, stating "China opposes all erroneous acts that whitewash the war of aggression in an attempt to deny and distort history." Academic and professional organizations including the Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies at Harvard University and a coalition of fifty historical societies and organizations in Korea, among others, issued statements; over 3,000 professors of economics and law signed a letter of concern about the article's misuse of theory to make unverifiable historical claims; and, on social media, scholars of Asia began to find one another and mobilize.

When news of Ramseyer's article appeared, the ability of information to spread swiftly on Twitter fast-tracked its circulation through academic circles. Almost immediately, researchers in Asian Studies who had seen one another tweet on the issue were in contact, emailing colleagues, and sharing a Google Doc fact-checking every citation in the original publication. One of the first scholarly refutations published was a devastating 36-page fact-check first released on February 18, " 'Contracting for Sex in the Pacific War': The Case for Retraction on Grounds of Academic Misconduct " by Amy Stanley (Northwestern University), Hannah Shepherd (Yale University), Sayaka Chatani (National University of Singapore), David Ambaras (North Carolina State University), and Chelsea Szendi Schieder (Aoyama Gakuin University).

Exposing the paper's lack of evidence and problematic research methods, the authors found that Ramseyer's eight-page paper was riddled with historical inaccuracies, misrepresentations of sources, inaccurate references, missing citations, and unfounded claims. One of Ramseyer's sources was a dubious anonymous blog active since 2016 entitled "Korea Institute of History" that contains selective and partial translations of survivor testimonies and blog posts promoting revisionist interpretations of comfort women history. Perhaps most damningly, Ramseyer cited no evidence of extant contracts to support his argument that comfort women were contracted prostitutes, a point that he himself has Alexis Dudden of University of Connecticut and Andrew Gordon and Carter Eckert of Harvard University have pointed out violates "any reasonable standard of academic integrity." It is unclear whether historians specializing in Japan served as peer reviewers for IRLE's assessment of the article. Ensuing demands for accountability and for Ramseyer's paper to be retracted from many academic corners caused as many ripples throughout the Twitterverse as had more public-facing news coverage. And so Ramseyer's defenders came out in force. admitted in an interview and scholars such as

Social Media and Japan's Right Wing

Japan's internet right wingers are known as netto uyoku ネット右翼, or neto uyo ネトウヨ for short. This term is treated in the media and right wing internet communities themselves as a derogatory one, evoking an indignant denial of ultranationalist identity from those who are its most conspicuous embodiments. ² Broadly speaking, neto uyo are a loosely connected network of individuals on social media (especially Twitter) with a few key instigators. They toe a familiar ultranationalist line of xenophobic and discriminatory views. On social media they fill their bios with combinations of jingoistic and discriminatory phrases, from "I love Japan! PATRIOTISM!" "Protect Japan! No communists!" and "Amend the Japanese Constitution!" to "I hate anti-Japanese countries!" (that is, China, South Korea, and North Korea) and "I despise the anti-Japanese trash mass media!" Some profile pictures and headers proudly feature the Japanese wartime flag, which they vehemently deny is a symbol of imperial oppression, or a particular photo of scowling Donald Trump, publicly performing their solidarity with his views. "Fake news" and rabid anti-leftist rhetoric, particularly on social media, has intensified across the globe; since 2017, even QAnon has found a place in Japan, integrating easily into preexisting far right communities.

Typical Twitter bio of a neto uyo. Translation: "I'm Japanese, so it is only natural that I love Japan. Yamaguchi Prefecture is the best! I pay my respects to the many great patriots from Yamaguchi. I am from Fukuoka Prefecture. I am conservative. I hate anybody who is 'anti-Japanese'. Pleased to meet you."

The neto uyo's reaction to the "Case for Retraction," the New Yorker article, and other critiques showcased their routine tactics. They began repeatedly dropping links to far right blogs, news sites, and Youtube channels on the tweets of their critics and in the replies of others who expressed support for them, stating that we needed to study the "correct" materials to have the full story, a story which confirmed Ramseyer's historical claims. The neto uyo alleged that foreign scholars were attacking the Japanese while conveniently ignoring war crimes committed by their own countries. A slew of ultranationalist comfort women truthers followed, with an army of logical fallacies and racist talking points that were equal parts anti-Korean outrage and nativist assertions that only they had the facts. "Do you discriminate against Japanese people?" . "If not, take a look at this," linking to a right wing propaganda video by a well-known comfort women denier.

The Japanese right wing commonly use these all-or-nothing and whataboutist approaches in online harassment to paint overseas critics as anti-Japanese ( hannichi 反日) and summarily dismiss their perspectives. Once several of us were on the radar of key leaders in the neto uyo Twitter community, who boast tens of thousands (and even hundreds of thousands) of followers, they took to visiting our accounts and leaving comments on any and every tweet they found, frequently revisiting old ones and retweeting them to ensure our perceived offenses stayed in circulation. One of their favorite methods to incite commentary was to leave an image of an Oxford Co. brick toy set depicting the 1909 assassination of Prime Minister Itō Hirobumi on our threads, asking "What do you think about this?" with the hope that we would respond with condemnations of Korea or affirmations of our purported anti-Japanese leanings.

In the weeks that followed, those who became targets of these right wing circles experienced a wide variety of online harassment as the neto uyo dug through our online media profiles and professional pages ( screencapping and sharing them), tweeted at our and calling us racists spreading hate speech, and gleefully declared that anyone who blocked them was no scholar, as we "ran away" instead of engaging in discussion. Some of us received hate mail, some of us death threats. The worst of the harassment was reserved for female researchers, whose credentials were relentlessly questioned, as well as native Japanese scholars, who received comments questioning their ethnicity. Those residing in Japan endured particularly virulent attacks on their personal lives and places of employment.

Information about our backgrounds was quickly integrated into the conspiracy theories that motivate many neto uyo. One ringleader used past funding information-a Japan Foundation grant from 2015-to incite her followers to attack me, stating "This person is receiving a scholarship from the Japan Foundation. In other words, she's doing Japan research using Japanese taxes and spreading hate of Japan all over the world. Let's do something!" Some accused us of being funded by South Korea or China, saying that Korea " spent money on Amy Stanley, BTS, and anti-Japanese activities" and the authors of the refutation were "in cahoots" with South Korea. We were also "in a coterie of communist scholars," and some of the tweets promoted by the neto uyo leaders (from accounts now suspended) even claimed that Jews were secretly running the Japan Foundation. This anti-Semitic rhetoric is a complementary thread running through various accusations, including that scholars disagreeing with Ramseyer are communist collaborators. One harasser wrote: "A.Stan is a member of the Society of Fake Historians that spread anti-Japan lies/propaganda collaborating with Richard [Painter], North Korea, and CCP because Japan saved Jews in WW2. Two kinds of Jews exist. One are the good Jews who were sacrificed in Germany by the other kind of Jews," adding to their thread "The latter are really evil. A.Stan and her companions belong to them. She is absolutely a racist who seems proud of that her type of Jews is the No.1 race. Evil type of Jews has long been collaborating with CCP because they are most dominant in global financial capitals." Any attempts to actually engage with the less extreme neto uyo using facts or reason were immediately met with deflections, purposeful misinterpretations, and inevitably illogical and potentially racist attacks. Many of us quickly learned the best methods to mass-block on Twitter in self-defense.

It has now been over eight-months since the initiation of this harassment, many of us are still being targeted by the neto uyo. Our tweets are being monitored from alternative and anonymous accounts, linked and screencapped on Twitter, and circulated on conspiracy blogs and web forums. Even if we do not directly engage, we may find, as in my case, that screencaps of statements from as much as five months prior are repeatedly retweeted and even turned into pinned tweets at the top of ringleaders' feeds to ensure their followers see their cause as under constant attack. This form of relentless online provocation is so commonplace among digital extremist communities in Japan that it has even been given its own term: resuba レスバ, an abbreviated combination of the words "response" and "battle." One who engages in a "response battle" makes empty, meaningless replies over and over again in lieu of an actual analysis.

To combat the neto uyo insistence that overseas scholars were in fact harassing them (a ), I catalogued approximately eight months of tweets from one neto uyo ringleader's account, finding that in some 249 days she had tweeted directly at or about me and the five writers of the Ramseyer refutation approximately 985 times. By now, it has surely far exceeded that. This is a staggering number for a single person. On May 6, 2021 alone she tweeted about Amy Stanley 62 times. If these numbers were applied to telephone calls or knocks on one's door, scholars and administrators would no doubt take them far more seriously as disturbing behavior that requires dedicated attention. Yet, many still take social media quite lightly.

Academics and the Public Sphere

During these months of harassment, J. Mark Ramseyer hung over the online discourse around comfort women and the ownership of history like a specter, always there, but curiously absent in the flesh. For weeks after the criticisms and news media coverage circulated, he remained silent and made no formal or public statements on his work. Yet, the neto uyo vehemently defended every word of it. They tweeted and screencapped and churned out bilingual hashtags like #ProtectJohnMarkRamseyer / #ラムザイヤ教授を守れ and #ラムザイヤー教授の慰安婦論文は覆せない (Professor Ramseyer's comfort women article cannot be overturned). They angrily complained that the "anti-Japanese scholars" were not providing evidence that Ramseyer was wrong, though they entirely refused to engage with the 36-page refutation, several other critiques, or any historical documentation provided. In their eyes, Ramseyer had reached the status of savior and defender, a right wing champion whose Harvard credentials and Order of the Rising Sun award were beyond reproach.

A screenshot of Ramseyer speaking in the video conference
(From a recording published on YouTube)
Ramseyer finally appeared during late April 2021 as part of a video conference, the " Emergency Symposium on the International Historical Controversy over Professor Ramseyer's Article," organized by the International Research Institute of Controversial Histories (国際歴史論戦研究所 Kokusai rekishironsen kenkyūsho). In his message delivered in Japanese to the symposium attendees he stated that they faced two challenges: "recounting the events of the past accurately, specifically, thoroughly, and in an unbiased manner to the extent possible" and "the protection of academic freedom at all costs." At the same time, he claimed that one of his motivations for writing his article was that the majority of English-language materials on comfort women were "marred by Korean anti-Japanese bias," which he claimed was particularly true among American academics. Framing the entire issue around a need for academic freedom (instead of "political correctness"), Ramseyer asserted that his critics wanted all scholars to think alike, and that the "attacks on [him] have been so offensive that they sometimes seem downright Stalinist." Decrying his critics as all young assistant professors, he said they took pride in "acting like scholar-assassins" (学者として暗殺未遂みたいな行為をとって gakusha to shite ansatsu misui mitai na koi wo totte) towards him and disregarding academic freedom.

Ramseyer's comments play directly into the right wing's rejection of scholarship that does not affirm their views, painting himself as a victim of oppressive academic institutions where young upstarts push political propaganda and engage in character assassination of those they disagree with. His comments and presence serve to fill a crucial gap that has previously prevented the historical denialist community from obtaining the legitimacy they seek within and outside Japan.

Yet, as Suk Gersen has pointed out in an interview for the Harvard Asia Center, multiple individuals and groups, including the five scholars who fact-checked Ramseyer's statements and sources and even his colleagues at Harvard, Andrew Gordon and Carter Eckhart, independently concluded that Ramseyer lacked data-in this case, actual contracts-to back up his claims. Suk Gersen clarified "I don't conclude and I don't think historians conclude that there couldn't have been contracts, it's really more [that]... if you are going to say what the contracts consist of, there should be some basis for it." Despite Ramseyer's declaration that events must be recounted with accuracy and specificity, his article offered no counterevidence to or engagement with the vast body of historical scholarship on comfort women while cherry picking from testimonies that in many cases, as Suk Gersen notes, "were cited in a way that was plainly contrary to what the source actually said." These instances embody the "Ivory Tower" at its worst, the kind of academia that scholars have been struggling uphill to and decolonize. If anything, this incident has shown that the veneer of legitimacy afforded by privilege can have devastating effects, effects which cannot and should not be ignored.

Around the same time that Ramseyer participated in this event, I guest lectured via Zoom in a colleague's modern Japanese history class, recounting the Ramseyer affair from its beginnings to the online furor that has continued to haunt myself and my colleagues. "But why do you do it?" the students wanted to know when I told them that many of us still engaged with the worst (and sometimes, the most absurd) of our trolls. I told them that we felt a responsibility to stand our ground and be advocates for academic integrity and the damaging effects of misinformation. Another student added, "But how could a Harvard professor do this?"

This question struck at the heart of what many online and elsewhere have been asking from the beginning: Why was this allowed to happen? Though there is no single, satisfying answer, for those with experience in academia this is not a question that needs to be asked. Time and time again we have seen that privilege, institutions, and networks of enablers allow certain people, (most often senior, white men at elite schools) to abuse their positions. In this case, the author embodied numerous intersections of privilege: a senior, white, male scholar employed at an Ivy League institution through a professorship endowed by a prominent Japanese company whose work has also been recognized by the Japanese government with one of its highest awards, the Order of the Rising Sun. Yet, if we are indeed to protect the right of academic freedom, then the tenets of academic integrity must apply to all of us.

The stakes of history may not always seem high when one thinks of the past as something distant that has no impact on today's world-something that one learns about in textbooks, in the context of the classroom. In this sense, history does not necessarily feel "present." But these pasts were once and are still a part of people's lives. It is essential that historians and other academics communicate how and why academic misconduct has real world consequences. To step in, rather than stand by.

Does it matter that we hold public-facing history accountable for academic integrity? The neto uyo felt victorious and vindicated to see that a Harvard professor sided with their extremist views (however they chose to interpret them), and the validation of these beliefs can quickly translate into real world violence. Consider how plans to publicly discuss the "comfort women" triggered threats to burn down the 2019 Aichi Triennale featuring Kim Seo-kyung and Kim Eun-sung's Statue of Peace. When some of the same works featured at the Triennale were exhibited in Osaka this summer, they were met with protests and a threatening package purporting to be the nerve agent sarin. We are beyond believing that what is written in the pages of academic journals-now more accessible than ever through online media-will not make it to a public audience, particularly when the authors are prepared to translate their studies into easily digestible pieces for news outlets.

Does it matter that we combat a false history of contracts legitimizing the sexual enslavement of women some 75 years ago? Consider the Nagoya man who was arrested this past June for forcing a 13-year old girl into signing a "slave contract" before raping her. We cannot know what motivated the perpetrator to take this step, but the rhyme of history is evident throughout this incident; all manner of atrocities have been done using a shield of legality. Here we find an undeniable resonance with the history of comfort women as sex slaves, justifying the trafficking of women and girls through the supposed validity of contracts while ignoring the question of coercion.

Does it matter that academics hold peer reviewed venues and media venues alike accountable to experts for their content? Consider that on August 29, 2021, the extreme right wing LDP Diet Member Mio Sugita suggested in her official capacity that the diplomatic budget include the promotion of "correct histories" like that of J. Mark Ramseyer, while one of her colleagues stated that there should be an official way to monitor overseas activities that "defame" Japan. This recommendation was posted to her blog and tweeted to her 232,000 followers, gaining widespread visibility among neto uyo communities and, in their eyes, further legitimizing their position that any criticism of Japan (current or historical) amounts to anti-Japanese activities that must be surveilled and quashed. Although the scholars who refuted Ramseyer's article did so with academic rigor and extensive documentation, many ultraconservative Japanese netizens and academics alike argue that they are denying Ramseyer's right to academic freedom-an ironic stance in light of the suggestion that anti-Japanese activities be monitored and "correct histories" promoted by the Japanese government. Although the original 36-page refutation provides a model of academic integrity, almost a year later, IRLE has not retracted the paper. Ramseyer has not responded in English to any criticisms of his work.

Beyond the Tower

Despite vigorous challenges to liberal arts education in recent decades, social media has proven that the skills taught there are more valuable than ever; critically evaluating sources of information, identifying bias, and ethically employing history are far from irrelevant. Hundreds of analog and digital pages have been written as a result of Ramseyer's eight-page article. The professional, mental, and emotional labor spent has been enormous. The Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus released two special issues of articles in response, one on comfort women and the other on Ramseyer's recent burakumin studies. Even scholars outside the history field have been critical of Ramseyer's approaches for years, though it is only recently that his radicalization has become more visible; he has even gone so far as to openly admit that by focusing on Koreans, Burakumin, and Okinawans in his work, he can "avoid the well-known ethnic disputes in the U.S. and elsewhere," as " the hyper-polarization within the academy has made candid discussion of ethnic politics extraordinarily hard." ³ That is, avoid using examples that would undoubtedly invite harsh criticism. In response to these numerous problematic claims, prominent scholars such as Tessa Morris-Suzuki and even student groups such as Stand with "Comfort Women" at Yale University, have now created and resource guides to put these issues in perspective in the classroom and beyond.

Among the consequences of the debates over the Ramseyer affair is the fact that the Asian Studies field is invigorated to combat historical misrepresentations and their defenders on and offline. Although social media has sometimes provided a platform where history is corrupted, twisted, and misrepresented, it has also generated new possibilities for solidarity among those who would step up to challenge the misuse of the past and refuse to let malignant untruths proliferate without accountability.

The Ivory Tower's walls are beginning to crack--not merely because our academic institutions and freedoms have been and still are under serious threat, but because those who have abused their positions of influence by leveraging distinguished titles and elite affiliations are finding that virtual connections are beginning to erode barriers of privilege. For better or for worse, the age of social media has seen accountability arise at a speed and scale like never before. Academics have been told for decades that they must leave their towers and speak to the common person. They have been told that they must step up and be present, accessible, responsive, and relevant.

There are undoubtedly many ways that academics can fulfill that mission, but the demands that we be public, particularly on social media and in the popular press, continue to grow. And for all the benefits of closing the gap between the academic and public spheres, we must wrestle not only with the standards of academic integrity in our peer reviewed mediums but also with the dangers of how information is misused and weaponized in digital spaces. The effects of misinformation and disinformation can be far-reaching and immediate, when an eight-page article and a 1,500-word news blogpost can generate an international incident with global ramifications. Whether we like it or not, the fight for history is taking place on a digital battleground. Now, more than ever, it is imperative that we rise to meet our duty as public intellectuals, dispense with towers, and serve the public by countering outrageous narratives that do injustice to the past and to those who lived it. You asked for us. Here we are.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Taking the Fight for Japan's History Online: The Ramseyer Controversy and Social Media

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
As a historian of premodern Japan active on Twitter, I seldom find myself embroiled in controversies in real time. I occasionally get pushback when I discuss the legacy of female emperors or nationalistic myths of ethnic homogeneity, but by and large, there's little trouble.

# data[].attributes.headline
Commentary: Taking the Fight for Japan's History Online

# data[].attributes.subject
Commentary: Taking the Fight for Japan's History Online

# data[].attributes.body
An article for Critical Asian Studies reflecting on recent harassment of Asian Studies scholars by right-wing extremist online communities and the role of academics as public intellectuals.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Commentary | Paula R. Curtis, Taking the Fight for Japan's History Online - Critical Asian Studies

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
As a historian of premodern Japan active on Twitter, I seldom find myself embroiled in controversies in real time. I occasionally get pushback when I discuss the legacy of female emperors or nationalistic myths of ethnic homogeneity , but by and large, there's little trouble. So when I retwee

# data[].attributes.headline
Japan- and East Asia-related Job Market Data Visualizations (2020-2021)

# data[].attributes.subject
Japan- and East Asia-related Job Market Data Visualizations (2020-2021)

# data[].attributes.body
This page compiles information and visualizations on academic-oriented job postings related to Japan and East Asia for the 2020-2021 season. Date was compiled for the job season from June 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Japan- and East Asia-related Job Market Data Visualizations (2020-2021)
Published July 5, 2021 I am presently collecting information on East Asia-related job advertisements for the 2021-2022 academic cycle. If you see a relevant ad, please use this form to contribute to the dataset:

SUBMIT AN AD

This page compiles information and visualizations on academic-oriented job postings related to East Asia and Japan for the 2020-2021 season (from June to June).
To jump directly to the visualizations, click here.
For more information on how and why I began this project, please see my first visualization page for the 2019-2020 academic job cycle. For the sake of convenience and to address changes in my methods since last year, below I will reproduce my explanations on data collection from last year's cycle, with new elements added in bold and/or marked with a star ★.

I hope that the information provided on this page will facilitate further dialogue on current and future developments in the Japan and East Asian Studies fields and can be used by departments and individuals to advocate for this area of study at their institutions.

About the Data: Sources

The data gathered for this exploration originated from several sites (★ newly incorporated this job cycle):

This data should NOT be considered 100% comprehensive (see caveats below), merely reflective of information provided on some of the most commonly-used job search portals for academic postings related to East Asia.

About the Data: Caveats

First, let me say that data is messy. This is a reflection on the job ads themselves, which are even messier. A job ad might ask for something fairly specific, like a historian of contemporary China focusing on the environmental humanities, or simply list "East Asian Studies" with no additional information on a desired time period, specialization, or other qualifications. Because job ads are inconsistent in the terminology used to describe some academic positions, I have chosen not to do a vocabulary-based comparison on desired disciplinary expertise. However, if you are interested in exploring the key terms that appeared in job ads for this year's market cycle, you can find a searchable table of them here. For the purposes of producing this dataset, job ad language was taken at face value, and cannot account for any internal criteria that informed the scope of searches. How data is represented is also interpreted through the compiler. Others might have organized or categorized this data differently than I have.

Although I have expanded my use of job search sites significantly this year and solicited postings from colleagues outside of Anglophone circles, the data presented here is also reflective of both an English-language and North American bias, as many of the sites examined tend to focus on those positions, and others presented in other languages are only infrequently submitted to these venues. Some postings also may pass through informal channels only or through alternative lists to which I do not have access. Furthermore, some schools either do not or cannot afford to post their job openings through more widely-known channels.
This year I incorporated job advertisements posted between June 1, 2020 and June 30, 2021. This differs from the previous cycle, which was for advertisements posted between June 1, 2019 and April 29, 2020 (all collected during spring 2020). The time frames differ because I only decided late into spring 2020 that I would embark on this project and was uncertain about the best parameters for collection. This year I determined that collection through the month of June would best reflect the academic job market cycle.
This list also may not be exhaustive with regards to jobs that one might consider "alt-ac" or "academic adjacent," as I focused to the best of my ability on those ads that readily circulated on academic job searching platforms. In some cases, job postings may have been removed after their deadline passed or when the position was filled, leading to the disappearance of more specific information on their content.

About the Data: Cleaning and Organization

In an effort to produce meaningful visualizations comparing different job ads, I created eight different data categories. A new core category has been added this year: Continental Region. To review what each category and its accompanying labels mean (and how they were determined), click each of the tabs below.

The geographic location of the hiring institution.

The continental region in which the hiring institution is located.

The geographic regional coverage for which the job ad identified a preference. East Asian Studies and many humanities fields cite a primary region or nation of interest in their advertisements, whereas many social science fields have begun to replace regional or national focus with methodological preferences.

This category was narrowed down from the ad content when possible. For example, if an ad listed "East Asian Studies/Asian Studies" for the title or topic of the position, but specified "preference for a candidate who can teach modern China," then this posting's "desired region" was labeled as "China." Ads that included a particular combination of locations, such as "Asia/Africa" are identified separately. Job ads that were vague, such as positions in "non-Western" or "global" studies were not included. Northeast Asia was the central focus of job data collected.

- Asia (Pacific) ★
- Asia, Africa
- China
- China, Inner Asia ★
- China, Japan
- China, Africa ★
- China, Korea ★
- China, South Asia
- China, Southeast Asia ★
- East Asia, Asia
- Hong Kong ★
- Hong Kong, China ★
- Japan
- Japan, Korea
- Korea
- Taiwan

Data on the desired discipline identified in job ads was divided into labels that best distinguish the responsibilities of the position, based on the department hiring and/or description of the qualifications. Disciplines for which few postings were area-specific or that often advertise together (such as Political Science, Anthropology, and Sociology) are combined in the interest of visual legibility. The social sciences, in particular, pose challenges to data collection, as they do not often advertise region- or nation-specific positions.

Another challenge division is "Literature & Culture" and "East Asian/Asian Studies." Often generalist positions in East Asian Studies are filled by specialists in literature and culture, complicating this division. Here, I have chosen to separate general positions that do not list a specific interest in literature/culture from job ads that specifically ask for a literature/culture specialist. Similarly, although there is often overlap between generalist instructors and language instructors at small institutions, the "Language" category applies to jobs exclusively looking for language instructors, and those seeking sub-specialization in translation, interpretation, or linguistics have been given their own category this year.

Eleven categories were altered or added this year (marked with a ★). These changes add more variety and clarity to the disciplinary categories included.

- Administration, Program Director
- Any ★
- Archaeology
- Art History, Architecture, Urban Studies
- Business/Economics ★
- Curator
- Digital Studies ★
- East Asian, Asian Studies
- Film Studies, Media Studies
- History
- Interpretation ★
- Language
- Librarian, Library Services ★
- Linguistics ★
- Literature & Culture
- Museum, Curator, Conservation ★
- Music, Musicology ★
- Philosophy ★
- PoliSci, Anthro, Socio
- Public Health ★
- Religious Studies
- Social Studies/Education
- Theatre, Performing Arts ★

The time period of the specialist desired in the job advertisement.

- modern
- premodern (early modern [c. 18th/19th cen] and before)
- any (not specified or no preference)
- N/A (e.g.: language instructors)

The track/security of the position. Contingent positions have been divided into jobs that are non-tenure track positions and postdocs, as the former typically applies to visiting or contracted positions and the latter often applies to research positions, sometimes with minimal teaching responsibilities. Adjunct positions, being extremely difficult to track and variable in their contract terms, are not included in this data.

- TT (tenure track)
- non-TT (non-tenure track, including jobs to which this term does not apply)
- postdoc (non-tenure track, contingent position)

The labeling of institutions is based on its research output and degree-granting programs. This is perhaps the most problematic of the data organized, as, for the sake of comparison, each institution has been forced to fit into the rough equivalent of the US categories based on The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. The Carnegie classifications do NOT consistently correlate with institutional rankings (also problematic). For UK-based institutions, I established R1 equivalents based on the Russell Group categories, and for Australia, the Group of Eight. For universities in Asia and Europe, I consulted with colleagues based in those areas and provided a best guess based on anecdotal advice. I fully acknowledge that these distinctions are problematic and are often considered subjective.

The most meaningful observations may be derived from considering the extremes-- whether jobs appear more often at very large doctoral degree-granting institutions or small liberal arts institutions.

Three new categories have been added to reflect the different types of institutions where jobs are available that may be outside the academic or tenure-track system system.

- R1 - very high research, doctoral program
- R1 regional branch - branch campuses of R1 institutions located in the US or abroad
- R2 - high research, doctoral program
- D/PU - Doctoral/Professional Universities
- M1 - high research, masters program
- M2 - medium research, masters program
- SLAC - small liberal arts college
- CC - community college ★
- museum/archive - museum or archive ★
- non-profit - non-profit organization ★
- N/A

The type of institution. N/A indicates it is something different from a typical academic degree-granting institution, such as a language training school, etc.

- public
- private
- N/A

The Data
Please review the caveats and labeling system provided above before viewing the data in order to best understand how and why it has been cleaned and organized as presented below. Please note that because my period of data collection changed and my methods improved, a one-to-one numeric comparison with last year's data may not be wholly advisable. Below, I have created several (non-exhaustive) visualizations based on my data usingTableau Public. Please note that postdocs were counted by the number of positions offered at a single university. For example, Yale University's Council on East Asian Studies hires four postdocs per year for its general CEAS postdoc, so this is counted as four positions. The data collected for the 2020-2021 academic job cycle totaled 631 job advertisements globally. Of these advertisements, the majority (288 total) were openings at North American institutions. Asia was the second highest employer, with 210 total advertisements. 121 ads were released in Europe and 12 in Oceania.

Although North American institutions advertised the most jobs, the vast majority of the positions offered were contingent, with 198 of the 288 jobs (68.75%) being postdocs or non tenure-track. Of the 198 contingent positions in North America, 188 were in the United States. In contrast, 83 of the advertisements in Asia were contingent (39.52%), with 121 of the 210 advertisements being tenure-track (or the rough equivalent, as many countries employ slightly different systems). The majority of jobs in Asia were located in Japan (64 total) and Hong Kong (54 total), with China following in third (37 total). For the 121 advertisements in Europe, just under half (60 total) were contingent, while 80 of the job postings overall were located in the United Kingdom. The following visualization is an interactive map of all East Asia-related job postings by discipline, time period, track, and location. Clicking on information anywhere on the visualization or on the map below will generate its linked data across other fields. Hover over data points on the map to reveal information on the data point provided. Zooming in or out is also possible. Points on the map are sized to frequency, so a place with more jobs postings will appear larger than other points. Click the title of the subcategory you're filtering or the area of the visualization you originally selected to void your selection and start over. Tableau Public can be finicky, so it may take a little experimentation. If interactive visualizations lag or generate an error, please refresh the page.

Considering all jobs, including those that do not necessarily fall into primarily academic fields, expertise in China was the leading area of interest, followed by Japan and East Asia or Asia in general. This trend remained the same from last year's job cycle. With 259 job advertisements specifically interested in China, the total nearly equals that of Japan (163) and East Asia/Asia (126) combined. Korea followed these top demands with 52 job advertisements. The visualizations below, reflecting job advertisements globally, provide a selection of comparative perspectives across regional and disciplinary specialization, with a focus on Northeast Asia and the humanities. As explained in the "About the Data" section above, many new categories were added this year to allow for greater specificity regarding disciplinary interests. Language instruction (addressed in detail below) was the highest in demand across the desired regions of China, Japan, and Korea.

History was the most prevalent China-related job ad (34 total), followed by Political Science/Anthropology/Sociology (33 total), general East Asian/Asian Studies (27 total), and then Literature & Culture (24). It is worth noting an increase in administrative/business positions related to China.

For Japan, Literature & Culture and East Asian/Asian Studies were tied with 19 total positions, showing a significant interest in more general cultural studies (in keeping with last year's trends). This was also followed by PoliSci/Antho/Sociology (14 total), but History was a distant 5 total positions.

Korea, still a growing field, followed the trends of Japanese Studies; Korea had 12 total East Asian/Asian Studies positions, with Literature & Culture and PoliSci/Antho/Socio following closely at 10 total and 9 total respectively. History included 4 positions, roughly the same as Japan but an increase in number from only 1 position last year. Notably, Korea-related jobs advertised last year only included Language, EAS/AS, Lit & Culture, and History, whereas this year saw the added PoliSci/Anthro/Socio, Art History/Architecture/Urban Studies, and Linguistics categories, diversifying Korean Studies offerings. Below are a handful of discipline-specific observations on the History, East Asian/Asian Studies, Literature & Culture, and Language fields. These fields are often discussed as markers of the "health" of area studies as a whole, and so it is worth highlighting some specific trends that appeared this job cycle.

As stated above, jobs specifically advertising Chinese history were the most abundant during this year's job cycle. They also presented with the most secure jobs (19 tenure-track positions). the majority of Chinese history positions were located in Asia (22 total), followed by North America (7, only 2 of which were TT). Generalist positions on East Asia/Asia with no preferred country of specialization or a desire for knowledge/research on the entire region were second most common, with 16 total and 10 tenure-track positions. 11 of these jobs were located in North America. During the 2019-2020 cycle only three institutions (University of Leiden, Hiroshima University, and Pacific University) advertised explicitly Japan-focused jobs in History, though the 2 TT positions were outside of the US. No tenure-track faculty jobs in exclusively Japanese history were offered in North America for the 2019-2020 season.1 This year, there were only 5 job advertisements exclusively in Japanese history worldwide. There were no jobs in History focusing exclusively on Japan located in North America. Of the 5 positions globally, 3 were tenure-track and all located in Japan (International Christian University, Hiroshima University, and Nagoya University). For Korea, the 1 tenure-track job in History was at Sogang University in Korea. There was also 1 postdoc in Europe and 2 postdocs in North America.

The above visualization combines both generalist East Asian/Asian Studies positions and Literature & Culture positions, as these frequently overlap in job advertisements and are viewed as jobs with a more generalist cultural focus regardless of whether they specify literature as the preferred discipline. Although Japan and Korea both have a strong presence in generalist demand, when combining these two categories, China once again has the numbers, with 51 total positions as compared to 38 for Japan and 22 for Korea and East Asia/Asia. That said, China, Japan, and Korea were almost equal in tenure-track offerings, with 20, 18, and 18 ads respectively. The majority of TT jobs for all three regional specializations were located in Asia.

Despite China's strength in other disciplines, Japanese language outstripped Chinese as the highest in demand for the 2020-2021 season worldwide, with 61 advertisements as opposed to Chinese 49 and Korean at 14. Last year China was dominant, with 29 ads as compared to Japan (23) and Korea (12). Because my data collection methods improved for the 2020-2021 cycle and language advertisements are often among the most ephemeral, it is difficult to tell if there was a significant increase in the number of language advertisements this year as compared to last. Last year, contingent language positions were more than triple the number of available tenure-track positions. This year, they are five times greater. Tenure-track language positions comprised only 20% of the total number of language positions. The United States housed 72 of the 100 contingent labor positions in East Asian language education in the 2020-2021 cycle. Only 3 positions in the US were tenured (2 Chinese, 1 Japanese; located at Kalamazoo College, Washington University in St. Louis, and the University of Puerto Rico). As for the desired time period of specialization in job ads, modern positions or positions with no stated preference yet again dominated the academic job market season. Globally, modern jobs were 4.5x more in demand than premodern. There was no discipline in which premodern jobs outnumbered modern ones. In core categories such as East Asian/Asian Studies, modern (32 total) significantly outpaced premodern (3 total), while generalist positions with no stated preference were most prevalent (48 total). In History, modern (25 total) was nearly equivalent to no stated preference (24 total), with premodern at 14 positions globally. In Literature & Culture, any time period lead with 25 positions, followed by modern (19 total) and premodern (12). In the Political Science/Anthropology/Sociology category, modern positions naturally were most abundant (85 total) with 7 job ads having no stated preference. Religious Studies was the among the most flexible field, with 20 positions with no stated preference for a time period, 4 in premodern, and 1 in modern. Reviewing these positions while excluding language-related and academic-adjacent categories (for which time period is not particularly relevant), China was in the highest demand across all time periods, having 78 modern positions, 30 premodern positions, and 52 positions without a time period preference. This was followed by the generalist East Asia/Asia category, with 49 modern, 46 no preference, and 6 premodern positions. Japan followed in third with 39 positions that had no preference, 32 in modern, and 6 in premodern. Of the 6 positions in premodern Japan Studies, 1 TT job was in the United States, 1 TT in Japan, 1 non-TT in the UK and Japan respectively, and 2 postdocs (Spain and the UK). Modern Korea had 22 positions, premodern 2, and 12 no preference. The majority of modern and no preference positions were located in North America (79 and 73 respectively), followed by Asia, which also advertised the most premodern positions (22 total). As with the 2019-2020 season, R1 (very high research) institutions offered the most jobs for this cycle (326 total). This was followed (though with a wide margin) by small liberal arts colleges (SLACs), which had 88 job advertisements. R2 institutions (79 total) and D/PU institutions (70) were next, given that both grant PhDs. The majority of R1 institutions and SLACs offering jobs were located in the United States (140 and 56 respectively). However, both institutions types offered largely contingent positions (103 at R1s, 39 at SLACs), meaning nearly or more than 70% of positions offered at these schools had no job security. In contrast, the second-largest job provider, the United Kingdom, had a much more balanced 25 TT positions and 27 contingent positions at R1 institutions. Japanese R1s offered 9 TT and 11 contingent jobs, while Hong Kong had 10 TT and 14 contingent positions. Though drawing comparisons across countries whose institutional classifications do not map neatly onto the US system can be difficult, the general ratios are suggestive of larger trends in the widespread adjunctification of US academic institutions, relying heavily on temporary labor without investment in tenure-track lines. Job advertisements at public institutions (384 total) significantly outnumbered private institutions (230 total) this year. In 2019-2020, they were roughly equal. This may or may not be due to the greater internationalization of my data collection process. As with the previous year, the United States retained the greatest number of openings at private institutions (158 total, with 97 at public institutions). This was followed by the United Kingdom (77 total), Hong Kong (53 total), and Japan (38 total). Japan was second in advertisements at private institutions with 25 positions.

A Glimpse into Digital Labor

Much of digital labor is invisible and often unpaid. In spring of 2021 I purchased a Timeular device to help track (and balance!) how many hours I regularly spent on my digital projects, writing projects, and other public-facing activity. Here I would like to briefly describe and quantify the labor involved in order to be transparent about what kind of investment this sort of work entails.

A new feature to my data collection this year was an interactive table of the job listings being collected. Numerous people had asked whether or not I was sharing my data as I compiled it, and I realized it would benefit others for information on these job postings to be readily available each week (and I could spread out the labor of data cleaning over a regular period of time). Therefore, every Saturday morning I scoured job websites, input the data into my master sheet, and then reformatted it (with additional advertisement keywords) on the interactive table. I also began to regularly post how many hours a week I spent doing this.

Given that I only began this tracking process in late March 2021, I only have complete, full-month data records for April, May, and June. On average, I spent about 13.5 hours a month doing digital projects (including Shinpai Deshou and my East Asian Studies resources database), and 10.25 hours per month on job data specifically.

Based on these numbers, by the end of the year I will likely have spent about 123 hours on job data collection. If we were to assume such work was paid on the low end at $25 an hour, I will have done $3,075 worth of labor ($256.25 of work monthly). At the urgings of colleagues who knew how much time I spent on digital projects in service to the field, I began a Patreon account in February 2021, through which patrons currently sponsor approximately $135 a month (pre-taxes). In exchange, each week they receive preview reports of data collection in progress.

As for the creation of this report, I tracked 11.75 hours total (approximately $293.75 of labor), which were used for writing, coding, final data cleaning, and the creation of visualizations. The final product was time intensive, as I spent time reflecting on last year's report, articulating changes I had made, making improvements to the visualizations, re-coding the new page, and inevitably finding errors that required the correction of visualizations late into preparation (ah, the data life!).

If you found this project useful, please consider supporting the data and writing labor via Patreon . Support from the community I do this for means a lot to me and helps keep this site running.
Please link and provide credit when reposting. If you post any graphics provided or screencaps of the interactive visualizations, please cite this page and/or tag me on social media (@paularcurtis on Twitter).
As explained above, because of changes to my data collection and curation methods it is difficult to compare this year's job season with the 2019-2020 market. Nevertheless, the above data are instructive in their own right. I hope it will provide a starting point for discussions on old and new trends in the East Asian Studies field and may be of service to those who wish to advocate for the creation of such jobs at their own institutions. If you would like to discuss specific visualization requests for a subset of this dataset, you may contact me at prcurtis@umich.edu.
To cite this page:

A special thank you to Tristan Grunow for assistance reviewing the content of this page.

Curtis, Paula R. "Japan- and East Asia-related Job Market Data Visualizations (2020-2021)." Published July 5, 2021. http://prcurtis.com/projects/jobs2021/

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Published July 5, 2021 I am presently collecting information on East Asia-related job advertisements for the 2021-2022 academic cycle. If you see a relevant ad, please use this form to contribute to the dataset: SUBMIT AN AD This page compiles information and visualizations on academic-oriented job postings related to East Asia and Japan for the 2020-2021 season (from June to June).

# data[].attributes.headline
Ramseyer and the Right-Wing Ecosystem Suffocating Japan

# data[].attributes.subject
Ramseyer and the Right-Wing Ecosystem Suffocating Japan

# data[].attributes.body
An article for the non-profit news site Tokyo Review on historical denialism of WWII wartime atrocities and harassment of Asia Studies scholars by internet extremists.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
In Japan, many right wing revisionist groups continue to glorify its wartime legacy, seeking to validate their versions of the past however they can. The issue of sexual slavery, or "comfort women," and forced labor during Japan's colonization of East Asia remains contested and unresolved. In early 2021, right wing revisionists found a coveted ally in J. Mark Ramseyer, the Mitsubishi Professor of Japanese Legal Studies at Harvard University. Ramseyer has come under fire for claiming in a recent essay that comfort women, young girls and women trafficked by the Japanese military during World War II, were not sex slaves but instead willing prostitutes.

Ramseyer's article was published online in the International Review of Law and Economics (IRLE), a peer-reviewed academic journal in December last year. His argument runs counter to decades of historical scholarship and survivor testimonies, asserting that women (mainly but not exclusively Korean women) enslaved for sex by the Japanese military were all voluntary actors who entered into prostitution through a system of contracts that they could freely leave after their term. The following month Ramseyer added that the narrative of comfort women being sex slaves was "pure fiction" in an op-ed in JAPAN Forward, the English-language outlet of the far-right Sankei Shimbun. The peer-review at IRLE process was void of experts in Japanese history, and academics from diverse specializations expressed shock that Ramseyer's was approved for publication. Currently, IRLE has yet to retract the essay.

Why was this allowed to happen? In Ramseyer's case, scholars outside the history field have been critical of his approaches for years, though it is only recently that his radicalization has become more visible. He has even gone so far as to openly admit that applying Korean, Burakumin, and Okinawan issues to demonstrate his logic allows him to make offensive remarks about minorities while avoiding the backlash he would rightly receive if similar statements were made about American minority issues. Ultimately, the ecosystem that shelters these views is a closed circuit, with right-wing social media promoting revisionist history while threatening researchers.

The ecosystem that shelters these views is a closed circuit, with right-wing social media promoting revisionist history while threatening researchers

Ramseyer's controversial eight-page essay ignited fierce public backlash and reactions from a broad range of mainstream news outlets, experts, academics, and scholarly organizations. The misrepresentation of history attracted a swell of media coverage from , The New York Times, and. Additionally, Two U.S. congresspeople tweeted their outrage along with the Chinese government who condemned the denial of wartime atrocities.

The academic community in Asian Studies has rallied together calling for accountability and the rejection of historical denialism. Almost immediately after the article was published, a group of researchers in Asian Studies began reviewing every citation in Ramseyer's essay. One of the first scholarly refutations, published on February 18, was a damning 36-page fact-checking study titled " 'Contracting for Sex in the Pacific War': The Case for Retraction on Grounds of Academic Misconduct." It exposed the paper's problematic methods; in particular, the lack of evidence of signed contracts from women at "comfort stations" (the core of his argument being that these women were contracted workers). It is clear from their study that Ramseyer overtly excluded elements of survivor testimonies that directly contradicted his claims and at times provided incorrect, incomplete, or misleading citations. Meanwhile, concerned about the precedent such a work sets, prominent scholars and organizations have also created study aids to put the issue in perspective in the classroom.

Ramseyer overtly excluded elements of survivor testimonies that directly contradicted his claims and at times provided incorrect, incomplete, or misleading citations

Twitter has become a fierce battle ground over the wartime history of comfort women. In response to pushback from the academic community, Ramseyer's right wing defenders, known as netto uyoku or neto uyo in Japan, came out in force online. When the "Case for Retraction" went public, neto uyo began inserting links to far-right blogs and news sites on tweets and the replies to academics who criticized Ramseyer or anyone who expressed support for them. Right wing antagonizers state that those who disagreed with Ramseyer's article needed to study the "correct materials" to have the full story. They claim that foreign scholars were attacking the Japanese people while ignoring crimes committed by their own countries as a way to deflect from the issues at hand.

Other right wing defenders questioned the ethnicity of Japanese scholars and accused academics of being funded by South Korea or communists. Some were subjected to hate mail and death threats, but the worst of the harassment was reserved for female and Japanese scholars. Many academics with a public presence have quickly learned the most efficient methods to mass-block on Twitter. On the other hand, the neto uyo declare that anyone who blocked them is no scholar, as they are only "running away" instead of engaging in discussion.

Right wing antagonizers stated that those who disagreed with Ramseyer's article needed to study the "correct materials" to have the full story

The neto uyo enlisted a campaign of contacting employers and institutions funding academics in Asian Studies to complain of what they interpret as hate speech and racism. As a historian of premodern Japan who supports the work of my colleagues and an active presence on Twitter, I found myself a target of online harassment from these right-wing circles. One ringleader used a Japan Foundation grant I received in 2015 to claim that Japanese taxes are being used to spread hate of Japan all over the world.

These are not hollow threats. Recently, a young Japan scholar was denied a prestigious fellowship due to concerns that her research proposal would draw the anger of the Sankei Shimbun and the program would become a target of right-wingers. Some of the tweets promoted by the neto uyo leaders even claimed that Jews were secretly running the Japan Foundation.

The toxic feedback loop of right wing social media was on full display when Ramseyer defended himself as part of a right wing video conference on Comfort Women hosted in Tokyo during late April 2021. Not only did he refer to his critics as Stalinists, but Ramseyer also alleged that the humanities in the United States harbors anti-Japanese bias. His comments played directly to the right wing's rejection of scholarship that does not affirm their views and served to fill a crucial gap that the historical denialist community needs to legitimize themselves within and outside of Japan. What's more, some of Ramseyer's so-called sources are themselves dubious right wing blogs, the same blogs that revere his word as gospel and accept no alternatives. Ultimately, each feeds off the other, allowing the pernicious cycle of self-validation to continue.

Privilege, institutions, and networks of enablers allow certain groups of people, most often senior, white men at elite institutions, to abuse their positions. These instances embody the "Ivory Tower" at its worst, the kind of academia that scholars have been struggling to reform and decolonize. Where the academy has failed and social media has emboldened far right communities, scholars have seen a way forward, energized to collaborate, educate, and be public advocates for ethical scholarship. Although in many ways social media has been a platform where history is corrupted, twisted, and misrepresented to odious ends, it has also generated new possibilities for solidarity among those who would step up to challenge the misuse of the past and refuse to let untruths fester unchecked.

academic freedom, Asian Studies, comfort women, featured, historical denialism, Imperial Japan, J. Mark Ramseyer, Japanese military, radicalization, revisionist history, sexual slavery, survivors, top featured, top_featured, war crimes, world war ii, WWII

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Ramseyer and the Right-Wing Ecosystem Suffocating Japan

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
In Japan, many right wing revisionist groups continue to glorify its wartime legacy, seeking to validate their versions of the past however they can. The issue of sexual slavery, or "comfort women," and forced labor during Japan's colonization of East Asia remains contested and unresolved.

# data[].attributes.headline
Heijo Palace excavations reveal drainage systems & elliptical mokkan

# data[].attributes.subject
Heijo Palace excavations reveal drainage systems & elliptical mokkan

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.text
Cool news in #archaeology of #Japan! Heijō Palace excavations uncovered subterranean drainage ditches made of stones & wooden pipes thought to be used for the Grand Council of State 太政官. ~1200 mokkan 木簡 were also found, including elliptical mokkan! 😮https://t.co/AqdoCq36K4

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.original_text
Cool news in #archaeology of #Japan! Heijō Palace excavations uncovered subterranean drainage ditches made of stones & wooden pipes thought to be used for the Grand Council of State 太政官. ~1200 mokkan 木簡 were also found, including elliptical mokkan! 😮https://t.co/AqdoCq36K4 https://t.co/tYFLMXuWvu

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.embed_code
Cool news in #archaeology of #Japan! Heijō Palace excavations uncovered subterranean drainage ditches made of stones & wooden pipes thought to be used for the Grand Council of State 太政官. ~1200 mokkan 木簡 were also found, including elliptical mokkan! 😮https://t.co/AqdoCq36K4 pic.twitter.com/tYFLMXuWvu
— Dr. Paula R. Curtis (@paularcurtis) February 22, 2021

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props_source.data.text
Cool news in #archaeology of #Japan! Heijō Palace excavations uncovered subterranean drainage ditches made of stones & wooden pipes thought to be used for the Grand Council of State 太政官. ~1200 mokkan 木簡 were also found, including elliptical mokkan! 😮https://t.co/AqdoCq36K4 https://t.co/tYFLMXuWvu

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.original_text
Cool news in #archaeology of #Japan! Heijō Palace excavations uncovered subterranean drainage ditches made of stones & wooden pipes thought to be used for the Grand Council of State 太政官. ~1200 mokkan 木簡 were also found, including elliptical mokkan! 😮https://t.co/AqdoCq36K4 https://t.co/tYFLMXuWvu

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.text
Cool news in #archaeology of #Japan! Heijō Palace excavations uncovered subterranean drainage ditches made of stones & wooden pipes thought to be used for the Grand Council of State 太政官. ~1200 mokkan 木簡 were also found, including elliptical mokkan! 😮https://t.co/AqdoCq36K4

# data[].attributes.headline
Letter from famed warrior Tokugawa Ieyasu to 10-year-old child lord discovered

# data[].attributes.subject
Letter from famed warrior Tokugawa Ieyasu to 10-year-old child lord discovered

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.text
The Nagano prefectural museum will showcase a 1584 letter by the famed warrior Tokugawa Ieyasu, writing to the Shimojō lord, a 10-year old boy, greeting him politely. The letter was found at an antiquarian book shop in Kyoto last year. #medieval #Japan https://t.co/XiLU0Nbul4

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.original_text
The Nagano prefectural museum will showcase a 1584 letter by the famed warrior Tokugawa Ieyasu, writing to the Shimojō lord, a 10-year old boy, greeting him politely. The letter was found at an antiquarian book shop in Kyoto last year. #medieval #Japan https://t.co/XiLU0Nbul4

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.embed_code
The Nagano prefectural museum will showcase a 1584 letter by the famed warrior Tokugawa Ieyasu, writing to the Shimojō lord, a 10-year old boy, greeting him politely. The letter was found at an antiquarian book shop in Kyoto last year. #medieval #Japan https://t.co/XiLU0Nbul4
— Dr. Paula R. Curtis (@paularcurtis) December 19, 2020

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props_source.data.text
The Nagano prefectural museum will showcase a 1584 letter by the famed warrior Tokugawa Ieyasu, writing to the Shimojō lord, a 10-year old boy, greeting him politely. The letter was found at an antiquarian book shop in Kyoto last year. #medieval #Japan https://t.co/XiLU0Nbul4

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.original_text
The Nagano prefectural museum will showcase a 1584 letter by the famed warrior Tokugawa Ieyasu, writing to the Shimojō lord, a 10-year old boy, greeting him politely. The letter was found at an antiquarian book shop in Kyoto last year. #medieval #Japan https://t.co/XiLU0Nbul4

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.text
The Nagano prefectural museum will showcase a 1584 letter by the famed warrior Tokugawa Ieyasu, writing to the Shimojō lord, a 10-year old boy, greeting him politely. The letter was found at an antiquarian book shop in Kyoto last year. #medieval #Japan https://t.co/XiLU0Nbul4

# data[].attributes.headline
Letter to medieval "sea lord" discovered

# data[].attributes.subject
Letter to medieval "sea lord" discovered

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.text
A letter has been discovered from daimyo Mōri Motonari (1497-1571) to Kurushima Murakami Yoshisato, of one of the chief Seto Inland "sea lord" families. He sends new years greetings with a sword & cash gift. The letter shows they had direct communication. #medievaltwitter #Japan

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.original_text
A letter has been discovered from daimyo Mōri Motonari (1497-1571) to Kurushima Murakami Yoshisato, of one of the chief Seto Inland "sea lord" families. He sends new years greetings with a sword & cash gift. The letter shows they had direct communication. #medievaltwitter #Japan https://t.co/69OEc82lro

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.embed_code
A letter has been discovered from daimyo Mōri Motonari (1497-1571) to Kurushima Murakami Yoshisato, of one of the chief Seto Inland "sea lord" families. He sends new years greetings with a sword & cash gift. The letter shows they had direct communication. #medievaltwitter #Japan pic.twitter.com/69OEc82lro
— Dr. Paula R. Curtis (@paularcurtis) November 15, 2020

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props_source.data.text
A letter has been discovered from daimyo Mōri Motonari (1497-1571) to Kurushima Murakami Yoshisato, of one of the chief Seto Inland "sea lord" families. He sends new years greetings with a sword & cash gift. The letter shows they had direct communication. #medievaltwitter #Japan https://t.co/69OEc82lro

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.original_text
A letter has been discovered from daimyo Mōri Motonari (1497-1571) to Kurushima Murakami Yoshisato, of one of the chief Seto Inland "sea lord" families. He sends new years greetings with a sword & cash gift. The letter shows they had direct communication. #medievaltwitter #Japan https://t.co/69OEc82lro

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.text
A letter has been discovered from daimyo Mōri Motonari (1497-1571) to Kurushima Murakami Yoshisato, of one of the chief Seto Inland "sea lord" families. He sends new years greetings with a sword & cash gift. The letter shows they had direct communication. #medievaltwitter #Japan

# data[].attributes.headline
Letter discovered between two famed medieval warriors

# data[].attributes.subject
Letter discovered between two famed medieval warriors

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.text
A letter has been discovered from Takeda Shingen to Oda Nobunaga, thanking him for support against Uesugi Kenshin. A rare example of a letter between two famed Sengoku warriors, it was likely written in 1570 just prior to the end of Kawanakajima. #medieval https://t.co/nLDi3PKEcu

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.original_text
A letter has been discovered from Takeda Shingen to Oda Nobunaga, thanking him for support against Uesugi Kenshin. A rare example of a letter between two famed Sengoku warriors, it was likely written in 1570 just prior to the end of Kawanakajima. #medieval https://t.co/nLDi3PKEcu https://t.co/jbBbgq2oea

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.embed_code
A letter has been discovered from Takeda Shingen to Oda Nobunaga, thanking him for support against Uesugi Kenshin. A rare example of a letter between two famed Sengoku warriors, it was likely written in 1570 just prior to the end of Kawanakajima. #medieval https://t.co/nLDi3PKEcu pic.twitter.com/jbBbgq2oea
— Dr. Paula R. Curtis (@paularcurtis) January 13, 2020

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props_source.data.text
A letter has been discovered from Takeda Shingen to Oda Nobunaga, thanking him for support against Uesugi Kenshin. A rare example of a letter between two famed Sengoku warriors, it was likely written in 1570 just prior to the end of Kawanakajima. #medieval https://t.co/nLDi3PKEcu https://t.co/jbBbgq2oea

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.original_text
A letter has been discovered from Takeda Shingen to Oda Nobunaga, thanking him for support against Uesugi Kenshin. A rare example of a letter between two famed Sengoku warriors, it was likely written in 1570 just prior to the end of Kawanakajima. #medieval https://t.co/nLDi3PKEcu https://t.co/jbBbgq2oea

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.text
A letter has been discovered from Takeda Shingen to Oda Nobunaga, thanking him for support against Uesugi Kenshin. A rare example of a letter between two famed Sengoku warriors, it was likely written in 1570 just prior to the end of Kawanakajima. #medieval https://t.co/nLDi3PKEcu

# data[].attributes.headline
Interview: "Digitising Japanese Studies" on the Beyond Japan Podcast

# data[].attributes.subject
Interview: "Digitising Japanese Studies" on the Beyond Japan Podcast

# data[].attributes.body
A podcast interview on the state of Japanese Studies in our increasingly virtual/digital environments.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
This week, for our final episode of 2020, we are joined by Dr Paula Curtis, historian of premodern Japan at Yale University, for a topical discussion on Digital Japanese Studies, considering how moving the field online through incorporating digital methods, tools and resources might alter its future direction. We consider the benefits and challenges of digitising Japanese Studies from compiling open-access databases to online networking.

Beyond Japan will be taking a break over Christmas, resuming on the 14 th of January 2021. We will be joined then by Dr Jamie Coates, anthropologist and Lecturer in East Asian Studies at the University of Sheffield, to look at migrant communities in Tokyo and Japan at large, challenging the homogenous image of a nation whose future depends on their currently overlooked migrant population. Until then, メリクリ and よいお年を！
Paula's research profile Paula's website
Image Credits:

[L] Digitising newspapers at the University Library Svetozar Markovic by europeananewspapers

[R] Digital Archives of From Blanks to Sensitivity by mhrs.jp

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Beyond Japan Ep. #18: Digitising Japanese Studies with Dr Paula Curtis

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
https://open.spotify.com/episode/0tJdwGnXa3eJKTa6hoQ3aU?si=dhDJOoUqTQ2RnYRd3s7huw Listen on your favourite podcast platform This week, for our final episode of 2020, we are joined by Dr Paula Curtis, historian of premodern Japan at Yale University, for a topical discussion on Digital Japanese Studies, considering how moving the field online through incorporating digital methods, tools and resources might alter its future direction....

# data[].attributes.headline
A Guide to Best Twitter Practices for Academics (and Everyone Else)

# data[].attributes.subject
A Guide to Best Twitter Practices for Academics (and Everyone Else)

# data[].attributes.body
An explanatory guide to Twitter functionality and etiquette on community building and citation practices.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
A Guide to Best Twitter Practices for Academics
(and Everyone Else)

I often receive questions from friends who are hesitant to get involved in social media (particularly platforms that can get as intense as Twitter) asking about best practices. How should they write posts? Should they link to something, or retweet it? Should they use hashtags more? It's easy to feel silly asking these questions when the answers seem like something everyone else just knows. But like any tool, Twitter takes getting used to, and it's not always an intuitive process. Furthermore, as academics, we have the additional concern of thinking about our roles in the public sphere, conveying information and participating in a mix of professional and casual communities. In this article I suggest some guidelines for Twitter engagement, specifically what I see as best practices for academics who want to maintain a semi-professional or professionally-oriented account. Mainly, I'll address the ethics of online interaction along with practical aspects that make your content easier to find, share, and digest.

Let me start, as I usually do, with caveats:

First, what "professional" means can be quite different for many people, so here I distinguish an account that's intended purely for the dissemination of memes, personal photos, etc., from one that hopes to convey some type of expertise, comment on historical or current events as an authority, share academic or other types of resources, and the like.

Second,you can do whatever you want. These are just suggestions (particularly for those who may not have much experience with Twitter) that tend to make communication and community building go smoother. I'm not writing this to debate whether tweets should be citable research sources or if we should all be operating as if they are. This is about being respectful, legible, and generally good people to one another while sharing information responsibly on a social media platform. ( So please don't @ me claiming I'm trying to ruin your internet experience, thanks!)

Third, I feel the need to state, as I often do in talks, that Twitter engagement isn't for everyone. Some people tweet all the time, some only tweet at conferences, some only retweet, some just make an account and lurk, or they don't bother at all. And that's okay. You have to choose what level of interaction is right for you (and your mental health). So I'm not suggesting here that we all get on the Twitter bandwagon, simply that we think about our habits when we do.

So let's jump in!

Give sources for your content

Some of you are probably thinking, "Hey, it's the internet, you're taking it too seriously!" right about now. But here's the thing: content on the internet is still intellectual content. So, if you're quoting someone's article or blog post, pulling a digitized image off an archive, or sharing a chart from a news site, the person who made it should get credit. You don't want to be thought of as someone who plagiarizes someone else's work. Ideally, you should retweet them directly, link to the original source, or at least cite them by name in your tweet. That would be my hierarchy of preference, too: RT > link > named reference. This makes it easiest to find the original producer's work for those who want to dig deeper into the subject themselves. While for aesthetic, space, or other reasons one might not always follow this suggestion, it's important to think about how we represent the work of others and ourselves in online spaces.

Furthermore, providing the source also allows people to evaluate what you've posted as credible or not credible. If you post a chart, diagram, quote, or whatever without proper attribution, you're increasing the likelihood for its misinterpretation and becoming a party to potentially spreading disinformation. In a time when the truth or falsity of online information is constantly being questioned, pause to think before you tweet something without being absolutely clear about what that information is and where it's coming from.

Best Practice: Treat online content roughly the same way you'd treat print content.

Retweet from the OP (original poster)

As an addendum to the first guideline, I want to reiterate that you should retweet content from the original poster whenever possible. Why does that matter, you ask? Well, not only does it link people to the original source, which will allow them to evaluate its veracity, but it also boosts the visibility of the OP. If this person is another academic, someone who runs an organization, an artist, or whomever else, increasing traffic to their work can impact their career or even their livelihood. So part of respecting their work and contributing to the recognition of others' labor can be as simple as a retweet, rather than just a link or text-based mention.

Also, if someone turned you on to an article, a group, an idea, or something else, it can be polite to recognize them in your tweet with a "H/T" (hat tip), thanking them for introducing you to that content you're now posting. For example, "Here's an incredible article on what's going on in Hong Kong right now. H/T to @TwitterUserName for sending it my way." Yes, polite society can even exist on the internet!

Best Practice: Boost the work of others and give it the recognition it deserves.

Caution: The question of visibility and traffic can also be a double-edged sword. Sometimes you'll find that people have chosen to screencap a tweet and post a comment or criticism on it, rather than retweeting. This can be a strategic move to avoid giving space to certain people, particularly those who are posting hateful or offensive content. Maybe you don't want to drive clicks their way, and that can be a purposeful move on your part.

Mention or tag universities, organizations, etc. when tweeting about them

One form of lowstakes interaction that also contributes to boosting the visibility of (and good karma with) those organizations that help make academic work possible is to mention or tag those institutions when posting about them. If you're collaborating with a university, library, or other organization, if they've contributed to your work in some way, or any other type of connection, you may want to consider mentioning (@) or tagging them in a post that relates directly to them. Not only does this give recognition where due to the institutions that host or sponsor academic content, but also allows THEM to see that the work they've contributed to in some way is being seen. Many universities or grant-providing organizations want to see the outcomes of what they've supported, so knowing that the scholars or collaboratives they've invested in are actively participating in and being appreciated by various communities is much needed positive feedback. Protip: If you're tweeting about a book you're enjoying, you can include the twitter handle of the press! It can be helpful for both the press and the author to boost publicity and keep track of who reads their work.

Of course, don't go wild and over-tag someone or a specific group of people - remember that there are humans on the other side of this, and they'll be irritated if you're virtually waving your hands around, constantly trying to get their attention. Be as circumspect as you would with any other interaction.

Best Practice: Actively seek to expand your networks without overdoing it.

Use hashtags strategically

Hashtags can be a useful way to gain more visibility or start conversations, whether you're tapping into an existing community or trying to build one of your own. There are more general tags like #academictwitter or #librarytwitter that are fairly straightforward, or you might be looking for something more focused like #AcademicChatter that also has a dedicated account that acts as a landing pad for community conversations.

You may go more specific, as in the medieval studies community, which uses #medievaltwitter, or those in the history of disability studies (#dishist) or the history of medicine (#histmed). Finding where your people are can be a trial and error process, but don't be afraid to use the "Search Twitter" toolbar to poke around and see where people are. You can find out through a search how active certain ones are before you include them (or if they're being used for some other purpose). Some folks will know that the #AAS20XX tag passes from the American Auditory Society conference in early March to the Association for Asian Studies in late March, which makes looking through archives a little weird sometimes!

Be aware, though, that hashtag use is also an evolving thing. In Asian Studies, for example, racist hashtags started by right wing groups have ended up trending for seemingly strange reasons. In mid-2020 it took me a minute to figure out that there was a #JapaneseLivesMatter hashtag that started being used to post hateful content, only to be co-opted by online activists, who posted pictures of delicious food to flood the tag until it was unusable. It can be confusing when you're not used to twitter to see these sudden trends pop up and it can take some getting used to. Make sure you understand a hashtag before repeating it yourself.

Best Practice: Find where your people and communities are, but be careful to understand their contexts.

Livetweeting

As social media use and presence has increased for academics in recent years, livetweeting (that is, tweeting out information about an event as it's happening) has been a point of contention. Anyone can tweet anything and you can't really stop them. Should people who present at conferences or workshops have an expectation of privacy to their work? Some people say yes, and that conferences are already public or semi-public venues. Some people say no, because presentations of one's work can include unfinished or sensitive material that is only intended for that room. On the other side of this coin is that disseminating information that occurs at these venues is an equalizing force that increases accessibility, as not everyone in academia has the means to attend expensive conferences that take place all over the world.

There is no right answer as to whether we should or should not livetweet content. It's always going to be a matter of context. Has the person explicitly stated that they do or don't want you to circulate their materials? If they didn't, have you asked them? Is the content controversial and likely to put the person in danger if shared without their knowledge?

If you do livetweet (particularly if you don't have explicit permission from the speakers), you may want to consider the following:

convey primarily main arguments, the type of information that would be publicly available in an abstract

if you do convey specific details, do so sparingly-it may not be clear if the content you're sharing is at risk of being scooped by another scholar (which unfortunately does happen)

be wary of sharing images, in particular-some people have rights from archives or museums to use those images in their presentations, but not necessarily to circulate them on the web 1

be conscious of whether or not this person may want photos of THEMSELVES circulating online-if you noticed that they don't typically have professional photos up in any form, it may be for personal or safety reasons

Also, if you want to be livetweeted, mentioned, or followed, try to incorporate your twitter handle into your slides or specifically comment on your wishes so that people know.

These are just some general tips, and I'll add that I have also gone through a learning process with this and surely made some missteps of my own. Ideally, you want to be thinking about how you can convey the most important aspects of what you're hearing and how you can represent them responsibly, respectfully, and within the confines of the speaker's wishes without compromising their work.

Best Practice: Respect peoples' content and choices about digital visibility.

Be aware of your positionality

Positionality is an important part of considering what and how to tweet. By positionality, I mean your status or influence relative to another person. Are you a senior scholar tweeting about a graduate student's work? How will that affect their careers? How does gender, race, privilege, etc. factor into what is being said? Are you a graduate student tweeting at a published author with 70k followers about how their work is terrible? If they tweet back, are you putting yourself in the crosshairs of a large mob of devoted followers? This may be particularly the case for academic and non-academic interactions.

You may often hear the phrase "don't punch down" on Twitter. The Urban Dictionary definition for " punch down " is as follows:

For someone of higher rank, power, status, and position to engage someone of much lesser and/or inferior rank, status, power, and position in debate and/or argument. Not limited to just status, power, position, and rank but can and often do include intellect, capability, competence, and acumen.

In other words, think about the impact of what you're tweeting, and to whom, before you tweet. It's in bad form to punch down. Imagine the analog version of this: You're at a major conference in your field as a second year PhD student, giving your first presentation. In the Q&A, Senior Scholar goes on a More of a Comment Than a Question rant, in which they berate you for all of the things you don't cite and should know. All they've succeeded in doing is using their position as Senior Scholar who no one will question to embarrass and abuse a student in public. This person should know better than to be so uncollegial. Their harsh criticism could unduly damage your career. This person is punching down.

In the same vein, if you have a large following on social media, it's likely that you have a lot of dedicated followers who are ready to come to your aid if something seemingly goes awry. If you have 100k followers and post about how X person did Y and they should be punished, consider how that might incite online harassment. Suddenly X is receiving a wave of criticisms, retweets, direct messages, or sometimes even threats. Some people who become the target of harassment by an account with a large following even get doxxed or have their places of work contacted. The internet can be a dangerous place, so it's good to think about what you're wading into when you are or interact with big name accounts.

Being aware of your positionality on Twitter can come in many forms that echo the practices of being a good colleague and responsible human being in person. Hopefully you'd no more cast an acerbic comment at someone who doesn't deserve it than you would direct an angry mob at a passerby. If you wouldn't say or do it to someone in person, chances are Twitter might not be the best place for it either.

Best practice: If you wouldn't say it in person to a person's face, don't say it online. Be aware that professional relationships are just as complex online.

Don't be a "Reply Guy"

Don't be a Reply Guy. The Reply Guy phenomenon is so rampant on social media that the Women in Stem community made an entire chart outlining what they term " The Nine Types of Reply Guys," and it's been written about in GQ, on Mashable, in Men's Health, and lots of other places. I didn't make it up, I just experience it ( so please don't @ me if you're mad at the concept, friends).

What is a Reply Guy, you ask? A Reply Guy can be many things, but the basic definition is a person (typically, but not always, a man) who responds to tweets by another person (typically, but not always, a woman) in a way that: 1) may be overly familiar or overly frequent; 2) includes statements of perceived expertise on a topic, often that don't actually add to the conversation OR are intended as a corrective ("Well, actually..."); 3) proposes uninvited or unwelcome advice, often on something obvious to the OP; 4) redirects the conversation back to themselves, perhaps with an unrelated comment; 5) adopts a hostile or generally negative and unnecessary tone.

Often these types of responses are intended to elicit a response, to start an argument, or to generally be irritating. They tend to target women. Sometimes these are well-meaning comments, where people are just trying to help. But if the person is a literal expert in what you're replying to them about and wasn't seeking advice, you're just going to end up annoying them as they sit there thinking to themselves: "I KNOW. Why do they think I don't know this? Do they think I'm stupid?" You're probably asking yourself, How do I know if they do or don't want advice? I'm not a mind reader! Fair. But as I stated above, it's good to reflect on your positionality before you tweet. If you're worried that I might be talking about you, you can see Claire Lower's article " Don't Be a Reply Guy," which provides some helpful advice for thinking through your online interactions.

Anyone can be a Reply Guy. Just don't let it be you.

Best practice: Respect peoples' space online and don't always make it about you.

Avoid using makeshift italic and bold text

You may have noticed that occasionally people have tweets that include bold or italic text, which typically leads to intense jealousy and a burning desire to know how they did that. (WHY DOESN'T TWITTER HAVE MORE FUNCTIONALITY? we scream, also longing for an edit button.) There are websites that produce this bold or italic text and let you copy-paste it, BUT, you may want to think twice before you do.

This text is not created by applying design changes to your font, but by misusing scientific characters as if they were bold or italics. This makes it impossible for screen readers that visually impaired users rely on to accurately and coherently read the tweet. You can see an explanation about this here:

You 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 it's 𝒸𝓊𝓉ℯ to 𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 your tweets and usernames 𝖙𝖍𝖎𝖘 𝖜𝖆𝖞. But have you 𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙙 to what it 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 with assistive technologies like 𝓥𝓸𝓲𝓬𝓮𝓞𝓿𝓮𝓻? pic.twitter.com/CywCf1b3Lm
- Kent C. Dodds (@kentcdodds) January 9, 2019

I myself have been guilty of doing this in the past before I realized it was an issue, so now I avoid trying to hack Twitter's lack of functionality to get fancy-looking text. Having bold and italics is much less important than making content accessible to everyone. You can find other ways to improve Twitter accessibility online (thinking about emoji use, alt text, etc.), in this article that provides some quick tips.

Best practice: Consider accessibility issues that may arise from your tweet format.

Number long threads; try not to break mid-sentence if you can help it

On a more practical note, you may find that some people put numbers into their long threads, taking the form of something like "3/10" or "5/n" or "2/?" when they tweet. This is a relatively minor thing to worry about, but it's still worth mentioning. Adding numbers at the end of your tweets does a couple of things. First, it signals that there's more content coming, which is helpful if you're composing a thread in real time. Second, it lets someone know that your thought might be incomplete, which is useful if someone selectively retweets only a small portion of your thread.

Should you number short threads? That's up to you. You don't have to have numbers on anything at all. But they can be helpful if someone is scrolling quickly, sees a retweet of your content, and notices it's tweet 6 of 15. They might want to click and see the rest, knowing that there's more content there. In the same vein, if you can avoid breaking your sentences up in between tweets, that helps folks to follow your train of thought if someone is sharing your content.

Best practice: Make the order of your content easily understandable to readers.

Don't go mad with your tweet power

Now that you have a better understanding of how to be a successful academic tweeter, please don't go mad with power. It's important to maintain a good work-life balance and interact with the internet the right amount for you. Ideally, you also don't want to function like a spammer posting every 5 minutes about your great animal friends, new socks, or how they just don't make brooms to last anymore (they really don't, though, get an old straw one!). Ultimately, your amount of share and the level of intimacy you want to maintain with the public is up to you, but it's good to remember that Twitter can be another incarnation of our more familiar professional interactions, so to maintain a thriving and collegial community those rules of presence and respect should still apply.

Best practice: Do what's right for you and serves your goals, within reason.

By now you're probably thinking "Is this me?? Have I done these things?? Am I terrible??" and feeling a stab of anxiety (or five). But it's fine. The great thing about life is that we're always learning. Nobody expected you to jump onto Twitter as an expert. Or jump into academic communities as an expert! If you got this far reading, you've already demonstrated that you're interested in expanding your knowledge and being better where you can be, in becoming more aware of online social practices. It comes with the territory of learning new platforms and modes of interaction in academia, the internet, and other walks of life that we're always learning.

Hopefully what I've outlined above, though not exhaustive, will help you think more critically about the ways you interact with other human beings through this series of tubes, with positive outcomes. Being on social media does not come naturally to everyone and has its own sets of customs and practices. Not all of us may stick to the above suggestions 100% of the time, but it's important to know why they matter and how they affect others. So go forth and tweet away (if you want to)!

If you enjoyed this content, you can always support me via Kofi → While I like to make my content freely accessible, content creation is still labor, so sponsoring my caffeine is always greatly appreciated. Thanks for reading! 1

Last updated 2021.01.14
Images from iconmonstr.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
A Guide to Best Twitter Practices for Academics (and Everyone Else)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
I often receive questions from friends who are hesitant to get involved in social media (particularly platforms that can get as intense as Twitter) asking about best practices. How should they write posts? Should they link to something, or retweet it? Should they use hashtags more?

# data[].attributes.body
A guide to some of the core websites used by academics to find employment.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Job Sites for Academics

How do you find academic job advertisements? This is a question often posed to faculty mentors, fellow students, or colleagues when one is "on the market" or will soon be seeking employment. It circulates just as frequently on social media, where many turn to the community at large for assistance, especially those who may also be actively searching for a position or more attuned to job-related digital resources. In the process of collecting job market data for academic positions related to East Asia, I search a number of useful sites for locating positions as they become available. These sites are helpful to know about not only for those who are searching for academic jobs but also for those who may be starting to look elsewhere. Below, I provide a list of these resources with short descriptions of their content.

It is important to remember that not all jobs are posted in the same locations. Some sites allow institutions to advertise for free, while others charge a fee, which can vary from site to site. This means that not all open positions have equitable exposure, and no site can be comprehensive in its offerings. Similarly, some jobs ads circulate purely by word of mouth or via email (and, on occasion, this can be by design in order to limit the number of applicants or target a specific group). The sites I have outlined here are not all geared towards East Asia, although, working in the humanities and social sciences on Asia-related topics, I am also including those I frequent for my own purposes of job searches and data collection. If there are other sites that also fall into this area of interest that would be useful to list here, please feel free to contact me so that they can be added. Although it can seem like an intimidating task, job seekers will want to regularly check all of these sites for the latest advertisements. Relying solely on one or two sites, one might risk missing a job to which they are particularly suited or may want to explore further.

Humanities and Social Sciences Online (H-Net) is a non-profit scholarly association that maintains online networks (online forums and email listservs on many subfields and specific topics) for educators, students, and other professionals. H-Net maintains a job board of advertisements in the humanities from around the world. Institutions and companies must pay per advertisement to appear on the board, but it is free to viewers. The focus tends to be on academic positions such as professorships and postdoctoral fellowships, though sometimes it also contains administrative or editorial jobs. I have found its search feature sometimes iffy, so it's helpful to check this board regularly.

H-Asia, H-Japan, and other mailing lists

Although it can be an exercise in repetition for those who keep up with the job board, many of the individual H-Net mailing lists also post the "H-Net Job Guide Weekly Report," summarizing the latest job advertisements under subheadings by field. Subheadings such as "ASIAN HISTORY / STUDIES" or "JAPANESE HISTORY / STUDIES" can be helpful to be sure you haven't missed something in a field you're interested in.

Other specialist mailing lists, such as the Premodern Japanese Studies (PMJS), European Association Japanese Studies (EAJS), or Japan Art History Forum (JAHF) listservs, which can share job and postdoc advertisements that sometimes might otherwise not get circulated. I encourage you to find out if your subfield has such an online community.

The non-profit organization the Association for Asian Studies (AAS) maintains a job board that is available to subscribing members. After logging in, you can search job postings by a variety of specifications, though not every job posting uses all categories. Some jobs, especially those that are in Asia, are seeking Asia specialists in particular but not academic, or are government-oriented, may only post to the AAS job boards. One should be wary, though, that the maximum amount of time a job ad will appear on the board is 90 days, so it's helpful to check the board regularly and copy any information down for a posting that has a late deadline, as the link to it may disappear.

The JREC-IN Portal site is a Japanese search site (also available in English) that posts jobs for researchers, research assistants, technicians, and other professionals in Japan. The vast majority of job advertisements that go up are related to science and technology studies or laboratory work, but it also features many positions at Japanese universities that are not posted on other widely used sites. Because the postings are only Japan-specific in their location/institution, it may be possible to find other areas of interest, such as hires in Chinese or Korean Studies, linguistics, or interpretation. Remember that the Japanese hiring cycle does not match up with many others, so you may find advertisements there at unexpected times.

On The Chronicle of Higher Education 's job board you'll find categories for executive, administrative, faculty, and non-academic jobs. It features quite a large number of jobs in Asia, both in Asian Studies and other areas (such as ESL, STS, and more). Some jobs in Asia I've seen posted here don't make it to other boards, particularly recent advertisements for cluster hires at institutions in Korea and Hong Kong. This job board is one that frequently posts rolling applications for adjunct faculty, especially in foreign languages.

The HigherEd Jobs board features administrative, faculty, and executive positions from around the world. You'll find a healthy mix of traditional academic positions as well as ones for program directors or coordinators, consultants, laboratories, ESL instructors, and more. I've found that HigherEd Jobs is also one of the sites that often features rolling applications for adjunct faculty, especially in foreign languages.

As a historian, I was made aware of the American Historical Association (AHA) job board by colleagues in the field, but many of the listings there are not specific to just history. One might find job advertisements in public policy, research and academic programs, museums, or other administrative and academia-adjacent roles. It is useful, however, to find out what your field's equivalent of the AHA board is, if it has one (for example, the American Academy of Religion job board).

As the site name suggests, jobs.ac.uk provides information on jobs in the United Kingdom. One can search a wide variety of academic disciplines or fields of expertise on the site, and many of the job advertisements found there do not often circulate on other boards or websites, especially those for short-term opportunities.

The University Affairs job board is focused primarily on advertisements within Canada, but also features those outside of North America. Like many of the other sites aimed at a broad audience, one can search for administrative roles, faculty positions, postdoctoral fellowships, or research jobs, and many different postings outside of the humanities are included (though it is possible to narrow by a great number of disciplines in their search options).

The Academic Jobs Wiki has long been a contentious site. The wiki is divided into annual pages for specific disciplines and subfields (see for example, the page for Asian History 2019-2020). Its content is entirely sourced by (sometimes anonymous) users. Typically, people share the labor of putting up job advertisements in their specialization, which can help if an ad appeared on a site that you didn't know about or didn't have access to. Then, as the months go on, users who were rejected or received interviews anonymously put up the date of said event under each announcement (often adding something like "x2" or "x3" to add how many of them had the same notification), allowing others to gain a better sense of whether or not they've progressed or been rejected. Remember that anything posted is public.

This process is a source of stress for some and source of relief for others. One may find themselves religiously checking the board to find out if they've made it into the next round of a job search, generating more anxiety than they might have otherwise felt, or they may find that seeing an anonymous person got the interview when they themselves haven't heard back after months is a way for the viewer to finally let go of any hopes for that position and move on to something else. Particularly because academic institutions are known for ghosting potential job candidates (although we tend to take this personally when it happens to us, this is sometimes the product of restrictions imposed by HR), the wiki can be very helpful to offset the concern over whether a position has been filled or not. Moderators also try to keep those who post unhelpful or offensive comments to a minimum, but at times abuses of the wiki can happen, given that many people who are feeling the swirl of anxiety and pressure around the academic job market are convening on a forum where information relevant to their futures is concentrated.

Personally, I think that you should decide early on what the right relationship with the jobs wiki is for you. I checked it once a week to avoid the temptation to return every 6 hours. It's also worth noting, and this is purely anecdotal for Asian Studies, that I have seen a significant decline in participation in the pages relevant to me over the last two years. There is no way to know if the jobs wiki will become less reflective of current job opportunities in the future because of lack of user engagement, but one should not assume that because a job is not listed on the wiki that it does not exist or has been closed.

Finally, I will add that it's important to make yourself aware of many other opportunities that are outside of academia or are academia-adjacent, which may or may not appear on some of the sites above. On my blog, colleagues and I have also compiled a series of articles describing other sites that can be useful for those in Asian Studies or academia more broadly. Although these resources are focused on Japan-oriented positions, each page includes a different set of helpful sites anyone might be interested in exploring, including but not limited to those on jobs related to: non-profits, academia, bilingual positions, journalism, and more.

Happy hunting, and remember that this process is not one you embark on alone- relying on friends, colleagues, and mentors is crucial to assessing your future directions and handling them in a way that is productive and healthy for you.
I am grateful to the colleagues on Twitter who added to this list through online exchanges. If there is another site worth including above, please contact me and I will add it to this article.
Last updated 2020.09.28

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
How do you find academic job advertisements? This is a question often posed to faculty mentors, fellow students, or colleagues when one is "on the market" or will soon be seeking employment. It circulates just as frequently on social media, where many turn to the community at large for assistance, especially those who may also be actively searching for a position or more attuned to job-related digital resources.

# data[].attributes.headline
Interview: "The Rebirth of Japanese Studies" on the Japan on the Record Podcast

# data[].attributes.subject
Interview: "The Rebirth of Japanese Studies" on the Japan on the Record Podcast

# data[].attributes.body
A podcast interview on the state of Japanese Studies and conducting a virtual roundtable.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The Rebirth of Japanese Studies on the Record with Dr. Paula R. Curtis (Yale)

In this episode, Dr. Curtis (Yale) discusses the "rebirth" of Japanese Studies in light of recent challenges confronting academia around the world and offers thoughts on how scholars can work together to rebuild a more inclusive academic environment.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Rebirth of Japanese Studies on the Record with Dr. Paula R. Curtis (Yale) | Japan on the Record

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
In this episode, Dr. Curtis (Yale) discusses the "rebirth" of Japanese Studies in light of recent challenges confronting academia around the world and offers thoughts on how scholars can work together to rebuild a more inclusive academic environment.

# data[].attributes.body
A short thread for the #MuseumsUnlocked event on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/paularcurtis/status/1325426838735294464

# data[].attributes.body
I use the hashtag #medievalbells to share tidbits from my ongoing research into the material history of metal casting in medieval Japan.

# data[].attributes.headline
Virtual Roundtable: The "Rebirth" of Japanese Studies

# data[].attributes.subject
Virtual Roundtable: The "Rebirth" of Japanese Studies

# data[].attributes.body
A virtual roundtable organized after the cancellation of the Association for Asian Studies conference 2020. Participants discuss the current challenges to the Japan Studies field and possible avenues to pursue future collaboration and growth in the field.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Virtual Roundtable:
The "Rebirth" of Japanese Studies

Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the Association for Asian Studies (AAS) 2020 conference was cancelled. I organized the roundtable session on The "Rebirth" of Japanese Studies, which participants looked forward to as a way to prompt important conversations on the state of the Japan Studies field at present as well as its future directions. These dialogues are urgent perhaps now more than ever.

I have made this page as a sort of "virtual roundtable" that showcases comments from some of the original discussants. It also provides a space for responses from and engagement with others in the field. As is explained in further detail below, written submissions on the roundtable's topics will be allowed for 2-3 limited periods and posted publicly. Although we cannot recreate the dynamic environment of face-to-face discussion, I hope that through this platform and digital engagement we can contribute a venue for open and equitable reflections on the state of the Japan Studies field. At the same time, these pages present a record of thoughts and ideas about our present moment while suggesting ways Japan Studies can productively move forward as a community. To read a more in-depth explanation of the roundtable's origins and goals, please see " Embracing the Rebirth of Japanese Studies " on the Association for Asian Studies' #AsiaNow blog.

The original participants and abstract are as follows:

Organizer: Paula R. Curtis (Yale University)
Chair: Laura Miller (University of Missouri-St. Louis)
Discussants:

Ioannis Gaitanidis (Chiba University, Japan)

Melinda Landeck (Austin College)

Mark Pendleton (University of Sheffield, United Kingdom)

Takeshi Watanabe (Wesleyan University)

Christina Yi (University of British Columbia, Canada)

Abstract:
The 2019 "Death of Japanese Studies" panel began an important dialogue on issues facing Japan-related scholars and educators, particularly as the field has evolved in response to geopolitical and intellectual circumstances. Junior scholars face new and pressing challenges that require a fundamental reconceptualization of the "Japan" of our work, how institutional concerns alter the contours and security of our positions, and what the implications of these changes are on the survival of the field. If the Japanese Studies rooted in post-WWII needs, Cold War mentalities, and "Cool Japan" has, indeed, died, then are we in a moment of the "rebirth" of Japanese Studies? How can we approach the present transformations in more inclusive and diverse ways that address the rise of a new kind of Japanese (and Asian) Studies more broadly even as the support for and from the academy is in decline? What does this balancing act and the state of Japanese Studies look like at institutions across the globe with different pedagogical and research priorities, particularly when the humanities and social sciences (including area studies) are increasingly devalued? How can we contend with diminishing enrollments in regional specialization courses amid the rising demand for global studies hires? Of particular concern is how these changes affect the future prospects and training of the next generation of researchers and educators. This roundtable of early career scholars working in the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Japan, will discuss these concerns and their own experiences with an eye towards brainstorming practical solutions with the wider community.

Out of respect for the current challenges many are facing in a time of global pandemic, it was not required for all participants to provide their original statements for the roundtable. Those who were able to contribute are provided below. Some writers chose to preserve the comments originally prepared for AAS and append further reflections in the post-COVID-19 environment, while others addressed our changed circumstances throughout their statement. Readers may also be interested in my compilation of data for the academic year 2019-2020's job market as it pertains to Japan and East Asia.

Click on each of the buttons below to view individual discussant comments. Click the darker "How to Submit a Response" button for instructions on contributing your own statement to the virtual roundtable.

Laura Miller Ioannis Gaitanidis Melinda Landeck Mark Pendleton Takeshi Watanabe

Responses: Round 1 How to Submit a Response

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the Association for Asian Studies (AAS) 2020 conference was cancelled. I organized the roundtable session on The "Rebirth" of Japanese Studies, which participants looked forward to as a way to prompt important conversations on the state of the Japan Studies field at present as well as its future directions.

# data[].attributes.headline
Digital Humanities Japan: Building Community and Sharing Resources

# data[].attributes.subject
Digital Humanities Japan: Building Community and Sharing Resources

# data[].attributes.body
An article written for The Digital Orientalist on the establishment, purpose, and goals of the growing Digital Humanities Japan community.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
This week's post has been contributed by Paula R. Curtis, Hoyt Long, Molly Des Jardin and Mark Ravina. Information about the authors is included at the end of post.

In 2016, " The Impact of the Digital in Japanese Studies " workshop met at the University of Chicago for the first time. This gathering brought together Japan Studies researchers with different projects and needs who engaged (or were looking to engage) with digital methods. We discussed a wide variety of undertakings: creating pattern recognition software for teaching classical poetry, tackling analysis of political speeches, the barriers faced when making data requests of copyrighted Japanese materials, the ethics of data extraction, and more. The knowledge and conversations shared at this event led organizers and participants to realize that there was a burgeoning digital humanities community within Japan Studies that was scattered across institutions and specializations. Even now, the number of scholars embracing digital methods in the field is increasing, but communication and awareness of others with similar interests remains a major obstacle. There is a pressing need for an inclusive space for collaboration across disciplinary, geographic, and linguistic boundaries.

As an outgrowth of subsequent events and discussions, several participants from the original workshop are now collaborating on the Digital Humanities Japan initiative, an international and interdisciplinary community for anyone interested in working with digital methods, tools, and resources in connection with Japan Studies. Although DH Japan is just starting out as a platform to foster cooperation, dialogues, and events, we have begun creating a variety of resources to promote digitally-inflected work in the Japan community.
Resources and Community
In addition to a mailing list, where members can post announcements, hold discussions, or ask questions related to digital work on Japan, DH Japan also maintains an events page where we post workshops, symposia, and conference announcements (send us your event!) and we also curate a growing Wiki.

The Digital Humanities Japan Wiki is only in its beginning stages, but it already features a number of resources that we hope will continue to grow and encourage more interconnectivity among our colleagues around the globe. In addition to listing organizations and conferences that work with Japan-related data acquisition, processing, and analysis, DH Japan hosts a Scholar Directory where researchers can list themselves, their skills, and their current projects and affiliations, bringing more visibility to potential future collaborators and their ongoing work.

With interest in teaching digital methods that are inclusive of languages beyond English on the rise, we also provide an ongoing list of publications directly related to digital methods and Japan, translations of commonly used terminology in the digital humanities, and syllabi on Japan/East Asia and DH, all of which will help instructors to more readily integrate these materials into their current curricula and address the needs of interested students. To that end, we also have an expanding section for tutorials on Japan-specific digital tools and methods that features text mining, IIIF, text segmentation, and more. These kinds of tutorials are often located in the library guides of institutions or on personal portfolios, which can make them difficult to find for the casual searcher.

It can also be notoriously difficult to figure out where certain databases and datasets produced by Japanese organizations are provided, so one of our goals in the long-term is to serve as a centralized location for this information. In the same vein, many Japan-specific digital analysis tools are produced by independent developers and therefore fly under the radar of Japan Studies people just breaking into DH, so our growing list will undoubtedly be a helpful place to start. The same page also features a general digital tools list (divided into categories for mapping, timelines, data cleaning, text analysis, and more) that will hopefully become more comprehensive as time goes on.

Going Forward
As with any academic project, the biggest challenges to developing digital resources are creation and long-term management and preservation-How do we encourage community participation? How do we keep up with rapidly appearing digital resources? In the spirit of collaboration, we have made the Digital Humanities Japan wiki open to contributions, and we encourage people to submit the websites, tools, and publications that they produce or use.

We are presently in the process of developing more platforms for exchange, such as a multilingual blog where people can introduce their individual or institutional projects, provide tutorials for tools, submit conference reviews, and more. We also hope to continue offering funded workshops on Japan-related digital skills and to help support the expansion of these projects and presentations to a variety of institutions and conferences in the future. The Digital Humanities Japan initiative is still working to bring more diverse and international voices to our conversations, and we hope that if we build it, our talented colleagues will come.
Events Hosted by DH Japan Participants as of 2020:

Impact of the Digital in Japanese Studies, University of Chicago, 2016

Japanese Text Mining Workshop, Emory University, 2017

The Impact of the Digital on Japanese Studies, Redux, University of Chicago, 2018

Digital Humanities for Research in East Asian Religions Workshop, McMaster University, 2018

Japanese Language Text Mining: Digital Humanities Methods for Japanese Studies Workshop, University of Chicago, 2020

====
During its early stages of development, Digital Humanities Japan is being developed by Paula R. Curtis, Hoyt Long (University of Chicago), Molly Des Jardin, and Mark Ravina (University of Texas at Austin). More information on DH Japan can be found at https://dhjapan.org/Paula R. Curtis Hoyt Long is Associate Professor of Japanese Literature in East Asian Languages and Civilizations at the University of Chicago. His research and teaching span the fields of media studies, book history, sociology of culture, and computational approaches to literary history. His forthcoming book argues for the value of quantitative methods in telling the history of modern Japanese literature. Molly Des Jardin Mark Ravina is Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Chair in Japanese Studies at the University of Texas, Austin. His specialty is Japanese history, especially eighteenth and nineteenth-century politics, but his broader methodological interest is in the transnational and international dimension of state-building. His third book, To Stand with the Nations of the World: Japan's Meiji Restoration as World History was published in 2017 by Oxford University Press and won the best book prize of the Southeast Conference of the Association for Asian Studies. He is currently text-mining petitions from the Freedom and Popular Rights Movement 自由民権運動. has an interdisciplinary background and circuitous career path, earning degrees in both Asian studies (PhD) and computer/information science (BS, MSI) along the way. This experience drew her to work on strategies specific to using digital methods with East Asian sources, and she developed and taught the first English-language survey course on East Asian DH in 2018 at the University of Pennsylvania. Formerly a librarian, she now works in data science and software development, and continues research on modern Japanese book and media history as an independent scholar. is currently a Postdoctoral Research Associate and Lecturer in History at Yale University. Her research focuses on socioeconomic networks, metal casters, patronage, and documentary forgery in medieval Japan. She also runs the blog What can I do with a B.A. in Japanese Studies?, maintains a database on English-language resources for East Asian Studies, and maintains Carving Community: the Landis-Hiroi Collection, an oral history project and digital archive. . To follow more current Japan-related DH events, refer to the #DHJPN hashtag on Twitter.
====

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.authors[].name
View all posts by The Digital Orientalist

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Digital Humanities Japan: Building Community and Sharing Resources

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This week's post has been contributed by Paula R. Curtis, Hoyt Long, Molly Des Jardin and Mark Ravina. Information about the authors is included at the end of post. In 2016, "The Impact of the Digital in Japanese Studies" workshop met at the University of Chicago for the first time.

# data[].attributes.headline
Japan- and East Asia-related Job Market Data Visualizations (2019-2020)

# data[].attributes.subject
Japan- and East Asia-related Job Market Data Visualizations (2019-2020)

# data[].attributes.body
This page compiles information and visualizations on academic-oriented job postings related to Japan and East Asia for the 2019-2020 season. Data was compiled for the job season from roughly August 2019 to April 2020.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Japan- and East Asia-related Job Market Data Visualizations (2019-2020)

This page compiles information and visualizations on academic-oriented job postings related to East Asia and Japan for the 2019-2020 season (from roughly August to April).

The ongoing state of crisis in academia over the last decade has fostered numerous conversations among academic circles and publications about the viability of continuing to graduate a high volume of PhDs within institutional environments that offer fewer and fewer tenure-track positions. From these despairing depths, incredibly valuable dialogues have been born on what it means to " go alt-ac" or " academic adjacent" and the cost of short- and long-term contingent positions on career and life stability, mental health, teaching, research practices, and the larger academic profession.

Amidst these questions, some have tried to find silver linings; Inside Higher Ed, for example, declared that the job market for historians was stabilizing, while the image of what "stable" looks like continues to be bleak:

American Historical Association (AHA) Jobs Report 2020

Everyone wants to know, of course, what this means for their own field of study. In East Asian Studies, and especially from the perspective of Japan Studies, there has been much interest in how the field has changed from its earliest days under postwar and Cold War politics, through the "Cool Japan" boom, and into our current circumstances with the balance of hard and soft power shifting yet again in East Asia. At the 2019 Association for Asian Studies (AAS), the "Death of Japanese Studies" panel began a conversation about the issues currently facing Japan-related scholars and educators. In anticipation of continuing this dialogue through The "Rebirth" of Japanese Studies roundtable I organized for AAS 2020 (now converted to a virtual format), I compiled the data on East Asia- and Japan-related job postings provided on this page. I organized data into seven categories: Location, Desired Region, Desired Discipline, Period, Track, School Type, and Public/Private. Within each category, I created a labeling system for visualization.

The academic job market will be even more challenging and unpredictable in the coming years, as many institutions have announced hiring freezes while they attempt to recover from the financial aftermath of COVID-19. I hope that the information provided on this page and the virtual roundtable will facilitate further dialogue on current and future developments in the Japan and East Asian Studies fields.

About the Data: Sources

The data gathered for this exploration originated from several sites:

This data should NOT be considered 100% comprehensive (see caveats below), merely reflective of information provided on some of the most commonly-used job search portals for academic postings related to East Asia. 1

About the Data: Caveats

First, let me say that data is messy. This is a reflection on the job ads themselves, which are even messier. A job ad might ask for something fairly specific, like a historian of contemporary China focusing on the environmental humanities, or simply list "East Asian Studies" with no additional information on a desired time period, specialization, or other qualifications. Because job ads are inconsistent in the terminology used to describe some academic positions, I have chosen not to do a vocabulary-based comparison on desired disciplinary expertise. For the purposes of producing this dataset, job ad language was taken at face value, and cannot account for any internal criteria that informed the scope of searches. How data is represented is also interpreted through the compiler. Others might have organized or categorized this data differently than I have.

The data presented here is also reflective of both an English-language and North American bias, as many of the sites examined tend to focus on those positions, and others presented in other languages are only infrequently submitted to these venues. Some postings also may pass through informal channels only or through alternative lists to which I do not have access. Furthermore, some schools either do not or cannot afford to post their job openings through more widely-known channels.

This list also may not be exhaustive with regards to jobs that one might consider "alt-ac" or "academic adjacent," as I focused to the best of my ability on those ads that readily circulated among Asian Studies circles. In some cases, job postings may have been removed after their deadline passed or when the position was filled, leading to the disappearance of more specific information on their content. I incorporated advertisements posted between June 1, 2019 and April 29, 2020. Data was collected throughout spring 2020. 2

Please note that because of the COVID-19 pandemic, some institutions cut their hiring seasons short in March 2020.

About the Data: Cleaning and Organization

In an effort to produce meaningful visualizations comparing different job ads, I created seven different data categories. To review what each category and its accompanying labels mean (and how they were determined), click each of the tabs below.

The Data

Please review the caveats and labeling system provided above before viewing the data in order to best understand how and why it has been cleaned and organized as presented below. Due to the temporary nature of job ads circulated online, particularly on platforms that delete completed postings or do not provide access to their posts after a certain number of months, I have chosen not to attempt a comparison with last year's job season, as it may be highly inaccurate.

Below, I have created numerous (though not necessarily exhaustive) visualizations based on my data using Tableau Public. Please note that postdocs were counted by the number of positions offered at a single university. For example, Yale University's Council on East Asian Studies hires four postdocs per year, so this is counted as four positions.

The following visualization is an interactive map of all East Asia-related job postings by discipline, track, and location. Clicking on information in the upper portion of the visualization or on the map below will generate its linked data across other fields. Hover over data points on the map to reveal information on the data point provided. Zooming in or out is also possible. Points on the map are sized to frequency, so a place with more jobs postings will appear larger than other points. Click the title of the subcategory you're filtering or white space on within the area of the visualization you originally selected to void your selection and start over. Tableau Public can be finicky, so it may take a little experimentation. If interactive visualizations lag or generate an error, please refresh the page.

Considering all jobs, including those that do not necessarily fall into primarily academic fields, expertise in China was the leading area of interest, followed by Japan and East Asia or Asia in general.

The visualizations below provide a selection of comparative perspectives across regional and disciplinary specialization, with a focus on Northeast Asia, the humanities, and language.

The visualizations above do not include ads seeking specialization in multiple regions. The data includes institutions across the globe. China-related job ads were most prevalent in general East Asian or Asian Studies fields (concentrated on postdoctoral research positions) and followed by language positions and literature & culture-focused jobs. Interest in literature & culture was significantly higher for Japan-related job ads, followed by language. Korean Studies, which has been growing in recent years, shows an increased interest in offering students Korean language.

As a historian of Japan, I found it surprising that only three institutions (University of Leiden, Hiroshima University, and Pacific University) advertised explicitly Japan-focused jobs in History, though the two TT positions were outside of the US. No tenure-track faculty jobs in exclusively Japanese history were offered in North America for the 2019-2020 season. 3

The above visualization combines both generalist East Asian/Asian Studies positions and Literature & Culture positions, as these frequently overlap in job advertisements. In this area, worldwide the demand for Japan specialists outstripped China in tenure-track positions, and Korean Studies shows a growing interest in the area of culture and literature. Although Korean History had only 1 TT job ad, culture/literature had 7 TT job ads. For a chart of East Asia-related job ads of this kind specifically in North America, see the visualization I created for Melinda Landeck's roundtable statement.

Among jobs advertisements world-wide, Chinese language was in the highest demand for the 2019-2020 season. Contingent language positions were more than triple the number of available tenure-track positions.

As for the desired time period of specialization in job ads, modern positions or positions with no stated preference dominated the 2019-2020 season across all disciplinary categories. This trend remained true regardless of tenure- or non-tenure-track jobs. For a more in-depth examination of trends based on time period of specialization, see this page.

R1 (very high research) institutions offered the most jobs for the 2019-2020 season, although this is not always the case. Filtering for US results, for example, shows that while R1 institutions offered the same number of TT (44) and non-TT positions (44) the number small liberal arts colleges offering non-TT positions (26) were double that of TT (13), which in some cases may suggest positions were being temporarily filled while seeking approval for tenure-track lines in the following year.

Overall, job advertisements for public institutions and private institutions were roughly equal. In the US, where the most jobs were advertised, private institutions exceeded public institutions.

As stated above, the ephemeral nature of job ads makes it difficult to create any meaningful comparison across job seasons, as there is no guarantee that reliable data survives for the 2018-2019 season or earlier. However, as these visualizations have shown, it is possible to compare various parameters of the 2019-2020 data with the abovementioned caveats in mind.

The outbreak of COVID-19 has had a significant impact on hiring at educational institutions, the impact of which is already being felt as job searches have been postponed or cancelled and hiring freezes implemented for the next 1-2 years (if not more). Where this will leave prospective candidates in the coming years is uncertain, and comparisons of the trends above with future data will need to take these dramatic changes into account. Nevertheless, I hope that the above information will be instructive of the particular moment in time it represents. I encourage readers to review comments by panelists on the state of the field submitted to the virtual roundtable The "Rebirth" of Japanese Studies and reflect with colleagues on these and future paths in the Japan Studies and East Asian Studies fields.

Please link and provide credit when reposting.

A special thank you to Tristan Grunow and Jooyeon Hahm for their assistance reviewing the content of this page.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This page compiles information and visualizations on academic-oriented job postings related to East Asia and Japan for the 2019-2020 season (from roughly August to April). The ongoing state of crisis in academia over the last decade has fostered numerous conversations among academic circles and publications about the viability of continuing to graduate a high volume of PhDs within institutional environments that offer fewer and fewer tenure-track positions.

# data[].attributes.headline
Embracing the Rebirth of Japanese Studies

# data[].attributes.subject
Embracing the Rebirth of Japanese Studies

# data[].attributes.body
Ant for the Association for Asian Studies' #AsiaNow blog discussing the virtual roundtable I organized, The "Rebirth" of Japanese Studies for AAS 2020.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
By Paula R. Curtis
Is Japanese Studies facing a crisis? There have been energetic discussions about the current status and future of Japanese Studies, amplified in no small part by the roundtable "TheDeath of Japan Studies" at the 2019 Association for Asian Studies conference in Denver. Speakers considered various influences on the field, from the impact of geopolitics and the "rise of China" to post-Orientalist critiques of area studies and broader decline of the humanities. Attendees, though struck by the provocative title, were hesitant to outright declare our field dead. Who wouldn't be? But if the Japanese Studies rooted in post-WWII needs, Cold War mentalities, and "Cool Japan" has, indeed, died, then are we in a moment of its "rebirth"?

This was the issue raised in our 2020 roundtable, "The 'Rebirth' of Japanese Studies", which I organized with discussants Melinda Landeck (Austin College), Takeshi Watanabe (Wesleyan University), Christina Yi (University of British Columbia), Ioannis Gaitanidis (Chiba University), and Mark Pendleton (University of Sheffield), with Laura Miller (University of Missouri-St. Louis) as chair. Due to the outbreak of COVID-19, we agreed to move to a virtual format, which would allow asynchronous participation from quarantined homes wherever people are social distancing across the globe. In the face of a global pandemic and the precarious precipice upon which academics currently find ourselves, it can be difficult for some to imagine that these questions are pressing. And yet, if the very fabric of our institutions and profession at large are enduring an unrivaled transformation, if not now, when?

Japanese Studies in Crisis

Crisis, of course, is nothing new to academics, who face ongoing struggles inside and outside the world of education and research every day, fighting for equality, fair compensation, and for the value of their work in the private and public eye. The pandemic, threatening the closure of smaller colleges and resulting in hiring freezes at even the wealthiest universities, has only deepened our fears, our anger, and, often, our sense of despair. Last year, "The Death of Japan Studies" tapped into those underlying foundations; the room was packed to capacity, with some 100 seats filled and many people sitting on the floor. Before the panel started, conference security closed the doors and turned people away. The title had done its job.

The conversations that followed were valuable, with scholars from the United States, Canada, Europe, and Australia providing context on the state of Japanese Studies in their particular location or institution, highlighting issues such as the comparatively low number of Japanese Studies scholars in Europe; a lack of resources (and in turn, jobs) in Canada; the treatment of area studies as a data-driven industry by American institutions; and the loss of dedicated Japanese language and Area Studies programs in Australia hindering transnational research. Some audience members lamented that departments were turning to disciplinary or temporal terms in their job searches-environment, early modern, world-while others countered that one of our most important tasks was in fact for Japan specialists to pursue these positions. Others proposed that the "rise of China" is pushing Japan out, while some noted that overseas students, especially Chinese, now comprise the largest percentage of students in Japanese classes. One attendee noted that Japanese universities and the role of native and non-native instructors in Japan had been markedly absent from the discussion.

"The Death of Japan Studies" began an important dialogue, demonstrating the importance of reflecting on where we have been, and the history that brought us to our present moment. And yet, leaving the panel, many expressed frustration; they sought a further discussion of institutional roadblocks and the conditions facing recent graduate students and contingent faculty, of how we might justify Japanese Studies to disciplinary departments, or shape courses and research in a way that will fit new patterns in area studies. They wanted to think through solutions for the future.

Towards a "Rebirth"

" The 'Rebirth' of Japanese Studies," which features early career scholars from the United States, Canada, Japan, and the United Kingdom, seeks to continue these exchanges on the state of the field, with a special emphasis on discussion prompted by diverse early career scholars. The larger goal of this roundtable is to not stop at identifying problems and observed changes, but to engage with one another, to brainstorm practical solutions with the wider community, and to consider future directions for the field.

Statements by panelists reflect their individual locales, but also hit upon intersecting themes common to academics in Japanese and East Asian Studies worldwide: the effects of globalization on institutional requirements and the makeup of the student body, how to grapple with personal identities in teaching, seeing the value and fulfillment in career paths outside the "ivory tower" mindset of large private research institutions, and creating inclusive work environments with sustainable employment opportunities. Gaitanidis notes increasingly global-oriented trends in Japan, with new opportunities for Japan specialists from other countries to use transdisciplinary approaches to teaching critical thinking through case-studies from Japan, a "rebirth" present when we grapple with its meaning in the classroom. Watanabe echoes this sentiment, reflecting on his own experiences as an Asian American teaching both Japan and East Asia at large. He identifies the delicate negotiations of identity that inform our teaching, which is defined by both what we bring to the classroom and the (increasingly international) students we teach, where educators have the challenge and privilege of empowering students to use their own identities to reflect on Asia and its relevance in the world.

Student-centered teaching is also addressed by Landeck, who urges those at major institutions producing the next generation of scholars to take small liberal arts colleges seriously as important sites of professional development, pedagogy, and research, preparing young scholars early on to step outside of Japan and their own disciplines; only through diverse training are we capable of modeling for future mentees how a humanities education is valuable and capable of providing leadership and critical thinking skills also useful outside of academe. Pendleton, too, problematizes who is included and excluded in our "Japanese Studies" by considering the origins of Sheffield's programs and reflecting on how scholars have worked to redefine "area studies" in a more equitable way, a battle that is far from over. He advocates for a Japanese Studies that is more fluid in its conceptualization of transdisciplinary boundaries and transregional approaches to education and scholarship, and which tackles broader issues in the education system to support those in the most vulnerable positions who are nevertheless at the vanguard of new developments in pedagogy and research.

Miller's reflections put these many comments into perspective, stating "It is crucial to acknowledge that early and mid-career scholars in particular are concerned with changes that many senior scholars did not face. The problems we confront are tied to trends in higher education that impact all social science and humanities faculty, not only Japan specialists." She insists that what is needed is to foster communication, collaboration, and accessibility in our efforts, both among students and colleagues. These are ideals our roundtable seeks to highlight, inspire, and manifest. They are crucial to the many cycles of rebirth that Japanese Studies face now and will inevitably face again as the world around us changes.

Many of the challenges we encounter now are indeed different from those that came before. And, assuredly, scholars of many different regional and disciplinary specializations share them. But it is also just as critical to remember that we are a community, linked by the fluid, ever-evolving canopy of "Japanese Studies," and it is in the professional and personal ties we have to one another that we might find a starting point to tackle broader systemic issues and the changing demands of our field.

Generating Data, Going Digital

Most graduate students and early career scholars today know the emotional and mental weight of a "bad year" in job opportunities. They find themselves caught between anecdotal evidence from advisors, fellow applicants, and online media outlets about the relative health or affliction of the market, unsure of whose perspective on which to rely. Having been through that process myself, another one of my goals for this roundtable was to track the East Asia-related job market for the academic year 2019-2020 and make that data available publicly for consideration. How many jobs were there in Japanese history this year? Literature? East Asian Studies? Where were they located? How many were tenure track?

I created a series of interactive visualizations that allow people to explore the information relevant to them-discipline, institutional location, time period, tenured or contingent position, etc. Tracking this kind of data is useful beyond individual curiosity; departments and institutional administrations often make decisions about what disciplines and regions of study to support by the numbers. Any arguments we, as grant writers and advocates for the opening of new lines or curricula development, need to be able to make evidenced arguments about what areas of East Asian Studies are the most vibrant, currently growing, or in need of further support.

A complementary examination of the data would not have been fully possible if our roundtable had been held in person at the Boston AAS gathering. Shifting to a virtual format for the presentation of the data and discussant comments does have its drawbacks, as there is nothing quite like exchanging ideas face-to-face, but there are also notable benefits. In addition to allowing a more detailed articulation of thoughts, this format is more accessible to a variety of participants. Graduate students, contingent faculty, early career scholars, scholars overseas, or others who for reasons of personal obligations, disability, or a lack of institutional support may be unable to undertake expensive and distant travel to a conference might never have had the ability to sit in that room in Boston and be heard. Furthermore, many of these individuals are also among the most hesitant to publicly take part in such dialogues, due to potential negative career effects when airing their grievances. For this reason, I made anonymous responses allowed for the virtual roundtable. In order to facilitate ongoing interaction to participant statements, responses will be publicly posted every two weeks, with two (or, if interest continues, three) rounds of replies to featured roundtable submissions.

If you build it, will they come?

The site received some 2,300 visits in the first three days of the virtual roundtable and data visualizations going live, with the data page (arguably aimed at a wider audience) only receiving about 500 more hits than the roundtable. One of the greatest challenges to a virtual format is soliciting participation-it is easier to ignore an email or a Twitter post than colleagues in a crowded conference room, and the lack of immediate response and validation to one's thoughts will certainly dissuade some people from writing. However, I feel confident we will continue to generate fruitful engagement in the weeks to come. In the first round of responses, we received nineteen responses from colleagues in the United States, Japan, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom. The next round is now open for replies.

Faced with trying circumstances, we are all eager to convey criticisms, to air frustrations, to give voice to the anxieties that we feel, and speak longingly of a time before-but it is to our community's benefit to not stop there, to work together to articulate strengths, propose solutions, and challenge ourselves and others to implement them. We urge you to add your voice to the roundtable and reflect with us on how we can each use our own bodies of knowledge and privilege to continue to build a vibrant, collaborative, and international Japanese Studies community.
The "Rebirth" of Japanese Studies Paula R. Curtis is a postdoctoral research associate and lecturer in history at Yale University. is currently in Round 2 of submissions; a third round may be added, pending further interest. The deadline for Round 2 is May 30, 12pm EST. Submissions can be made .

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Embracing the Rebirth of Japanese Studies - Association for Asian Studies

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
By Paula R. Curtis Is Japanese Studies facing a crisis? There have been energetic discussions about the current status and future of Japanese Studies, amplified in no small part by the roundtable "The Death of Japan Studies" at the 2019 Association for Asian Studies conference in Denver.

# data[].attributes.headline
Unflattering portrait of Matsunaga Hisahide discovered

# data[].attributes.subject
Unflattering portrait of Matsunaga Hisahide discovered

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.text
A hanging scroll portrait of the late medieval warrior Matsunaga Hisahide (1510-1577) has been found that depicts him with thick lips and protruding teeth, surprising researchers. Until now the best known images of Hisahide were dramatized Edo-period nishikie (right). #medieval

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.original_text
A hanging scroll portrait of the late medieval warrior Matsunaga Hisahide (1510-1577) has been found that depicts him with thick lips and protruding teeth, surprising researchers. Until now the best known images of Hisahide were dramatized Edo-period nishikie (right). #medieval https://t.co/2K58JZ6rPA

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.embed_code
A hanging scroll portrait of the late medieval warrior Matsunaga Hisahide (1510-1577) has been found that depicts him with thick lips and protruding teeth, surprising researchers. Until now the best known images of Hisahide were dramatized Edo-period nishikie (right). #medieval pic.twitter.com/2K58JZ6rPA
— Dr. Paula R. Curtis (@paularcurtis) March 4, 2020

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props_source.data.text
A hanging scroll portrait of the late medieval warrior Matsunaga Hisahide (1510-1577) has been found that depicts him with thick lips and protruding teeth, surprising researchers. Until now the best known images of Hisahide were dramatized Edo-period nishikie (right). #medieval https://t.co/2K58JZ6rPA

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.original_text
A hanging scroll portrait of the late medieval warrior Matsunaga Hisahide (1510-1577) has been found that depicts him with thick lips and protruding teeth, surprising researchers. Until now the best known images of Hisahide were dramatized Edo-period nishikie (right). #medieval https://t.co/2K58JZ6rPA

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.text
A hanging scroll portrait of the late medieval warrior Matsunaga Hisahide (1510-1577) has been found that depicts him with thick lips and protruding teeth, surprising researchers. Until now the best known images of Hisahide were dramatized Edo-period nishikie (right). #medieval

# data[].attributes.headline
Week-long public engagement project on the rotating Tweeting Historians twitter account.

# data[].attributes.subject
Week-long public engagement project on the rotating Tweeting Historians twitter account.

# data[].attributes.body
A week of tweets on premodern Japanese history aimed a public and non-specialist audience.

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.text
Happy Sunday, #twitterstorians! Want to know what you missed this week @Tweetistorian? Let’s do master threads for the two tracks that we traveled through premodern Japan over the last 7 days! 🗾 #history #Japan #globalmiddleages

Here are the threads done by me, @paularcurtis:

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.original_text
Happy Sunday, #twitterstorians! Want to know what you missed this week @Tweetistorian? Let’s do master threads for the two tracks that we traveled through premodern Japan over the last 7 days! 🗾 #history #Japan #globalmiddleages

Here are the threads done by me, @paularcurtis: https://t.co/qlIv6Nkm7D

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.embed_code
Happy Sunday, #twitterstorians! Want to know what you missed this week @Tweetistorian? Let’s do master threads for the two tracks that we traveled through premodern Japan over the last 7 days! 🗾 #history #Japan #globalmiddleages

Here are the threads done by me, @paularcurtis: pic.twitter.com/qlIv6Nkm7D
— Tweeting Historians (@Tweetistorian) December 22, 2019

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props_source.data.text
Happy Sunday, #twitterstorians! Want to know what you missed this week @Tweetistorian? Let’s do master threads for the two tracks that we traveled through premodern Japan over the last 7 days! 🗾 #history #Japan #globalmiddleages

Here are the threads done by me, @paularcurtis: https://t.co/qlIv6Nkm7D

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.original_text
Happy Sunday, #twitterstorians! Want to know what you missed this week @Tweetistorian? Let’s do master threads for the two tracks that we traveled through premodern Japan over the last 7 days! 🗾 #history #Japan #globalmiddleages

Here are the threads done by me, @paularcurtis: https://t.co/qlIv6Nkm7D

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.text
Happy Sunday, #twitterstorians! Want to know what you missed this week @Tweetistorian? Let’s do master threads for the two tracks that we traveled through premodern Japan over the last 7 days! 🗾 #history #Japan #globalmiddleages

Here are the threads done by me, @paularcurtis:

# data[].attributes.headline
Student collaboration on public engagement and premodern Japanese history through Twitter

# data[].attributes.subject
Student collaboration on public engagement and premodern Japanese history through Twitter

# data[].attributes.body
Collaboration on the rotating Tweeting Historians account with a student for her final UNessay project. Student's threads below, mine under "Making History Public" column.

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.text
If you missed @emilyjmayo’s threads on female emperors in premodern Japan this week, you can check out a master list below! 🗾  She covers lots of great topics, from the idea of “tradition” & gendered language to their accomplishments!  #history #womenshistory #twitterstorians:

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.original_text
If you missed @emilyjmayo’s threads on female emperors in premodern Japan this week, you can check out a master list below! 🗾  She covers lots of great topics, from the idea of “tradition” & gendered language to their accomplishments!  #history #womenshistory #twitterstorians: https://t.co/Bmg7QtUGXu

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.embed_code
If you missed @emilyjmayo’s threads on female emperors in premodern Japan this week, you can check out a master list below! 🗾 She covers lots of great topics, from the idea of “tradition” & gendered language to their accomplishments! #history #womenshistory #twitterstorians: pic.twitter.com/Bmg7QtUGXu
— Tweeting Historians (@Tweetistorian) December 22, 2019

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props_source.data.text
If you missed @emilyjmayo’s threads on female emperors in premodern Japan this week, you can check out a master list below! 🗾  She covers lots of great topics, from the idea of “tradition” & gendered language to their accomplishments!  #history #womenshistory #twitterstorians: https://t.co/Bmg7QtUGXu

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.original_text
If you missed @emilyjmayo’s threads on female emperors in premodern Japan this week, you can check out a master list below! 🗾  She covers lots of great topics, from the idea of “tradition” & gendered language to their accomplishments!  #history #womenshistory #twitterstorians: https://t.co/Bmg7QtUGXu

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.text
If you missed @emilyjmayo’s threads on female emperors in premodern Japan this week, you can check out a master list below! 🗾  She covers lots of great topics, from the idea of “tradition” & gendered language to their accomplishments!  #history #womenshistory #twitterstorians:

# data[].attributes.headline
Interview: The Return of Japan’s Female Sake Brewers

# data[].attributes.subject
Interview: The Return of Japan’s Female Sake Brewers

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Miho Fujita was a high-powered executive working at a Tokyo toy company. Miho Imada worked in traditional Noh theater. Chizuko Niikawa-Helton was in the fashion industry. But at some point in their careers, all three women had a realization: Their true passion was sake.

So Fujita left corporate life to join her family's newly acquired Mioya Brewery in Ishikawa Prefecture, where she ultimately became president. Imada returned home to the family business, the fifth-generation Imada Shuro brewery, or kura, and became a master brewer, or toji. Niikawa-Helton trained to become a sake sommelier, eventually opening her own sake-promotion business, Sake Discoveries, in New York City.

Since sake is the most iconic alcoholic drink of Japan, these career shifts may not seem notable. But besides their talent, something else sets Imada, Fujita, and Niikawa-Helton apart in the sake world: They're women.

"The image of sake is older men," says Monica Samuels, Director of Sake and Spirits at Vine Connections, one of Imada and Fujita's U.S. importers. "It's still not really considered appropriate in a lot of generations and a lot of regions of Japan for a woman to go to a bar."

Out of Japan's approximately 1,500 licensed sake breweries, fewer than 50 are run by women. This reflects the workplace challenges women face in Japan, and indeed worldwide. But it also reflects of cultural taboos specific to the production and consumption of the rice-based drink. "Women are perceived as unclean traditionally in Japanese culture," says Samuels. "That's a lot of the reason women aren't allowed in sake breweries."

But women were once integral to sake production. From sake's mythic origins to its first appearance in the historical record, women are central to the drink's tradition. They invented it as shrine attendants, brewed it in family enterprises, and made livings hawking it in premodern villages.* Indeed, taboos against women making sake aren't an age-old tradition-they're fairly recent, arising in full force when Japan began its breakneck modernization in 1868. Alongside a growing number of prominent women in sake, Imada, Fujita, and Niikawa-Helton's rise is a revolution. But it's also a return to sake's roots.

Here is a founding myth. A goddess chews rice and spits it into a jar. The enzymes in her saliva break down the starch, fermenting the rice from a sober grain into an effervescent elixir, puckery-sour, lively with yeast, its alcohol content enough to bring her worshippers to ecstasy. This, says Paula R. Curtis, a scholar of premodern Japanese history currently based at Yale, is one of the origin stories of sake.

It's hard to separate fact from myth in the story of a drink with purportedly divine origins, but historians date women's participation back to the earliest records of sake in the sixth century. Reading between the lines, they speculate that sake brewing began not with the saliva of a goddess, but with that of female attendants at Shinto shrines, who chewed and spat rice grains to brew alcohol for rituals. The word "toji," or master brewer, itself holds a suggestion of these origins: It's often translated as "independent woman" or "housewife," the female master of a house.

By the eighth century, women and sake entered administrative and literary records together, with women depicted as brewers and money lenders in agricultural economies. By the late-Medieval period, female sake brewers were prominent enough to engage in that age-old practice of the powerful: tax evasion. "We have tax documents and legal documents saying that male and female sake brewers who aren't following tax regulations will be punished," Curtis says.

Literature from the time suggests these women were loud, proud, and all business. In one scene from the Shichijuichiban shokunin Uta Awase, a collection of monologues written around 1500 by courtiers in the persona of different "commoner" professions, a pot seller hawks his wares on the street, only to have a female brewer interject, "First, buy some sake!"

So how did women get banned from breweries? Like most major social and cultural shifts, it's complicated. We tend to think of modernity as freeing women from age-old oppressions. In many contexts, that's true. But some historians argue that in Edo Japan, an early-modern period starting in 1603, taboos around women's ritual defilement-the belief that they were inherently polluted, partly because of menstruation-actually increased. It may be around this time that the belief that "when a woman enters the brewery, the sake will spoil" became widespread, Curtis says.

By the time of the Meiji Restoration in 1868, Japan's economy was shifting away from a village-based model of local family enterprises knit together by webs of social obligation to a more modern, monetary economy. This shift further displaced women, who went from the center of thriving household economies to occupying domestic space separate from the outer, economic realm of business. Like most of Japan's business world, sake companies tend to be male-dominated.

It's this landscape that Miho Fujita, now the president of Mioya brewery, entered when she joined the family business in 2003. "It was less common in 2003 than it is now for a woman to work in a brewery, let alone be the president of the brewery," writes Fujita in an email, translated by distributor Monica Samuels. Fujita was a trailblazer. "I try to hire women when I can, as I have found that they are working very hard to prove themselves in this field," she adds.

Entering a male-dominated field was challenging. When Niikawa-Helton began working with distributors and producers as an independent sake promoter in New York City more than 10 years ago, she was often one of the only women in the room. "I didn't see much selling of sake by a female at the time," she says. As a result, Niikawa-Helton sometimes faced skepticism from distributors. "The first two years were very tough," she says. She credits female and LGBTQ friends and mentors in the field, as well as her husband, with encouraging her. Now, she says, she doesn't feel limited by gender.

Indeed, while they're often asked to talk about gender, Fujita and Imada both say that their work speaks for itself. Fujita's brewery, in line with her family's relatively new entry into the industry, has a reputation for experimental techniques, producing brews with strong acidity that she says taste better after they've been left open for a few months. Imada's products, just like her role as a female toji, embody the contemporaneity of tradition. For the past several years, she's been reviving hattanso, a heritage variety of rice native to the Hiroshima prefecture. She hopes the revival will put Hiroshima's traditional terroir onto the international stage.

The rise of women in sake illustrates the fact that modern culinary innovations often remix traditional foodways. It also shows what stays constant across time. "In 16th-century courtier diaries, some entries will just be, 'Tonight we had a poetry gathering at my manor, and xyz came over and we drank sake,'" Curtis says. "Or it will be just a list of 20 people and a note, 'We drank sake.''' Five hundred years and several major historical transformations later, it's this spirit of companionship and pleasure that continues to motivate Miho Imada. "Good sake makes everyone happy, and that is my drive to brew," she says.
*Correction: A previous version of this article stated that sake was invented by temple attendants. It was likely invented by attendants of Shinto shrines. Gastro Obscura covers the world's most wondrous food and drink.
Sign up for our email, delivered twice a week.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Return of Japan's Female Sake Brewers

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Miho Fujita was a high-powered executive working at a Tokyo toy company. Miho Imada worked in traditional Noh theater. Chizuko Niikawa-Helton was in the fashion industry. But at some point in their careers, all three women had a realization: Their true passion was sake.

# data[].attributes.headline
Private excavation uncovers oldest known sake refinery

# data[].attributes.subject
Private excavation uncovers oldest known sake refinery

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.text
Some #medievaltwitter booze news! Yesterday a private excavation group in Kyoto uncovered the (now) oldest known sake refining facility 🍶, dating to the 14-15th century. Previously the earliest known site was an Edo period one in Hyogo prefecture. #Japan https://t.co/VeVT8HTgdw

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.original_text
Some #medievaltwitter booze news! Yesterday a private excavation group in Kyoto uncovered the (now) oldest known sake refining facility 🍶, dating to the 14-15th century. Previously the earliest known site was an Edo period one in Hyogo prefecture. #Japan https://t.co/VeVT8HTgdw https://t.co/ETcImDOqz3

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.embed_code
Some #medievaltwitter booze news! Yesterday a private excavation group in Kyoto uncovered the (now) oldest known sake refining facility 🍶, dating to the 14-15th century. Previously the earliest known site was an Edo period one in Hyogo prefecture. #Japan https://t.co/VeVT8HTgdw pic.twitter.com/ETcImDOqz3
— Dr. Paula R. Curtis (@paularcurtis) November 23, 2019

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props_source.data.text
Some #medievaltwitter booze news! Yesterday a private excavation group in Kyoto uncovered the (now) oldest known sake refining facility 🍶, dating to the 14-15th century. Previously the earliest known site was an Edo period one in Hyogo prefecture. #Japan https://t.co/VeVT8HTgdw https://t.co/ETcImDOqz3

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.original_text
Some #medievaltwitter booze news! Yesterday a private excavation group in Kyoto uncovered the (now) oldest known sake refining facility 🍶, dating to the 14-15th century. Previously the earliest known site was an Edo period one in Hyogo prefecture. #Japan https://t.co/VeVT8HTgdw https://t.co/ETcImDOqz3

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.text
Some #medievaltwitter booze news! Yesterday a private excavation group in Kyoto uncovered the (now) oldest known sake refining facility 🍶, dating to the 14-15th century. Previously the earliest known site was an Edo period one in Hyogo prefecture. #Japan https://t.co/VeVT8HTgdw

# data[].attributes.headline
Students apply their textual knowledge to art with Yale Art Gallery collections

# data[].attributes.subject
Students apply their textual knowledge to art with Yale Art Gallery collections

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.text
Had a fabulous time yesterday w/ my class examining late medieval/early modern art from the Yale Art Gallery! My "The Written Word in #Japan: Prehistory to 1600" class has been on text/textuality, so all the objects reflected this theme in different ways. Let's look at some! 🎨

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.original_text
Had a fabulous time yesterday w/ my class examining late medieval/early modern art from the Yale Art Gallery! My "The Written Word in #Japan: Prehistory to 1600" class has been on text/textuality, so all the objects reflected this theme in different ways. Let's look at some! 🎨 https://t.co/T69YbsP85Q

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.embed_code
Had a fabulous time yesterday w/ my class examining late medieval/early modern art from the Yale Art Gallery! My "The Written Word in #Japan: Prehistory to 1600" class has been on text/textuality, so all the objects reflected this theme in different ways. Let's look at some! 🎨 pic.twitter.com/T69YbsP85Q
— Dr. Paula R. Curtis (@paularcurtis) November 19, 2019

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props_source.data.text
Had a fabulous time yesterday w/ my class examining late medieval/early modern art from the Yale Art Gallery! My "The Written Word in #Japan: Prehistory to 1600" class has been on text/textuality, so all the objects reflected this theme in different ways. Let's look at some! 🎨 https://t.co/T69YbsP85Q

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.original_text
Had a fabulous time yesterday w/ my class examining late medieval/early modern art from the Yale Art Gallery! My "The Written Word in #Japan: Prehistory to 1600" class has been on text/textuality, so all the objects reflected this theme in different ways. Let's look at some! 🎨 https://t.co/T69YbsP85Q

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.text
Had a fabulous time yesterday w/ my class examining late medieval/early modern art from the Yale Art Gallery! My "The Written Word in #Japan: Prehistory to 1600" class has been on text/textuality, so all the objects reflected this theme in different ways. Let's look at some! 🎨

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
On the podcast this week I talk with Paula Curtis. I learned about Paula through her writing over at What can I do with a B.A. in Japanese Studies? (aka 心配でしょう), which helped me find a Japan-adjacent job after grad school. We talked about language study, grad school, and how to "do" history:

Thank you for getting Daniel a job!

How did you start the website and what inspired it?

What is a postdoctoral associate position and what is the work like?

How did you learn Japanese and which textbooks did you use?

What were the first major texts you read in Japanese?
Sasamoto Shoji - Early modern historian addressing Sengoku Daimyo and Artisan history

What is fluency, how do you make progress toward it?

What older forms of Japanese have you studied?

How did you decide to go into academia and how do you afford to pay for it?

Does your research topic need to be fully formed when you apply to graduate school?

What writing and study techniques have been valuable for you?

Paula's Oral History Project

How did you develop your teaching skills?

Are there any teaching/classroom approaches that have been particularly effective?

What kind of funding opportunities are there for language study?

And at the top of the pod I talked about how I learned the phrase なんかの縁. I blogged about 縁 way back in 2008.

This entry was posted in podcast and tagged how to japanese podcast by Daniel. Bookmark the permalink.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
How to Japanese Podcast S01E04 - Paula Curtis - Graduate Studies, Medieval Japanese, and How to "Do" History

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
On the podcast this week I talk with Paula Curtis. I learned about Paula through her writing over at What can I do with a B.A. in Japanese Studies? (aka 心配でしょう), which helped me find a Japan-adjacent job after grad school.

# data[].attributes.headline
Collaborative Project: Digital Humanities Japan

# data[].attributes.subject
Collaborative Project: Digital Humanities Japan

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Digital Humanities Japan is an international and interdisciplinary community of scholars and professionals interested in working with digital methods, tools, and resources for Japanese Studies. As a collective, we aim to foster collaboration between those with similar interests by promoting scholarly dialogue, holding workshops to develop technical skills and project ideas, and creating a central platform for the sharing of resources related to digital methods.

Digital Humanities Japan began as a workshop on the " Impact of the Digital in Japanese Studies," held at the University of Chicago in November, 2016. The workshop, organized by Hoyt Long, Mark Ravina, and Molly Des Jardin, brought together scholars and librarians to foster discussions about the implications for digital methods on research and teaching related to Japan. The group met for a second time in May, 2018, to continue the conversation and to coordinate efforts for further collaboration and resource sharing with others in the field. Participants have separately been involved in organizing workshops for enhancing literacy of digital methods in Japanese Studies, including a workshop on text mining held at Emory University (June, 2017) and on GIS and network analysis for East Asian religious studies held at McMaster University (May, 2018). We have also been involved with digital pedagogy at our respective institutions. This website is an effort to expand the group's network and to provide a hub for information on digital scholarship, tools, and resources for the study of Japan.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Digital Humanities Japan - Digital Humanities Japan

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Digital Humanities Japan is an international and interdisciplinary community of scholars and professionals interested in working with digital methods, tools, and resources for Japanese Studies. As a collective, we aim to foster collaboration between those with similar interests by promoting scholarly dialogue, holding workshops to develop technical skills and project ideas, and creating a central platform for the sharing of resources related to digital methods.

# data[].attributes.headline
About the 12th Century Jigoku Zōshi (Illustrated Stories of Hell)

# data[].attributes.subject
About the 12th Century Jigoku Zōshi (Illustrated Stories of Hell)

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.text
More #spooktober, #Japan for #Halloween! Here are images from jigoku zōshi 地獄草子 (Illustrated Stories of Hell), produced in the 12th cen. Rather than following a single narrative they show scenes of different hells & torments. Below I'll go through one scroll! #medievaltwitter

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.original_text
More #spooktober, #Japan for #Halloween! Here are images from jigoku zōshi 地獄草子 (Illustrated Stories of Hell), produced in the 12th cen. Rather than following a single narrative they show scenes of different hells & torments. Below I'll go through one scroll! #medievaltwitter https://t.co/sqx6LLrAmN

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.embed_code
More #spooktober, #Japan for #Halloween! Here are images from jigoku zōshi 地獄草子 (Illustrated Stories of Hell), produced in the 12th cen. Rather than following a single narrative they show scenes of different hells & torments. Below I'll go through one scroll! #medievaltwitter pic.twitter.com/sqx6LLrAmN
— Dr. Paula R. Curtis (@paularcurtis) October 31, 2019

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props_source.data.text
More #spooktober, #Japan for #Halloween! Here are images from jigoku zōshi 地獄草子 (Illustrated Stories of Hell), produced in the 12th cen. Rather than following a single narrative they show scenes of different hells & torments. Below I'll go through one scroll! #medievaltwitter https://t.co/sqx6LLrAmN

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.original_text
More #spooktober, #Japan for #Halloween! Here are images from jigoku zōshi 地獄草子 (Illustrated Stories of Hell), produced in the 12th cen. Rather than following a single narrative they show scenes of different hells & torments. Below I'll go through one scroll! #medievaltwitter https://t.co/sqx6LLrAmN

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.text
More #spooktober, #Japan for #Halloween! Here are images from jigoku zōshi 地獄草子 (Illustrated Stories of Hell), produced in the 12th cen. Rather than following a single narrative they show scenes of different hells & torments. Below I'll go through one scroll! #medievaltwitter

# data[].attributes.headline
First Year Writing: Learning Thesis Statements Through Tweets

# data[].attributes.subject
First Year Writing: Learning Thesis Statements Through Tweets

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.text
Today in my medieval Japan class students read an article on akuto 悪党 & summarized it's argument in a tweet! They did amazing. The results:

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.original_text
Today in my medieval Japan class students read an article on akuto 悪党 & summarized it's argument in a tweet! They did amazing. The results:

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.embed_code
Today in my medieval Japan class students read an article on akuto 悪党 & summarized it's argument in a tweet! They did amazing. The results:
— Dr. Paula R. Curtis (@paularcurtis) September 20, 2017

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props_source.data.text
Today in my medieval Japan class students read an article on akuto 悪党 & summarized it's argument in a tweet! They did amazing. The results:

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.original_text
Today in my medieval Japan class students read an article on akuto 悪党 & summarized it's argument in a tweet! They did amazing. The results:

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.text
Today in my medieval Japan class students read an article on akuto 悪党 & summarized it's argument in a tweet! They did amazing. The results:

# data[].attributes.headline
16th cen representation of the story Nezumi no sōsho

# data[].attributes.subject
16th cen representation of the story Nezumi no sōsho

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.text
A scene from "The Story of a Mouse (Nezumi no Soshi)," 16th cen, in which a mouse tries to improve his karma by disguising himself as a human & marrying a young woman. When she discovers the truth, she leaves him & he becomes a monk. All's well that ends well? #medievaltwitter

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.original_text
A scene from "The Story of a Mouse (Nezumi no Soshi)," 16th cen, in which a mouse tries to improve his karma by disguising himself as a human & marrying a young woman. When she discovers the truth, she leaves him & he becomes a monk. All's well that ends well? #medievaltwitter https://t.co/Fwb7cxI9cK

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.embed_code
A scene from "The Story of a Mouse (Nezumi no Soshi)," 16th cen, in which a mouse tries to improve his karma by disguising himself as a human & marrying a young woman. When she discovers the truth, she leaves him & he becomes a monk. All's well that ends well? #medievaltwitter pic.twitter.com/Fwb7cxI9cK
— Dr. Paula R. Curtis (@paularcurtis) November 26, 2017

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props_source.data.text
A scene from "The Story of a Mouse (Nezumi no Soshi)," 16th cen, in which a mouse tries to improve his karma by disguising himself as a human & marrying a young woman. When she discovers the truth, she leaves him & he becomes a monk. All's well that ends well? #medievaltwitter https://t.co/Fwb7cxI9cK

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.original_text
A scene from "The Story of a Mouse (Nezumi no Soshi)," 16th cen, in which a mouse tries to improve his karma by disguising himself as a human & marrying a young woman. When she discovers the truth, she leaves him & he becomes a monk. All's well that ends well? #medievaltwitter https://t.co/Fwb7cxI9cK

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.text
A scene from "The Story of a Mouse (Nezumi no Soshi)," 16th cen, in which a mouse tries to improve his karma by disguising himself as a human & marrying a young woman. When she discovers the truth, she leaves him & he becomes a monk. All's well that ends well? #medievaltwitter

# data[].attributes.headline
Informational Tweets from Early Modern Painting Workshop with Paul Allan Berry, 2017

# data[].attributes.subject
Informational Tweets from Early Modern Painting Workshop with Paul Allan Berry, 2017

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.text
Had a fantastic faculty and graduate student workshop on Edo period (early modern) painting today by Dr. Paul Allan Berry! Will post some paintings and comments on @ummamuseum works we saw over the next couple days! @UMCJS

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.original_text
Had a fantastic faculty and graduate student workshop on Edo period (early modern) painting today by Dr. Paul Allan Berry! Will post some paintings and comments on @ummamuseum works we saw over the next couple days! @UMCJS https://t.co/QK8Smqv1d6

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.embed_code
Had a fantastic faculty and graduate student workshop on Edo period (early modern) painting today by Dr. Paul Allan Berry! Will post some paintings and comments on @ummamuseum works we saw over the next couple days! @UMCJS pic.twitter.com/QK8Smqv1d6
— Dr. Paula R. Curtis (@paularcurtis) November 30, 2017

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props_source.data.text
Had a fantastic faculty and graduate student workshop on Edo period (early modern) painting today by Dr. Paul Allan Berry! Will post some paintings and comments on @ummamuseum works we saw over the next couple days! @UMCJS https://t.co/QK8Smqv1d6

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.original_text
Had a fantastic faculty and graduate student workshop on Edo period (early modern) painting today by Dr. Paul Allan Berry! Will post some paintings and comments on @ummamuseum works we saw over the next couple days! @UMCJS https://t.co/QK8Smqv1d6

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.text
Had a fantastic faculty and graduate student workshop on Edo period (early modern) painting today by Dr. Paul Allan Berry! Will post some paintings and comments on @ummamuseum works we saw over the next couple days! @UMCJS

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.text
I forgot how lovely the prints are in McCullough’s translation of Tale of the Heike (c. 1330). Here the Nun of The Second Rank leaps into the sea to drown herself and the child emperor rather than be captured. “There is a capital beneath the waves, too.” #Japan #medievaltwitter

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.original_text
I forgot how lovely the prints are in McCullough’s translation of Tale of the Heike (c. 1330). Here the Nun of The Second Rank leaps into the sea to drown herself and the child emperor rather than be captured. “There is a capital beneath the waves, too.” #Japan #medievaltwitter https://t.co/hbZ8XOhvZS

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.embed_code
I forgot how lovely the prints are in McCullough’s translation of Tale of the Heike (c. 1330). Here the Nun of The Second Rank leaps into the sea to drown herself and the child emperor rather than be captured. “There is a capital beneath the waves, too.” #Japan #medievaltwitter pic.twitter.com/hbZ8XOhvZS
— Dr. Paula R. Curtis (@paularcurtis) December 8, 2017

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props_source.data.text
I forgot how lovely the prints are in McCullough’s translation of Tale of the Heike (c. 1330). Here the Nun of The Second Rank leaps into the sea to drown herself and the child emperor rather than be captured. “There is a capital beneath the waves, too.” #Japan #medievaltwitter https://t.co/hbZ8XOhvZS

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.original_text
I forgot how lovely the prints are in McCullough’s translation of Tale of the Heike (c. 1330). Here the Nun of The Second Rank leaps into the sea to drown herself and the child emperor rather than be captured. “There is a capital beneath the waves, too.” #Japan #medievaltwitter https://t.co/hbZ8XOhvZS

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.text
I forgot how lovely the prints are in McCullough’s translation of Tale of the Heike (c. 1330). Here the Nun of The Second Rank leaps into the sea to drown herself and the child emperor rather than be captured. “There is a capital beneath the waves, too.” #Japan #medievaltwitter

# data[].attributes.headline
Bunraku puppets at the Detroit Institute of Arts

# data[].attributes.subject
Bunraku puppets at the Detroit Institute of Arts

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.text
Here’s two bunraku puppets from the @DIADetroit collection. Puppet theatre was an extremely popular performance art in early modern Japan starting around the 17th cen. Puppets are operated while a narrator performs the story, accompanied by shamisen.

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.original_text
Here’s two bunraku puppets from the @DIADetroit collection. Puppet theatre was an extremely popular performance art in early modern Japan starting around the 17th cen. Puppets are operated while a narrator performs the story, accompanied by shamisen. https://t.co/wSw3KP8Ng7

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.embed_code
Here’s two bunraku puppets from the @DIADetroit collection. Puppet theatre was an extremely popular performance art in early modern Japan starting around the 17th cen. Puppets are operated while a narrator performs the story, accompanied by shamisen. pic.twitter.com/wSw3KP8Ng7
— Dr. Paula R. Curtis (@paularcurtis) December 9, 2017

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props_source.data.text
Here’s two bunraku puppets from the @DIADetroit collection. Puppet theatre was an extremely popular performance art in early modern Japan starting around the 17th cen. Puppets are operated while a narrator performs the story, accompanied by shamisen. https://t.co/wSw3KP8Ng7

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.original_text
Here’s two bunraku puppets from the @DIADetroit collection. Puppet theatre was an extremely popular performance art in early modern Japan starting around the 17th cen. Puppets are operated while a narrator performs the story, accompanied by shamisen. https://t.co/wSw3KP8Ng7

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.text
Here’s two bunraku puppets from the @DIADetroit collection. Puppet theatre was an extremely popular performance art in early modern Japan starting around the 17th cen. Puppets are operated while a narrator performs the story, accompanied by shamisen.

# data[].attributes.headline
About a noh theater mask at the Detroit Institute of Arts

# data[].attributes.subject
About a noh theater mask at the Detroit Institute of Arts

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.text
Saw this wonderful noh theater mask at the @DIADetroit's new Japanese wing. Performed since 14th cen, noh is a highly stylized drama often compared to ancient Greek theater. The main character is masked-this one is for the namanari role (half human, half demon). #medievaltwitter

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.original_text
Saw this wonderful noh theater mask at the @DIADetroit's new Japanese wing. Performed since 14th cen, noh is a highly stylized drama often compared to ancient Greek theater. The main character is masked-this one is for the namanari role (half human, half demon). #medievaltwitter https://t.co/Y8wl3xp43F

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.embed_code
Saw this wonderful noh theater mask at the @DIADetroit's new Japanese wing. Performed since 14th cen, noh is a highly stylized drama often compared to ancient Greek theater. The main character is masked-this one is for the namanari role (half human, half demon). #medievaltwitter pic.twitter.com/Y8wl3xp43F
— Dr. Paula R. Curtis (@paularcurtis) December 11, 2017

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props_source.data.text
Saw this wonderful noh theater mask at the @DIADetroit's new Japanese wing. Performed since 14th cen, noh is a highly stylized drama often compared to ancient Greek theater. The main character is masked-this one is for the namanari role (half human, half demon). #medievaltwitter https://t.co/Y8wl3xp43F

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.original_text
Saw this wonderful noh theater mask at the @DIADetroit's new Japanese wing. Performed since 14th cen, noh is a highly stylized drama often compared to ancient Greek theater. The main character is masked-this one is for the namanari role (half human, half demon). #medievaltwitter https://t.co/Y8wl3xp43F

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.text
Saw this wonderful noh theater mask at the @DIADetroit's new Japanese wing. Performed since 14th cen, noh is a highly stylized drama often compared to ancient Greek theater. The main character is masked-this one is for the namanari role (half human, half demon). #medievaltwitter

# data[].attributes.headline
A small hand drum (kotsuzumi 小鼓) used in Noh theater in the Detroit Institute of Arts

# data[].attributes.subject
A small hand drum (kotsuzumi 小鼓) used in Noh theater in the Detroit Institute of Arts

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.text
Another treat at the @DIADetroit Japan wing now: a small hand drum (kotsuzumi 小鼓) used in Noh theater. Performances are accompanied by chanters and musicians. This drum is from the 18th cen, which is not that old for Noh drums (16th cen ones are prized). #medievaltwitter #Japan

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.original_text
Another treat at the @DIADetroit Japan wing now: a small hand drum (kotsuzumi 小鼓) used in Noh theater. Performances are accompanied by chanters and musicians. This drum is from the 18th cen, which is not that old for Noh drums (16th cen ones are prized). #medievaltwitter #Japan https://t.co/a0RgJCzBHm

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.embed_code
Another treat at the @DIADetroit Japan wing now: a small hand drum (kotsuzumi 小鼓) used in Noh theater. Performances are accompanied by chanters and musicians. This drum is from the 18th cen, which is not that old for Noh drums (16th cen ones are prized). #medievaltwitter #Japan pic.twitter.com/a0RgJCzBHm
— Dr. Paula R. Curtis (@paularcurtis) December 13, 2017

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props_source.data.text
Another treat at the @DIADetroit Japan wing now: a small hand drum (kotsuzumi 小鼓) used in Noh theater. Performances are accompanied by chanters and musicians. This drum is from the 18th cen, which is not that old for Noh drums (16th cen ones are prized). #medievaltwitter #Japan https://t.co/a0RgJCzBHm

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.original_text
Another treat at the @DIADetroit Japan wing now: a small hand drum (kotsuzumi 小鼓) used in Noh theater. Performances are accompanied by chanters and musicians. This drum is from the 18th cen, which is not that old for Noh drums (16th cen ones are prized). #medievaltwitter #Japan https://t.co/a0RgJCzBHm

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.text
Another treat at the @DIADetroit Japan wing now: a small hand drum (kotsuzumi 小鼓) used in Noh theater. Performances are accompanied by chanters and musicians. This drum is from the 18th cen, which is not that old for Noh drums (16th cen ones are prized). #medievaltwitter #Japan

# data[].attributes.headline
Seasonal images of the Tale of Genji in a 16th/17th cen painting

# data[].attributes.subject
Seasonal images of the Tale of Genji in a 16th/17th cen painting

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.text
Some season-appropriate art: a 16th/17th cen rendering by Tosa Mitsuyoshi (1539–1613) of a The Tale of Genji (c. 1008) scene. Prince Niō, Genji's grandson, seduces Ukifune in the guise of her lover Kaoru & later takes her across the snowy river to a secret house. #medievaltwitter

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.original_text
Some season-appropriate art: a 16th/17th cen rendering by Tosa Mitsuyoshi (1539–1613) of a The Tale of Genji (c. 1008) scene. Prince Niō, Genji's grandson, seduces Ukifune in the guise of her lover Kaoru & later takes her across the snowy river to a secret house. #medievaltwitter https://t.co/40r5zdotUg

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.embed_code
Some season-appropriate art: a 16th/17th cen rendering by Tosa Mitsuyoshi (1539–1613) of a The Tale of Genji (c. 1008) scene. Prince Niō, Genji's grandson, seduces Ukifune in the guise of her lover Kaoru & later takes her across the snowy river to a secret house. #medievaltwitter pic.twitter.com/40r5zdotUg
— Dr. Paula R. Curtis (@paularcurtis) December 28, 2017

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props_source.data.text
Some season-appropriate art: a 16th/17th cen rendering by Tosa Mitsuyoshi (1539–1613) of a The Tale of Genji (c. 1008) scene. Prince Niō, Genji's grandson, seduces Ukifune in the guise of her lover Kaoru & later takes her across the snowy river to a secret house. #medievaltwitter https://t.co/40r5zdotUg

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.original_text
Some season-appropriate art: a 16th/17th cen rendering by Tosa Mitsuyoshi (1539–1613) of a The Tale of Genji (c. 1008) scene. Prince Niō, Genji's grandson, seduces Ukifune in the guise of her lover Kaoru & later takes her across the snowy river to a secret house. #medievaltwitter https://t.co/40r5zdotUg

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.text
Some season-appropriate art: a 16th/17th cen rendering by Tosa Mitsuyoshi (1539–1613) of a The Tale of Genji (c. 1008) scene. Prince Niō, Genji's grandson, seduces Ukifune in the guise of her lover Kaoru & later takes her across the snowy river to a secret house. #medievaltwitter

# data[].attributes.headline
Closeup of an indigo paper scroll with gold, the Buddhist Anokufu sutra scroll c. 1185

# data[].attributes.subject
Closeup of an indigo paper scroll with gold, the Buddhist Anokufu sutra scroll c. 1185

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.text
Here are some close-ups of the Buddhist Anokufu sutra scroll, held in the @DIADetroit collection. c.1185, on the cusp of Japan's "medieval" period. The scroll is written and illuminated with gold and silver ink on indigo paper.  #medievaltwitter #Buddhism #Buddhistart

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.original_text
Here are some close-ups of the Buddhist Anokufu sutra scroll, held in the @DIADetroit collection. c.1185, on the cusp of Japan's "medieval" period. The scroll is written and illuminated with gold and silver ink on indigo paper.  #medievaltwitter #Buddhism #Buddhistart https://t.co/Na4OO5LAzc

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.embed_code
Here are some close-ups of the Buddhist Anokufu sutra scroll, held in the @DIADetroit collection. c.1185, on the cusp of Japan's "medieval" period. The scroll is written and illuminated with gold and silver ink on indigo paper. #medievaltwitter #Buddhism #Buddhistart pic.twitter.com/Na4OO5LAzc
— Dr. Paula R. Curtis (@paularcurtis) January 8, 2018

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props_source.data.text
Here are some close-ups of the Buddhist Anokufu sutra scroll, held in the @DIADetroit collection. c.1185, on the cusp of Japan's "medieval" period. The scroll is written and illuminated with gold and silver ink on indigo paper.  #medievaltwitter #Buddhism #Buddhistart https://t.co/Na4OO5LAzc

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.original_text
Here are some close-ups of the Buddhist Anokufu sutra scroll, held in the @DIADetroit collection. c.1185, on the cusp of Japan's "medieval" period. The scroll is written and illuminated with gold and silver ink on indigo paper.  #medievaltwitter #Buddhism #Buddhistart https://t.co/Na4OO5LAzc

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.text
Here are some close-ups of the Buddhist Anokufu sutra scroll, held in the @DIADetroit collection. c.1185, on the cusp of Japan's "medieval" period. The scroll is written and illuminated with gold and silver ink on indigo paper.  #medievaltwitter #Buddhism #Buddhistart

# data[].attributes.headline
Snowball fights in a 16th century Japanese painting

# data[].attributes.subject
Snowball fights in a 16th century Japanese painting

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.text
Is there fresh snow on the ground for you, too? ❄️ Here's part of a late medieval (16th cen) folding screen of genre scenes of the twelve months (月次風俗図屏風), showing how people work and play. Snowball fight! Closeups below. #medievaltwitter #Japan

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.original_text
Is there fresh snow on the ground for you, too? ❄️ Here's part of a late medieval (16th cen) folding screen of genre scenes of the twelve months (月次風俗図屏風), showing how people work and play. Snowball fight! Closeups below. #medievaltwitter #Japan https://t.co/Ew3WDoox43

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.embed_code
Is there fresh snow on the ground for you, too? ❄️ Here's part of a late medieval (16th cen) folding screen of genre scenes of the twelve months (月次風俗図屏風), showing how people work and play. Snowball fight! Closeups below. #medievaltwitter #Japan pic.twitter.com/Ew3WDoox43
— Dr. Paula R. Curtis (@paularcurtis) January 15, 2018

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props_source.data.text
Is there fresh snow on the ground for you, too? ❄️ Here's part of a late medieval (16th cen) folding screen of genre scenes of the twelve months (月次風俗図屏風), showing how people work and play. Snowball fight! Closeups below. #medievaltwitter #Japan https://t.co/Ew3WDoox43

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.original_text
Is there fresh snow on the ground for you, too? ❄️ Here's part of a late medieval (16th cen) folding screen of genre scenes of the twelve months (月次風俗図屏風), showing how people work and play. Snowball fight! Closeups below. #medievaltwitter #Japan https://t.co/Ew3WDoox43

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.text
Is there fresh snow on the ground for you, too? ❄️ Here's part of a late medieval (16th cen) folding screen of genre scenes of the twelve months (月次風俗図屏風), showing how people work and play. Snowball fight! Closeups below. #medievaltwitter #Japan

# data[].attributes.headline
On late medieval/early modern Catholic architecture in Japan

# data[].attributes.subject
On late medieval/early modern Catholic architecture in Japan

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.text
Doing reading today on late med/early mod Catholic architecture in Japan. Priests had lots of anxiety on distinguishing Catholic worship places from temples/shrines. Few resources, persecution, etc often prevented liturgical spaces aspired to. Adaptation instead! #medievaltwitter

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.original_text
Doing reading today on late med/early mod Catholic architecture in Japan. Priests had lots of anxiety on distinguishing Catholic worship places from temples/shrines. Few resources, persecution, etc often prevented liturgical spaces aspired to. Adaptation instead! #medievaltwitter https://t.co/tYkHbcSyHL

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.embed_code
Doing reading today on late med/early mod Catholic architecture in Japan. Priests had lots of anxiety on distinguishing Catholic worship places from temples/shrines. Few resources, persecution, etc often prevented liturgical spaces aspired to. Adaptation instead! #medievaltwitter pic.twitter.com/tYkHbcSyHL
— Dr. Paula R. Curtis (@paularcurtis) January 27, 2018

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props_source.data.text
Doing reading today on late med/early mod Catholic architecture in Japan. Priests had lots of anxiety on distinguishing Catholic worship places from temples/shrines. Few resources, persecution, etc often prevented liturgical spaces aspired to. Adaptation instead! #medievaltwitter https://t.co/tYkHbcSyHL

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.original_text
Doing reading today on late med/early mod Catholic architecture in Japan. Priests had lots of anxiety on distinguishing Catholic worship places from temples/shrines. Few resources, persecution, etc often prevented liturgical spaces aspired to. Adaptation instead! #medievaltwitter https://t.co/tYkHbcSyHL

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.text
Doing reading today on late med/early mod Catholic architecture in Japan. Priests had lots of anxiety on distinguishing Catholic worship places from temples/shrines. Few resources, persecution, etc often prevented liturgical spaces aspired to. Adaptation instead! #medievaltwitter

# data[].attributes.headline
Medieval Maps: A 1364 tenjiku-zu 天竺図, semi-fictional maps of the Buddhist universe

# data[].attributes.subject
Medieval Maps: A 1364 tenjiku-zu 天竺図, semi-fictional maps of the Buddhist universe

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.text
Monday Map Day! #Medieval Japan doesn't have much in the way of maps, compared to the early modern period. But here's a great one: tenjiku-zu 天竺図, semi-fictional maps of the Buddhist universe. This is the earliest known tenjiku-zu, from 1364. #medievaltwitter #Buddhism

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.original_text
Monday Map Day! #Medieval Japan doesn't have much in the way of maps, compared to the early modern period. But here's a great one: tenjiku-zu 天竺図, semi-fictional maps of the Buddhist universe. This is the earliest known tenjiku-zu, from 1364. #medievaltwitter #Buddhism https://t.co/2qH7wdruWF

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.embed_code
Monday Map Day! #Medieval Japan doesn't have much in the way of maps, compared to the early modern period. But here's a great one: tenjiku-zu 天竺図, semi-fictional maps of the Buddhist universe. This is the earliest known tenjiku-zu, from 1364. #medievaltwitter #Buddhism pic.twitter.com/2qH7wdruWF
— Dr. Paula R. Curtis (@paularcurtis) February 5, 2018

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props_source.data.text
Monday Map Day! #Medieval Japan doesn't have much in the way of maps, compared to the early modern period. But here's a great one: tenjiku-zu 天竺図, semi-fictional maps of the Buddhist universe. This is the earliest known tenjiku-zu, from 1364. #medievaltwitter #Buddhism https://t.co/2qH7wdruWF

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.original_text
Monday Map Day! #Medieval Japan doesn't have much in the way of maps, compared to the early modern period. But here's a great one: tenjiku-zu 天竺図, semi-fictional maps of the Buddhist universe. This is the earliest known tenjiku-zu, from 1364. #medievaltwitter #Buddhism https://t.co/2qH7wdruWF

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.text
Monday Map Day! #Medieval Japan doesn't have much in the way of maps, compared to the early modern period. But here's a great one: tenjiku-zu 天竺図, semi-fictional maps of the Buddhist universe. This is the earliest known tenjiku-zu, from 1364. #medievaltwitter #Buddhism

# data[].attributes.headline
Women as sake brewers in medieval and early modern Japan

# data[].attributes.subject
Women as sake brewers in medieval and early modern Japan

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.text
More premodern Japanese women: Much like alewives in #medieval Europe, in medieval Japan, women were among sake brewers 🍶(seen in literature & art). They, too, would gradually be edged out in the early modern period by male counterparts. #medievaltwitter #InternationalWomensDay

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.original_text
More premodern Japanese women: Much like alewives in #medieval Europe, in medieval Japan, women were among sake brewers 🍶(seen in literature & art). They, too, would gradually be edged out in the early modern period by male counterparts. #medievaltwitter #InternationalWomensDay https://t.co/ERKUSIqjmm

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.embed_code
More premodern Japanese women: Much like alewives in #medieval Europe, in medieval Japan, women were among sake brewers 🍶(seen in literature & art). They, too, would gradually be edged out in the early modern period by male counterparts. #medievaltwitter #InternationalWomensDay pic.twitter.com/ERKUSIqjmm
— Dr. Paula R. Curtis (@paularcurtis) March 8, 2018

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props_source.data.text
More premodern Japanese women: Much like alewives in #medieval Europe, in medieval Japan, women were among sake brewers 🍶(seen in literature & art). They, too, would gradually be edged out in the early modern period by male counterparts. #medievaltwitter #InternationalWomensDay https://t.co/ERKUSIqjmm

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.original_text
More premodern Japanese women: Much like alewives in #medieval Europe, in medieval Japan, women were among sake brewers 🍶(seen in literature & art). They, too, would gradually be edged out in the early modern period by male counterparts. #medievaltwitter #InternationalWomensDay https://t.co/ERKUSIqjmm

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.text
More premodern Japanese women: Much like alewives in #medieval Europe, in medieval Japan, women were among sake brewers 🍶(seen in literature & art). They, too, would gradually be edged out in the early modern period by male counterparts. #medievaltwitter #InternationalWomensDay

# data[].attributes.headline
Livetweets: Sacred Scriptures in a Secular Society: Hand-Copying Buddhist Texts in Japan

# data[].attributes.subject
Livetweets: Sacred Scriptures in a Secular Society: Hand-Copying Buddhist Texts in Japan

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.text
Happening today: "Sacred Scriptures in a Secular Society: Hand-Copying Buddhist Texts in Japan"! Sponsored by @UMichLibrary & @UMCJS the symposium is on shakyō 写経, the living tradition of copying Buddhist texts by hand. Look out for my livetweets! #Buddhism #Japan 📿

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.original_text
Happening today: "Sacred Scriptures in a Secular Society: Hand-Copying Buddhist Texts in Japan"! Sponsored by @UMichLibrary & @UMCJS the symposium is on shakyō 写経, the living tradition of copying Buddhist texts by hand. Look out for my livetweets! #Buddhism #Japan 📿 https://t.co/HCJB900gPh

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.embed_code
Happening today: "Sacred Scriptures in a Secular Society: Hand-Copying Buddhist Texts in Japan"! Sponsored by @UMichLibrary & @UMCJS the symposium is on shakyō 写経, the living tradition of copying Buddhist texts by hand. Look out for my livetweets! #Buddhism #Japan 📿 pic.twitter.com/HCJB900gPh
— Dr. Paula R. Curtis (@paularcurtis) April 6, 2018

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props_source.data.text
Happening today: "Sacred Scriptures in a Secular Society: Hand-Copying Buddhist Texts in Japan"! Sponsored by @UMichLibrary & @UMCJS the symposium is on shakyō 写経, the living tradition of copying Buddhist texts by hand. Look out for my livetweets! #Buddhism #Japan 📿 https://t.co/HCJB900gPh

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.original_text
Happening today: "Sacred Scriptures in a Secular Society: Hand-Copying Buddhist Texts in Japan"! Sponsored by @UMichLibrary & @UMCJS the symposium is on shakyō 写経, the living tradition of copying Buddhist texts by hand. Look out for my livetweets! #Buddhism #Japan 📿 https://t.co/HCJB900gPh

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.text
Happening today: "Sacred Scriptures in a Secular Society: Hand-Copying Buddhist Texts in Japan"! Sponsored by @UMichLibrary & @UMCJS the symposium is on shakyō 写経, the living tradition of copying Buddhist texts by hand. Look out for my livetweets! #Buddhism #Japan 📿

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.text
Since it is #WorldTurtleDay 🐢, enjoy these images of kappa 河童, turtle-like supernatural creatures from traditional Japanese #folklore. Kappa are typically depicted as somewhat humanoid & the size of a child, though sometimes they can appear more like turtles or birds. #Japan

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.original_text
Since it is #WorldTurtleDay 🐢, enjoy these images of kappa 河童, turtle-like supernatural creatures from traditional Japanese #folklore. Kappa are typically depicted as somewhat humanoid & the size of a child, though sometimes they can appear more like turtles or birds. #Japan https://t.co/qt1XRGXZd2

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.embed_code
Since it is #WorldTurtleDay 🐢, enjoy these images of kappa 河童, turtle-like supernatural creatures from traditional Japanese #folklore. Kappa are typically depicted as somewhat humanoid & the size of a child, though sometimes they can appear more like turtles or birds. #Japan pic.twitter.com/qt1XRGXZd2
— Dr. Paula R. Curtis (@paularcurtis) May 23, 2018

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props_source.data.text
Since it is #WorldTurtleDay 🐢, enjoy these images of kappa 河童, turtle-like supernatural creatures from traditional Japanese #folklore. Kappa are typically depicted as somewhat humanoid & the size of a child, though sometimes they can appear more like turtles or birds. #Japan https://t.co/qt1XRGXZd2

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.original_text
Since it is #WorldTurtleDay 🐢, enjoy these images of kappa 河童, turtle-like supernatural creatures from traditional Japanese #folklore. Kappa are typically depicted as somewhat humanoid & the size of a child, though sometimes they can appear more like turtles or birds. #Japan https://t.co/qt1XRGXZd2

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.text
Since it is #WorldTurtleDay 🐢, enjoy these images of kappa 河童, turtle-like supernatural creatures from traditional Japanese #folklore. Kappa are typically depicted as somewhat humanoid & the size of a child, though sometimes they can appear more like turtles or birds. #Japan

# data[].attributes.headline
Lecture at Ann Arbor Japan Week Letterpress Lab, Ann Arbor Downtown District Library, 2018

# data[].attributes.subject
Lecture at Ann Arbor Japan Week Letterpress Lab, Ann Arbor Downtown District Library, 2018

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.text
Great turnout for the Japanese crests Letterpress activity at @aadl Downtown Library/Ann Arbor Japan Week event last night! You can tell these plates got some good use! In case you missed it, they hold Letterpress activities every Wed @ 6pm & these plates are there forever! 😀

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.original_text
Great turnout for the Japanese crests Letterpress activity at @aadl Downtown Library/Ann Arbor Japan Week event last night! You can tell these plates got some good use! In case you missed it, they hold Letterpress activities every Wed @ 6pm & these plates are there forever! 😀 https://t.co/2HaStcK64e

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.embed_code
Great turnout for the Japanese crests Letterpress activity at @aadl Downtown Library/Ann Arbor Japan Week event last night! You can tell these plates got some good use! In case you missed it, they hold Letterpress activities every Wed @ 6pm & these plates are there forever! 😀 pic.twitter.com/2HaStcK64e
— Dr. Paula R. Curtis (@paularcurtis) June 21, 2018

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props_source.data.text
Great turnout for the Japanese crests Letterpress activity at @aadl Downtown Library/Ann Arbor Japan Week event last night! You can tell these plates got some good use! In case you missed it, they hold Letterpress activities every Wed @ 6pm & these plates are there forever! 😀 https://t.co/2HaStcK64e

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.original_text
Great turnout for the Japanese crests Letterpress activity at @aadl Downtown Library/Ann Arbor Japan Week event last night! You can tell these plates got some good use! In case you missed it, they hold Letterpress activities every Wed @ 6pm & these plates are there forever! 😀 https://t.co/2HaStcK64e

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.text
Great turnout for the Japanese crests Letterpress activity at @aadl Downtown Library/Ann Arbor Japan Week event last night! You can tell these plates got some good use! In case you missed it, they hold Letterpress activities every Wed @ 6pm & these plates are there forever! 😀

# data[].attributes.headline
AADL Lecture note: about Japanese crests

# data[].attributes.subject
AADL Lecture note: about Japanese crests

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.text
One of the fun crests from my talk last week- the prawn! The curved shape & long feelers supposedly resemble an old man's hunched back & long beard- a pun on the kanji for prawn/shrimp 海老, literally "sea+old person." 😂🦐 Suggests luck for longevity, of course! Can you see it?

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.original_text
One of the fun crests from my talk last week- the prawn! The curved shape & long feelers supposedly resemble an old man's hunched back & long beard- a pun on the kanji for prawn/shrimp 海老, literally "sea+old person." 😂🦐 Suggests luck for longevity, of course! Can you see it? https://t.co/mclgW3J0NK

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.embed_code
One of the fun crests from my talk last week- the prawn! The curved shape & long feelers supposedly resemble an old man's hunched back & long beard- a pun on the kanji for prawn/shrimp 海老, literally "sea+old person." 😂🦐 Suggests luck for longevity, of course! Can you see it? pic.twitter.com/mclgW3J0NK
— Dr. Paula R. Curtis (@paularcurtis) June 25, 2018

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props_source.data.text
One of the fun crests from my talk last week- the prawn! The curved shape & long feelers supposedly resemble an old man's hunched back & long beard- a pun on the kanji for prawn/shrimp 海老, literally "sea+old person." 😂🦐 Suggests luck for longevity, of course! Can you see it? https://t.co/mclgW3J0NK

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.original_text
One of the fun crests from my talk last week- the prawn! The curved shape & long feelers supposedly resemble an old man's hunched back & long beard- a pun on the kanji for prawn/shrimp 海老, literally "sea+old person." 😂🦐 Suggests luck for longevity, of course! Can you see it? https://t.co/mclgW3J0NK

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.text
One of the fun crests from my talk last week- the prawn! The curved shape & long feelers supposedly resemble an old man's hunched back & long beard- a pun on the kanji for prawn/shrimp 海老, literally "sea+old person." 😂🦐 Suggests luck for longevity, of course! Can you see it?

# data[].attributes.headline
Radiocarbon dating of medieval Japanese letters

# data[].attributes.subject
Radiocarbon dating of medieval Japanese letters

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.text
A bit of Sunday-Funday #medievaltwitter Stuff on Japanese forgery. My opening anecdote for ch 1 is about the radiocarbon dating of this doc, purportedly written in 1189 by the famed founder of the Kamakura shogunate, Minamoto no Yoritomo. But note the tiny holes in the paper.🐛

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.original_text
A bit of Sunday-Funday #medievaltwitter Stuff on Japanese forgery. My opening anecdote for ch 1 is about the radiocarbon dating of this doc, purportedly written in 1189 by the famed founder of the Kamakura shogunate, Minamoto no Yoritomo. But note the tiny holes in the paper.🐛 https://t.co/cl18vHXeKU

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.embed_code
A bit of Sunday-Funday #medievaltwitter Stuff on Japanese forgery. My opening anecdote for ch 1 is about the radiocarbon dating of this doc, purportedly written in 1189 by the famed founder of the Kamakura shogunate, Minamoto no Yoritomo. But note the tiny holes in the paper.🐛 pic.twitter.com/cl18vHXeKU
— Dr. Paula R. Curtis (@paularcurtis) July 1, 2018

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props_source.data.text
A bit of Sunday-Funday #medievaltwitter Stuff on Japanese forgery. My opening anecdote for ch 1 is about the radiocarbon dating of this doc, purportedly written in 1189 by the famed founder of the Kamakura shogunate, Minamoto no Yoritomo. But note the tiny holes in the paper.🐛 https://t.co/cl18vHXeKU

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.original_text
A bit of Sunday-Funday #medievaltwitter Stuff on Japanese forgery. My opening anecdote for ch 1 is about the radiocarbon dating of this doc, purportedly written in 1189 by the famed founder of the Kamakura shogunate, Minamoto no Yoritomo. But note the tiny holes in the paper.🐛 https://t.co/cl18vHXeKU

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.text
A bit of Sunday-Funday #medievaltwitter Stuff on Japanese forgery. My opening anecdote for ch 1 is about the radiocarbon dating of this doc, purportedly written in 1189 by the famed founder of the Kamakura shogunate, Minamoto no Yoritomo. But note the tiny holes in the paper.🐛

# data[].attributes.headline
A close up of the 16th cen Tōdaiji engi painting

# data[].attributes.subject
A close up of the 16th cen Tōdaiji engi painting

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.text
Check out this close-up from 16th cen Tōdaiji engi that shows the Daibutsu (Great Buddha)! Today the largest bronze buddha, it was re-cast after being destroyed by the Taira in 1180 during the Genpei War. Metal casters labored for 20 years on its reconstruction. #medievaltwitter

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.original_text
Check out this close-up from 16th cen Tōdaiji engi that shows the Daibutsu (Great Buddha)! Today the largest bronze buddha, it was re-cast after being destroyed by the Taira in 1180 during the Genpei War. Metal casters labored for 20 years on its reconstruction. #medievaltwitter https://t.co/Px7Dq2DP00

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.embed_code
Check out this close-up from 16th cen Tōdaiji engi that shows the Daibutsu (Great Buddha)! Today the largest bronze buddha, it was re-cast after being destroyed by the Taira in 1180 during the Genpei War. Metal casters labored for 20 years on its reconstruction. #medievaltwitter pic.twitter.com/Px7Dq2DP00
— Dr. Paula R. Curtis (@paularcurtis) July 8, 2018

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props_source.data.text
Check out this close-up from 16th cen Tōdaiji engi that shows the Daibutsu (Great Buddha)! Today the largest bronze buddha, it was re-cast after being destroyed by the Taira in 1180 during the Genpei War. Metal casters labored for 20 years on its reconstruction. #medievaltwitter https://t.co/Px7Dq2DP00

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.original_text
Check out this close-up from 16th cen Tōdaiji engi that shows the Daibutsu (Great Buddha)! Today the largest bronze buddha, it was re-cast after being destroyed by the Taira in 1180 during the Genpei War. Metal casters labored for 20 years on its reconstruction. #medievaltwitter https://t.co/Px7Dq2DP00

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.text
Check out this close-up from 16th cen Tōdaiji engi that shows the Daibutsu (Great Buddha)! Today the largest bronze buddha, it was re-cast after being destroyed by the Taira in 1180 during the Genpei War. Metal casters labored for 20 years on its reconstruction. #medievaltwitter

# data[].attributes.headline
Informational Tweets: Thinking about the scope of words in medieval documents at the UM Medieval Documents Workshop, 2018

# data[].attributes.subject
Informational Tweets: Thinking about the scope of words in medieval documents at the UM Medieval Documents Workshop, 2018

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.text
Intense #medieval Japanese document training continues! We've had some incredibly interesting discussions. One was a discussion of the implications of the term 疫病 in a 15th cen temple diary. In modern Japanese it means epidemic, infectious disease, or plague. But which was it?

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.original_text
Intense #medieval Japanese document training continues! We've had some incredibly interesting discussions. One was a discussion of the implications of the term 疫病 in a 15th cen temple diary. In modern Japanese it means epidemic, infectious disease, or plague. But which was it?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.embed_code
Intense #medieval Japanese document training continues! We've had some incredibly interesting discussions. One was a discussion of the implications of the term 疫病 in a 15th cen temple diary. In modern Japanese it means epidemic, infectious disease, or plague. But which was it?
— Dr. Paula R. Curtis (@paularcurtis) July 12, 2018

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props_source.data.text
Intense #medieval Japanese document training continues! We've had some incredibly interesting discussions. One was a discussion of the implications of the term 疫病 in a 15th cen temple diary. In modern Japanese it means epidemic, infectious disease, or plague. But which was it?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.original_text
Intense #medieval Japanese document training continues! We've had some incredibly interesting discussions. One was a discussion of the implications of the term 疫病 in a 15th cen temple diary. In modern Japanese it means epidemic, infectious disease, or plague. But which was it?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.text
Intense #medieval Japanese document training continues! We've had some incredibly interesting discussions. One was a discussion of the implications of the term 疫病 in a 15th cen temple diary. In modern Japanese it means epidemic, infectious disease, or plague. But which was it?

# data[].attributes.headline
Information on Seals from the UM Medieval Documents Workshop, 2018

# data[].attributes.subject
Information on Seals from the UM Medieval Documents Workshop, 2018

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.text
More #medieval Japanese document workshop insights into format and materiality: I've posted previously about seals on twitter (seen in this tweet from Soda's book on toll barriers), but we talked this past week more about the placement of seals.  https://t.co/hEvxoNn2O4

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.original_text
More #medieval Japanese document workshop insights into format and materiality: I've posted previously about seals on twitter (seen in this tweet from Soda's book on toll barriers), but we talked this past week more about the placement of seals.  https://t.co/hEvxoNn2O4

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.referenced_tweets[].text
From this morning’s mini-dive into medieval Japanese toll barriers— some great seals from 相田二郎’s 『中世の関所』🐴👀  #medievaltwitter https://t.co/5tYITKHJ4Z

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.embed_code
More #medieval Japanese document workshop insights into format and materiality: I've posted previously about seals on twitter (seen in this tweet from Soda's book on toll barriers), but we talked this past week more about the placement of seals. https://t.co/hEvxoNn2O4
— Dr. Paula R. Curtis (@paularcurtis) July 15, 2018

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props_source.data.text
More #medieval Japanese document workshop insights into format and materiality: I've posted previously about seals on twitter (seen in this tweet from Soda's book on toll barriers), but we talked this past week more about the placement of seals.  https://t.co/hEvxoNn2O4

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props_source.includes.tweets[].text
From this morning’s mini-dive into medieval Japanese toll barriers— some great seals from 相田二郎’s 『中世の関所』🐴👀  #medievaltwitter https://t.co/5tYITKHJ4Z

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.original_text
More #medieval Japanese document workshop insights into format and materiality: I've posted previously about seals on twitter (seen in this tweet from Soda's book on toll barriers), but we talked this past week more about the placement of seals.  https://t.co/hEvxoNn2O4

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.text
More #medieval Japanese document workshop insights into format and materiality: I've posted previously about seals on twitter (seen in this tweet from Soda's book on toll barriers), but we talked this past week more about the placement of seals.  https://t.co/hEvxoNn2O4

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.referenced_tweets[].text
From this morning’s mini-dive into medieval Japanese toll barriers— some great seals from 相田二郎’s 『中世の関所』🐴👀  #medievaltwitter https://t.co/5tYITKHJ4Z

# data[].attributes.headline
Informational Tweets on Premodern Mining from  the UM Medieval Documents Workshop, 2018

# data[].attributes.subject
Informational Tweets on Premodern Mining from  the UM Medieval Documents Workshop, 2018

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.text
A last post on some of our incredible work in Session 1 of the #medieval Japanese documents workshop- we read a couple documents on gold miners ⚒️ & the Asia librarians were kind enough to also bring out scroll replicas from the early modern period on miners for us to view.

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.original_text
A last post on some of our incredible work in Session 1 of the #medieval Japanese documents workshop- we read a couple documents on gold miners ⚒️ & the Asia librarians were kind enough to also bring out scroll replicas from the early modern period on miners for us to view. https://t.co/iQ7nf440Qc

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.embed_code
A last post on some of our incredible work in Session 1 of the #medieval Japanese documents workshop- we read a couple documents on gold miners ⚒️ & the Asia librarians were kind enough to also bring out scroll replicas from the early modern period on miners for us to view. pic.twitter.com/iQ7nf440Qc
— Dr. Paula R. Curtis (@paularcurtis) July 23, 2018

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props_source.data.text
A last post on some of our incredible work in Session 1 of the #medieval Japanese documents workshop- we read a couple documents on gold miners ⚒️ & the Asia librarians were kind enough to also bring out scroll replicas from the early modern period on miners for us to view. https://t.co/iQ7nf440Qc

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.original_text
A last post on some of our incredible work in Session 1 of the #medieval Japanese documents workshop- we read a couple documents on gold miners ⚒️ & the Asia librarians were kind enough to also bring out scroll replicas from the early modern period on miners for us to view. https://t.co/iQ7nf440Qc

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.text
A last post on some of our incredible work in Session 1 of the #medieval Japanese documents workshop- we read a couple documents on gold miners ⚒️ & the Asia librarians were kind enough to also bring out scroll replicas from the early modern period on miners for us to view.

# data[].attributes.headline
Informational Tweets on the Kanazawa bunko monjo Collection from the UM Medieval Documents Workshop, 2018

# data[].attributes.subject
Informational Tweets on the Kanazawa bunko monjo Collection from the UM Medieval Documents Workshop, 2018

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.text
Today our numbers increased as more grad students & professors joined us for the early #medieval Japanese workshop! Takahashi Shin’ichiro from the Historiographical Institute of the University of Tokyo is guiding us through komonjo from Kanazawa bunko monjo. 📜 #medievaltwitter

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.entities.annotations[].normalized_text
Historiographical Institute of the University of Tokyo

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.original_text
Today our numbers increased as more grad students & professors joined us for the early #medieval Japanese workshop! Takahashi Shin’ichiro from the Historiographical Institute of the University of Tokyo is guiding us through komonjo from Kanazawa bunko monjo. 📜 #medievaltwitter https://t.co/5lorEvSMLQ

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.embed_code
Today our numbers increased as more grad students & professors joined us for the early #medieval Japanese workshop! Takahashi Shin’ichiro from the Historiographical Institute of the University of Tokyo is guiding us through komonjo from Kanazawa bunko monjo. 📜 #medievaltwitter pic.twitter.com/5lorEvSMLQ
— Dr. Paula R. Curtis (@paularcurtis) July 24, 2018

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props_source.data.text
Today our numbers increased as more grad students & professors joined us for the early #medieval Japanese workshop! Takahashi Shin’ichiro from the Historiographical Institute of the University of Tokyo is guiding us through komonjo from Kanazawa bunko monjo. 📜 #medievaltwitter https://t.co/5lorEvSMLQ

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.original_text
Today our numbers increased as more grad students & professors joined us for the early #medieval Japanese workshop! Takahashi Shin’ichiro from the Historiographical Institute of the University of Tokyo is guiding us through komonjo from Kanazawa bunko monjo. 📜 #medievaltwitter https://t.co/5lorEvSMLQ

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.text
Today our numbers increased as more grad students & professors joined us for the early #medieval Japanese workshop! Takahashi Shin’ichiro from the Historiographical Institute of the University of Tokyo is guiding us through komonjo from Kanazawa bunko monjo. 📜 #medievaltwitter

# data[].attributes.headline
Informational Tweets on eboshiori hats from the UM Medieval Documents Workshop, 2018

# data[].attributes.subject
Informational Tweets on eboshiori hats from the UM Medieval Documents Workshop, 2018

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.text
Yesterday in the #medieval Japanese documents workshop we had a number of good conversations on just what in the heck artisans made & what things were made of. For example, we had a long discussion of eboshiori 烏帽子折 (えぼしをり) vs. kanmuri 冠屋 artisans. 🎩

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.original_text
Yesterday in the #medieval Japanese documents workshop we had a number of good conversations on just what in the heck artisans made & what things were made of. For example, we had a long discussion of eboshiori 烏帽子折 (えぼしをり) vs. kanmuri 冠屋 artisans. 🎩 https://t.co/IvCQtfN2CW

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.embed_code
Yesterday in the #medieval Japanese documents workshop we had a number of good conversations on just what in the heck artisans made & what things were made of. For example, we had a long discussion of eboshiori 烏帽子折 (えぼしをり) vs. kanmuri 冠屋 artisans. 🎩 pic.twitter.com/IvCQtfN2CW
— Dr. Paula R. Curtis (@paularcurtis) August 3, 2018

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props_source.data.text
Yesterday in the #medieval Japanese documents workshop we had a number of good conversations on just what in the heck artisans made & what things were made of. For example, we had a long discussion of eboshiori 烏帽子折 (えぼしをり) vs. kanmuri 冠屋 artisans. 🎩 https://t.co/IvCQtfN2CW

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.original_text
Yesterday in the #medieval Japanese documents workshop we had a number of good conversations on just what in the heck artisans made & what things were made of. For example, we had a long discussion of eboshiori 烏帽子折 (えぼしをり) vs. kanmuri 冠屋 artisans. 🎩 https://t.co/IvCQtfN2CW

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.text
Yesterday in the #medieval Japanese documents workshop we had a number of good conversations on just what in the heck artisans made & what things were made of. For example, we had a long discussion of eboshiori 烏帽子折 (えぼしをり) vs. kanmuri 冠屋 artisans. 🎩

# data[].attributes.headline
Interview: Japanese spinning tops tell stories, aim for playfulness

# data[].attributes.subject
Interview: Japanese spinning tops tell stories, aim for playfulness

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
It once was thought that the Japanese tradition of carving Edo-style spinning tops had been lost. It turned out it had just gone on the road to northern Japan - and some of it ended up in America as well.

While they're called tops, these go beyond simple spinning disks. Many are more like carved, wooden figures, and might depict scenes with characters that dance, transform or fight. On one, an ogre disguised as a priest bangs a gong when you spin his hat; on another, two discs illustrated with a dog and a robber chase each other around. Figures from folklore and theater are represented, and whimsical scenes like two frogs sumo wrestling.

More than just playthings, the tops were traditionally used for street performances, and involve original creations, not just repetitive copies.

"They have a very varied history across different social groups and classes," says Paula R. Curtis, a Ph.D. candidate in history at the University of Michigan. "Part of it is the artisans putting themselves into the work, interpreting their experiences and cultural background through these tops."

One such artisan is Michiaki Hiroi. His was the last family making tops in Tokyo when they moved to Sendai in the north of Japan after the Second World War. His father made a living making the woodcrafts of that region, and Hiroi initially followed in his footsteps. Then one day a collector who knew about the Edo style came to the shop and discovered who he was. "This person said, oh my God, I've been looking for you forever," says Curtis.

Hiroi was inspired to begin making the tops and taking on apprentices. While the stereotype of craft apprenticeships in Japan is that they're hard to break into and not welcoming to women and foreigners, Hiroi didn't discriminate. One of his apprentices was Janell Landis, an American who came to Japan as a missionary and taught at a university in Sendai for 30 years.

When she became his apprentice in 1982, Hiroi encouraged her to bring her own experiences and culture to the craft. Where his tops might represent a figure from a Noh drama, hers included Huck Finn, Tom Sawyer and Cinderella. Instead of Japanese folklore, they reflected the stories important to her, such as a Christmas tree and a scene of the manger with baby Jesus.

If Christmas is fair game as a subject, then what makes a top Edo-style? Curtis, project manager of an oral history website about Landis and Hiroi, says that Hiroi's answer focuses on the tops' spirit: "He's very insistent on that when he talks about them: When people look at them, it brings them a sense of joy and playfulness,"

That response might seem evasive or frustrating - aren't you supposed to be able to identify a school of arts or crafts from how it looks? Not necessarily, according to Tamara Joy, curator of the Morikami Museum in Delray Beach, Florida. For Japanese crafts, a style is often distinguished by where it comes from and who is teaching it, rather than certain patterns or techniques.

But the term Edo also has deep cultural and historical resonance that is reflected in these tops, says Joy, whose museum owns a collection of Hiroi's work that Landis brought back when she returned to the US in 1995.

Edo is the old name for Tokyo, but it's also the name of the era from 1603-1868, a period that saw the development of a new middle class with more free time and spending money. This resulted in an explosion of the arts and culture. These tops are part of that bigger picture, Joy says.

Often, they contained subversive commentary about the ruling classes. "There was a lot of sticking it to the people who were in charge," says Joy. This had to be subtle: perhaps a play that used historical characters with parallels to the present, or a performance with elaborate tops that actually told a story.

One of Joy's favorites in the collection represents a common figure of fun, the spear-bearer who led samurai processions. Paintings and illustrations mock his self-importance. "His chest is all puffed up, and he's got a smug look on his face," says Joy. "You couldn't directly make fun of the samurai, but you could poke at them and their egos through this character."

On Hiroi's top, the figure's spear moves around clumsily when his head is spun. "You could see the same character in a half-million-dollar painting," Joy says, "and he made his way into a top."

___

https://carvingcommunity-dentouart.com/

https://morikami.org/

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Japanese spinning tops tell stories, aim for playfulness

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
It once was thought that the Japanese tradition of carving Edo-style spinning tops had been lost. It turned out it had just gone on the road to northern Japan - and some of it ended up in America as well. While they're called tops, these go beyond simple spinning disks.

# data[].attributes.headline
Noh theater in everyday medieval letters

# data[].attributes.subject
Noh theater in everyday medieval letters

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.text
Digging into my docs again for my ch 2 edits. Maybe because most of my sources are dry tax stuff, I'm always charmed by other little details. One letter I've translated rambles on various topics, but adds some notes in the postscript about getting their #medieval party on 🎉1/:

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.original_text
Digging into my docs again for my ch 2 edits. Maybe because most of my sources are dry tax stuff, I'm always charmed by other little details. One letter I've translated rambles on various topics, but adds some notes in the postscript about getting their #medieval party on 🎉1/:

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.embed_code
Digging into my docs again for my ch 2 edits. Maybe because most of my sources are dry tax stuff, I'm always charmed by other little details. One letter I've translated rambles on various topics, but adds some notes in the postscript about getting their #medieval party on 🎉1/:
— Dr. Paula R. Curtis (@paularcurtis) September 22, 2018

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props_source.data.text
Digging into my docs again for my ch 2 edits. Maybe because most of my sources are dry tax stuff, I'm always charmed by other little details. One letter I've translated rambles on various topics, but adds some notes in the postscript about getting their #medieval party on 🎉1/:

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.original_text
Digging into my docs again for my ch 2 edits. Maybe because most of my sources are dry tax stuff, I'm always charmed by other little details. One letter I've translated rambles on various topics, but adds some notes in the postscript about getting their #medieval party on 🎉1/:

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.text
Digging into my docs again for my ch 2 edits. Maybe because most of my sources are dry tax stuff, I'm always charmed by other little details. One letter I've translated rambles on various topics, but adds some notes in the postscript about getting their #medieval party on 🎉1/:

# data[].attributes.headline
Environmental perspectives of medieval Kyoto

# data[].attributes.subject
Environmental perspectives of medieval Kyoto

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.text
A fun fact about #medieval #Kyoto for you today- a colleague in the environmental history of medieval Japan recently informed me that in the late medieval period, there was a small island in the middle of the Kamo River at Gojō bridge that no longer exists. 😯🌉 #medievaltwitter

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.original_text
A fun fact about #medieval #Kyoto for you today- a colleague in the environmental history of medieval Japan recently informed me that in the late medieval period, there was a small island in the middle of the Kamo River at Gojō bridge that no longer exists. 😯🌉 #medievaltwitter https://t.co/scJ871tpWs

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.embed_code
A fun fact about #medieval #Kyoto for you today- a colleague in the environmental history of medieval Japan recently informed me that in the late medieval period, there was a small island in the middle of the Kamo River at Gojō bridge that no longer exists. 😯🌉 #medievaltwitter pic.twitter.com/scJ871tpWs
— Dr. Paula R. Curtis (@paularcurtis) October 2, 2018

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props_source.data.text
A fun fact about #medieval #Kyoto for you today- a colleague in the environmental history of medieval Japan recently informed me that in the late medieval period, there was a small island in the middle of the Kamo River at Gojō bridge that no longer exists. 😯🌉 #medievaltwitter https://t.co/scJ871tpWs

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.original_text
A fun fact about #medieval #Kyoto for you today- a colleague in the environmental history of medieval Japan recently informed me that in the late medieval period, there was a small island in the middle of the Kamo River at Gojō bridge that no longer exists. 😯🌉 #medievaltwitter https://t.co/scJ871tpWs

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.text
A fun fact about #medieval #Kyoto for you today- a colleague in the environmental history of medieval Japan recently informed me that in the late medieval period, there was a small island in the middle of the Kamo River at Gojō bridge that no longer exists. 😯🌉 #medievaltwitter

# data[].attributes.headline
Red-seal ships and international interactions of the 17th cen in gold leaf screens

# data[].attributes.subject
Red-seal ships and international interactions of the 17th cen in gold leaf screens

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.text
A couple weeks ago the map library hosted a great talk by Richard Pegg, Curator of Asian art (MacLean Collection) on "red-seal" maps & ships. There were restrictions on showing the images he's working on, but he did introduce this great pair of screens from the early 17th cen.

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.original_text
A couple weeks ago the map library hosted a great talk by Richard Pegg, Curator of Asian art (MacLean Collection) on "red-seal" maps & ships. There were restrictions on showing the images he's working on, but he did introduce this great pair of screens from the early 17th cen. https://t.co/Cq9rQ7wj3i

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.embed_code
A couple weeks ago the map library hosted a great talk by Richard Pegg, Curator of Asian art (MacLean Collection) on "red-seal" maps & ships. There were restrictions on showing the images he's working on, but he did introduce this great pair of screens from the early 17th cen. pic.twitter.com/Cq9rQ7wj3i
— Dr. Paula R. Curtis (@paularcurtis) November 16, 2018

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props_source.data.text
A couple weeks ago the map library hosted a great talk by Richard Pegg, Curator of Asian art (MacLean Collection) on "red-seal" maps & ships. There were restrictions on showing the images he's working on, but he did introduce this great pair of screens from the early 17th cen. https://t.co/Cq9rQ7wj3i

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.original_text
A couple weeks ago the map library hosted a great talk by Richard Pegg, Curator of Asian art (MacLean Collection) on "red-seal" maps & ships. There were restrictions on showing the images he's working on, but he did introduce this great pair of screens from the early 17th cen. https://t.co/Cq9rQ7wj3i

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.text
A couple weeks ago the map library hosted a great talk by Richard Pegg, Curator of Asian art (MacLean Collection) on "red-seal" maps & ships. There were restrictions on showing the images he's working on, but he did introduce this great pair of screens from the early 17th cen.

# data[].attributes.headline
Found in the archives: 1905 costumes from bugaku dance

# data[].attributes.subject
Found in the archives: 1905 costumes from bugaku dance

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.text
Another neat find from special collections cataloging— this hip guy & his fish stylings. 🐟 This image is from a 1905 manuscript with illustrations of bugaku dance costumes. This is from 崑崙八仙 (konron hassen), Eight Hermits of Mt Konron, a four-person dance with crane masks.

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.original_text
Another neat find from special collections cataloging— this hip guy & his fish stylings. 🐟 This image is from a 1905 manuscript with illustrations of bugaku dance costumes. This is from 崑崙八仙 (konron hassen), Eight Hermits of Mt Konron, a four-person dance with crane masks. https://t.co/4dcZLVmMQB

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.embed_code
Another neat find from special collections cataloging— this hip guy & his fish stylings. 🐟 This image is from a 1905 manuscript with illustrations of bugaku dance costumes. This is from 崑崙八仙 (konron hassen), Eight Hermits of Mt Konron, a four-person dance with crane masks. pic.twitter.com/4dcZLVmMQB
— Dr. Paula R. Curtis (@paularcurtis) December 17, 2018

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props_source.data.text
Another neat find from special collections cataloging— this hip guy & his fish stylings. 🐟 This image is from a 1905 manuscript with illustrations of bugaku dance costumes. This is from 崑崙八仙 (konron hassen), Eight Hermits of Mt Konron, a four-person dance with crane masks. https://t.co/4dcZLVmMQB

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.original_text
Another neat find from special collections cataloging— this hip guy & his fish stylings. 🐟 This image is from a 1905 manuscript with illustrations of bugaku dance costumes. This is from 崑崙八仙 (konron hassen), Eight Hermits of Mt Konron, a four-person dance with crane masks. https://t.co/4dcZLVmMQB

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.text
Another neat find from special collections cataloging— this hip guy & his fish stylings. 🐟 This image is from a 1905 manuscript with illustrations of bugaku dance costumes. This is from 崑崙八仙 (konron hassen), Eight Hermits of Mt Konron, a four-person dance with crane masks.

# data[].attributes.headline
Diagram found of a gunsmith's workshop in Sakai from the early 17th cen

# data[].attributes.subject
Diagram found of a gunsmith's workshop in Sakai from the early 17th cen

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.text
A diagram of a gunsmith's workshop in Sakai from the early 17th cen (beginning of Japan's early modern period) has been discovered! This is an important find, as little is known about gun production in this period & changes to residential architecture. https://t.co/eYFEFkWvAS

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.original_text
A diagram of a gunsmith's workshop in Sakai from the early 17th cen (beginning of Japan's early modern period) has been discovered! This is an important find, as little is known about gun production in this period & changes to residential architecture. https://t.co/eYFEFkWvAS https://t.co/hQdqzZI2DZ

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.embed_code
A diagram of a gunsmith's workshop in Sakai from the early 17th cen (beginning of Japan's early modern period) has been discovered! This is an important find, as little is known about gun production in this period & changes to residential architecture. https://t.co/eYFEFkWvAS pic.twitter.com/hQdqzZI2DZ
— Dr. Paula R. Curtis (@paularcurtis) January 21, 2019

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props_source.data.text
A diagram of a gunsmith's workshop in Sakai from the early 17th cen (beginning of Japan's early modern period) has been discovered! This is an important find, as little is known about gun production in this period & changes to residential architecture. https://t.co/eYFEFkWvAS https://t.co/hQdqzZI2DZ

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.original_text
A diagram of a gunsmith's workshop in Sakai from the early 17th cen (beginning of Japan's early modern period) has been discovered! This is an important find, as little is known about gun production in this period & changes to residential architecture. https://t.co/eYFEFkWvAS https://t.co/hQdqzZI2DZ

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.text
A diagram of a gunsmith's workshop in Sakai from the early 17th cen (beginning of Japan's early modern period) has been discovered! This is an important find, as little is known about gun production in this period & changes to residential architecture. https://t.co/eYFEFkWvAS

# data[].attributes.headline
Construction in Nagano unearths failed castings of early modern coins

# data[].attributes.subject
Construction in Nagano unearths failed castings of early modern coins

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.text
The latest in some historical metal casting news- local construction in Matsumoto, Nagano, has unearthed various unfinished/failed castings of Kan'ei Tsūhō coins along with some casting tools. These coins began to be cast in 1636 & were in use until 1868. https://t.co/V0pmNkvafQ

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.original_text
The latest in some historical metal casting news- local construction in Matsumoto, Nagano, has unearthed various unfinished/failed castings of Kan'ei Tsūhō coins along with some casting tools. These coins began to be cast in 1636 & were in use until 1868. https://t.co/V0pmNkvafQ https://t.co/vrbKqM8wPW

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.embed_code
The latest in some historical metal casting news- local construction in Matsumoto, Nagano, has unearthed various unfinished/failed castings of Kan'ei Tsūhō coins along with some casting tools. These coins began to be cast in 1636 & were in use until 1868. https://t.co/V0pmNkvafQ pic.twitter.com/vrbKqM8wPW
— Dr. Paula R. Curtis (@paularcurtis) January 30, 2019

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props_source.data.text
The latest in some historical metal casting news- local construction in Matsumoto, Nagano, has unearthed various unfinished/failed castings of Kan'ei Tsūhō coins along with some casting tools. These coins began to be cast in 1636 & were in use until 1868. https://t.co/V0pmNkvafQ https://t.co/vrbKqM8wPW

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.original_text
The latest in some historical metal casting news- local construction in Matsumoto, Nagano, has unearthed various unfinished/failed castings of Kan'ei Tsūhō coins along with some casting tools. These coins began to be cast in 1636 & were in use until 1868. https://t.co/V0pmNkvafQ https://t.co/vrbKqM8wPW

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.text
The latest in some historical metal casting news- local construction in Matsumoto, Nagano, has unearthed various unfinished/failed castings of Kan'ei Tsūhō coins along with some casting tools. These coins began to be cast in 1636 & were in use until 1868. https://t.co/V0pmNkvafQ

# data[].attributes.headline
Blog: What can I do with a BA in Japanese Studies?

# data[].attributes.subject
Blog: What can I do with a BA in Japanese Studies?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.provider_name
What can I do with a B.A. in Japanese Studies?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
This week is just a quick fun link- a CNN feature on the photographer Eiji Ohashi, who has spent years photographing vending machines that often stand alone in Japan's most isolated places. Travelers unfamiliar with Japan are often shocked by the ubiquity of vending machines, whereas those who have lived there for extended periods of time may not be surprised to find a brightly-lit machine standing in at the roadside in the middle of empty fields, far out in the country.

Ohashi beautifully captures the presence of these machines, and a dozen or so of his photographs can be seen in the original article highlighting the development of his work, and you can visit his site for information on purchasing the book of his photos, Roadside Lights.

Happy Friday!

Although having digital views of any view you wish has long been a staple in science fiction film, that day is pretty much already upon us! Recently the Atmoph Window company released information on their high definition window displays, which bring to life a variety of views and their related audio as a part of smart display technology.

These windows include more than 1,000 views of the world (and can even be linked to show you your room when you're away??), but what I find really interesting is that one view is of early modern Japan!

The company got footage from Toei Studio Park, an area of Kyoto managed by Toei Studios Kyoto, which is responsible for filming a number of historical drama series. I suppose this makes more sense than making a totally computer-generated site, or going back in time. 😉

Read a little more about the project at Japan Today 's article!

A quickie Fun Link Friday for you all today! Those who have been following the 2020 Tokyo Olympics carefully probably know that their social media campaign is "Make the Beat," inviting people to post to social media with the hashtag #2020beat to get amped up for the games.

Recently a video was released with a somewhat special take on the beat- a performance by the Olympic mascots with a traditional noh theater performer. You can see the brief advertisement below:

This video maybe should come as no surprise though, given that the famous kyogen actor Nomura Mansai will be directing the opening and closing ceremonies. Do we have more premodern arts to look forward to in the upcoming games? I hope so!

AGENTS OF WORLD RENEWAL: THE RISE OF YONAOSHI GODS IN JAPAN
Takashi Miura

This volume examines a category of Japanese divinities that centered on the concept of "world renewal" ( yonaoshi). In the latter half of the Tokugawa period (1603-1867), a number of entities, both natural and supernatural, came to be worshipped as "gods of world renewal." These included disgruntled peasants who demanded their local governments repeal unfair taxation, government bureaucrats who implemented special fiscal measures to help the poor, and a giant subterranean catfish believed to cause earthquakes to punish the hoarding rich. In the modern period, yonaoshi gods took on more explicitly anti-authoritarian characteristics. During a major uprising in Saitama Prefecture in 1884, a yonaoshi god was invoked to deny the legitimacy of the Meiji regime, and in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the new religion Ōmoto predicted an apocalyptic end of the world presided over by a messianic yonaoshi god.

Using a variety of local documents to analyze the veneration of yonaoshi gods, Takashi Miura looks beyond the traditional modality of research focused on religious professionals, their institutions, and their texts to illuminate the complexity of a lived religion as practiced in communities. He also problematizes the association frequently drawn between the concept of yonaoshi and millenarianism, demonstrating that yonaoshi gods served as divine rectifiers of specific economic injustices and only later, in the modern period and within the context of new religions such as Ōmoto, were fully millenarian interpretations developed. The scope of world renewal, in other words, changed over time.

Agents of World Renewal approaches Japanese religion through the new analytical lens of yonaoshi gods and highlights the necessity of looking beyond the boundary often posited between the early modern and modern periods when researching religious discourses and concepts.

For more information: https://uhpress.hawaii.edu/product/agents-of-world-renewal-the-rise-of-yonaoshi-gods-in-japan/

If lately you've just been feeling insignificant compared to the vastness of the universe, maybe you need to plan on booking a trip to Small Worlds Tokyo, which is set to open next spring. Planned as the world's largest diorama park, it will be a 8,000 square meter indoor facility, with the objects at 1/80th scale.

Visitors will get to choose from many different themes, including Kansai airport, towns across the world, the Space Center, areas of Tokyo, and even Sailor Moon and Neon Genesis Evangelion! Can a miniature immersion experience be just as intense as a life-size one?

There's even the option to purchase a special ticket to create a 3D model of yourself and place it inside the action. So if you ever wanted to imagine yourself as a part of the world below a hulking mech, now might be your chance!

More information can be found on the Small Worlds website and various articles advertising the new park. Tickets aren't open yet, but be on the lookout if you're in Japan.

The Seventh Summer School in Japanese Early Modern Palaeography will run between Monday 10 August and Friday 21 August 2020.
Core contents of the Summer School
As always our Summer School focuses on Edo-period materials. Our sustained work in teaching what we call holistic palaeographic literacy 総合的な和本リテラシー has resulted in a programme that works very effectively. In the seventy-two hours of tuition that we offer, we devote roughly the same amount of hours to the three linguistic/palaeographic areas of wabun in cursive ( kuzushiji and hentaigana), kanbun in non-cursive and sōrōbun in cursive. We also actively encourage participants to explore research questions in the field of Japanese early-modern palaeography.

You can read more about our teaching philosophy in the forthcoming number of the journal Shomotsugaku 書物学 no.9, October 2016.

The theme of this year summer school is Daily life in Edo-period Japan 江戸時代の庶民生活 (III). As every year we cover new materials, so that returning participants can benefit as well.

For more information, visit: https://wakancambridge.com/
Deadline: 1 February 2020 The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Program in Buddhist Studies
The American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) invites applications in the 2019-20 competition year of The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Program in Buddhist Studies. In cooperation with the Foundation, ACLS offers an integrated set of fellowship and grant competitions supporting work that will expand the understanding and interpretation of Buddhist thought in scholarship and society, strengthen international networks of Buddhist studies, and increase the visibility of innovative currents in those studies.

Postdoctoral Fellowships: two-year stipends to recent recipients of the PhD for residence at a university for research, writing, and teaching

Research Fellowships: one-year stipends for scholars who hold a PhD degree, with no restrictions on time from the PhD

New Professorships: multi-year grants to colleges and universities to establish or expand teaching in Buddhist studies

These are global competitions. There are no restrictions as to the location of work proposed, the citizenship of applicants, or the languages of the final written product. Applications must be submitted in English. Program information and applications are available at www.acls.org/programs/buddhist-studies/.

Deadline for submission of fellowship applications: November 13, 2019.
Deadline for institutional applications for New Professorships: January 8, 2020.
For more information, please email BuddhistStudies@acls.org.
Program in Buddhist Studies on Facebook.

The American Council of Learned Societies is the leading private institution supporting scholars in the humanities and humanistic social sciences. In the 2018-19 competition year, ACLS awarded over $25 million to nearly 350 scholars worldwide. Recent fellows' and grantees' profiles and research abstracts are available at https://www.acls.org/Fellows-and-Research/Recent-Awardees. We look forward to an equally successful competition year in 2019-20, and we encourage you to circulate this notice to members of your community who may be interested in these fellowship and grant opportunities.

Established in 2005, The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation is a private philanthropic organisation based in Hong Kong. The Foundation's dual mission is to foster appreciation of Chinese arts and culture to advance global learning and to cultivate deeper understanding of Buddhism in the context of contemporary life. www.rhfamilyfoundation.org.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
What can I do with a B.A. in Japanese Studies?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This week is just a quick fun link- a CNN feature on the photographer Eiji Ohashi, who has spent years photographing vending machines that often stand alone in Japan's most isolated places.

# data[].attributes.headline
Database: Digital Resources and Projects on East Asia

# data[].attributes.subject
Database: Digital Resources and Projects on East Asia

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
This label refers to the approximate time period or periods the site is about. Given the various and often contested means of periodization, these divisions are broadly defined. The options are the following:

- premodern: roughly before 1900
- modern: roughly after 1900

If the site is a larger institutional/organization site, there is no indication of time period.

This label refers to the geographic location or locations on which the website or project focuses.

These include specific locations (Japan, China, Korea, Taiwan, Mongolia) and broad locations (Asia, East Asia). If the site is more generally about Asia or East Asia at large, those categories are used. The general Asia/East Asia tags are not included alongside location-specific ones (i.e. something marked "Japan" need not also include "Asia").

Categories help indicate the methods used in the project of the site or the general content of the site at large. These categories are necessarily blunt instruments and reflect both specific digital methods as well as broader characterizations of the sites given for ease of grouping functions. Multiple categories may be selected.

A rough explanation of categories is as follows:

- text mining: The project/page includes methods of or related to deriving/analysis of unstructured data from texts; information such as patterns and trends are typically derived through means such as statistical pattern learning/natural language processing.

- network analysis: The project/page includes methods of or related to creating or analyzing networks and/or creating network visualizations (graphs or node-link diagrams expressing relationships).

- OCR: The project/page includes methods of or related to Optical Character Recognition, the mechanical or electronic conversion of images of typed, handwritten or printed text into machine-encoded text.

- visual tools: The project/page includes methods of or related to the exploration and analysis of visual sources, particularly art or original source materials, such as visual/translation overlays and/or annotations of handscrolls or digitized primary texts.

- maps/mapping: The project/page includes methods of or related to producing and analyzing maps and/or visualizing data on maps.

- data set/statistics: The project/page includes methods of or related to providing data sets or statistics for public use.

- topic modeling: The project/page includes methods of or related to using statistical models for discovering the abstract "topics" that occur in a collection of documents.

- research project: The project/page focuses on a particular research topic or theme produced by an individual or group, often with analyses or essays included.

- pedagogy: The project/page is produced with the explicit goal of providing teaching materials/pedagogical resources and plans for the classroom.

- how-to-guide: The project/page provides how-to guides for particular research methods (e.g.: topic modeling, network analysis, OCR, etc.).

- archive: a collection of documents or materials

- database: a collection of documents or materials with search functionality

- curated collection: a collection (such as art, postcards, or other materials) that is either a part of a museum or tailored to a particular theme or type of resource

- bibliography: The project/page provides a set of bibliographic resources

- dictionary: The project/page is intended for use as a dictionary resource, providing definitions or entries on particular items.

- institute/organization: The project/page of a general group, conference, or other institutional organization that is focused on promoting the digital in relation to Asia or East Asia.

- podcast: a podcast on an East Asia-related topic.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This label refers to the approximate time period or periods the site is about. Given the various and often contested means of periodization, these divisions are broadly defined. The options are the following: - premodern: roughly before 1900 - modern: roughly after 1900 If the site is a larger institutional/organization site, there is no indication of time period.

# data[].attributes.headline
Symposium: De-centering the Global Middle Ages, 2019

# data[].attributes.subject
Symposium: De-centering the Global Middle Ages, 2019

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
De-centering the Global Middle Ages
Organizers: Paula R. Curtis, Amanda Respess
The De-centering the Global Middle Ages symposium was held at the University of Michigan February 8-9, 2019. It invited researchers to consider scholarly perspectives of the "global turn" of the premodern world, addressing connectivity and mobility of the globe c. 500-1600 CE. What work does the idea of "the medieval" do, and for whom? What do we gain and what do we lose by insisting on a shared notion of the medieval? By conceiving of a more diverse Middle Ages characterized by mobility and connectedness rather than isolation and limited travel? This symposium explored what the "medieval" means for scholars of various geographic regions, including Africa, Asia, the Americas, and Europe in hopes of facilitating a dramatic shift in our visions of what it means to do medieval history, and the meaning of global history more broadly.

The official symposium website can be found here.

Different from many symposia, De-centering the Global Middle Ages embraced an innovative format (a combination of lightning talks, pre-circulated papers, and primary source presentations) and asked for tangible, public-facing outcomes in the form of bibliographies that can be incorporated into teaching and used in the classroom. Abstracts of each talk and their bibliographies are uploaded to the symposium website and will be linked to on the Global Middle Ages Project website in an effort to contribute to the development of a canon of literature on the global Middle Ages able to be used in research and teaching.

View Bibliographies

To make the proceedings more accessible to those unable to attend, this event was live-tweeted by several members of the symposium. Please click each day below for information on individual presentations in the program and my live-tweets related to each session. The event's hashtag was #DGMA19.

Program design and event planning support by Michael Gawlik

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Organizers: Paula R. Curtis, Amanda Respess The De-centering the Global Middle Ages symposium was held at the University of Michigan February 8-9, 2019. It invited researchers to consider scholarly perspectives of the "global turn" of the premodern world, addressing connectivity and mobility of the globe c. 500-1600 CE.

# data[].attributes.headline
Livetweets: "The Death of Japanese Studies" panel, AAS 2019

# data[].attributes.subject
Livetweets: "The Death of Japanese Studies" panel, AAS 2019

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.text
A full house for the “The Death of Japanese Studies” panel even 5 minutes before it begins. Is our field in a state of crisis? 💀 #AAS2019

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.original_text
A full house for the “The Death of Japanese Studies” panel even 5 minutes before it begins. Is our field in a state of crisis? 💀 #AAS2019 https://t.co/ZpD9y7Um7p

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.embed_code
A full house for the “The Death of Japanese Studies” panel even 5 minutes before it begins. Is our field in a state of crisis? 💀 #AAS2019 pic.twitter.com/ZpD9y7Um7p
— Dr. Paula R. Curtis (@paularcurtis) March 22, 2019

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props_source.data.text
A full house for the “The Death of Japanese Studies” panel even 5 minutes before it begins. Is our field in a state of crisis? 💀 #AAS2019 https://t.co/ZpD9y7Um7p

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.original_text
A full house for the “The Death of Japanese Studies” panel even 5 minutes before it begins. Is our field in a state of crisis? 💀 #AAS2019 https://t.co/ZpD9y7Um7p

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.text
A full house for the “The Death of Japanese Studies” panel even 5 minutes before it begins. Is our field in a state of crisis? 💀 #AAS2019

# data[].attributes.headline
Livetweets: "Gender Equality in Asian Studies" panel, AAS 2019

# data[].attributes.subject
Livetweets: "Gender Equality in Asian Studies" panel, AAS 2019

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.text
Gender Equality in Asian Studies meeting is happening now and it is packed for 9:45 in a Friday night! #AAS2019 #metoo #AsianStudies

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.original_text
Gender Equality in Asian Studies meeting is happening now and it is packed for 9:45 in a Friday night! #AAS2019 #metoo #AsianStudies https://t.co/8Qe5Wfkd2p

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.embed_code
Gender Equality in Asian Studies meeting is happening now and it is packed for 9:45 in a Friday night! #AAS2019 #metoo #AsianStudies pic.twitter.com/8Qe5Wfkd2p
— Dr. Paula R. Curtis (@paularcurtis) March 23, 2019

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props_source.data.text
Gender Equality in Asian Studies meeting is happening now and it is packed for 9:45 in a Friday night! #AAS2019 #metoo #AsianStudies https://t.co/8Qe5Wfkd2p

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.original_text
Gender Equality in Asian Studies meeting is happening now and it is packed for 9:45 in a Friday night! #AAS2019 #metoo #AsianStudies https://t.co/8Qe5Wfkd2p

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.text
Gender Equality in Asian Studies meeting is happening now and it is packed for 9:45 in a Friday night! #AAS2019 #metoo #AsianStudies

# data[].attributes.headline
Found in the archives: Late 19th cen illustrations of noh theater

# data[].attributes.subject
Found in the archives: Late 19th cen illustrations of noh theater

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.text
Found some lovely Meiji period (1899) images on noh theatre today! The booklet features scenes from various plays (there isn't a main textual component to speak of). Noh is a form of musical drama originating in 14th cen Japan. Here's some images with demons. 👹 #medievaltwitter

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.original_text
Found some lovely Meiji period (1899) images on noh theatre today! The booklet features scenes from various plays (there isn't a main textual component to speak of). Noh is a form of musical drama originating in 14th cen Japan. Here's some images with demons. 👹 #medievaltwitter https://t.co/x6G2JjIJ2j

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.embed_code
Found some lovely Meiji period (1899) images on noh theatre today! The booklet features scenes from various plays (there isn't a main textual component to speak of). Noh is a form of musical drama originating in 14th cen Japan. Here's some images with demons. 👹 #medievaltwitter pic.twitter.com/x6G2JjIJ2j
— Dr. Paula R. Curtis (@paularcurtis) April 22, 2019

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props_source.data.text
Found some lovely Meiji period (1899) images on noh theatre today! The booklet features scenes from various plays (there isn't a main textual component to speak of). Noh is a form of musical drama originating in 14th cen Japan. Here's some images with demons. 👹 #medievaltwitter https://t.co/x6G2JjIJ2j

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.original_text
Found some lovely Meiji period (1899) images on noh theatre today! The booklet features scenes from various plays (there isn't a main textual component to speak of). Noh is a form of musical drama originating in 14th cen Japan. Here's some images with demons. 👹 #medievaltwitter https://t.co/x6G2JjIJ2j

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.text
Found some lovely Meiji period (1899) images on noh theatre today! The booklet features scenes from various plays (there isn't a main textual component to speak of). Noh is a form of musical drama originating in 14th cen Japan. Here's some images with demons. 👹 #medievaltwitter

# data[].attributes.headline
From the archives: Early modern print of Raijin and Fūjin (deities of lightning/thunder and wind)

# data[].attributes.subject
From the archives: Early modern print of Raijin and Fūjin (deities of lightning/thunder and wind)

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.text
The weather is getting blustery out there soon, so enjoy this early modern Japanese print I found of Raijin and Fūjin (deities of lightning/thunder and wind respectively) in the collection I'm cataloging. ☔️🌩️

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.original_text
The weather is getting blustery out there soon, so enjoy this early modern Japanese print I found of Raijin and Fūjin (deities of lightning/thunder and wind respectively) in the collection I'm cataloging. ☔️🌩️ https://t.co/s9WmxkKnwH

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.embed_code
The weather is getting blustery out there soon, so enjoy this early modern Japanese print I found of Raijin and Fūjin (deities of lightning/thunder and wind respectively) in the collection I'm cataloging. ☔️🌩️ pic.twitter.com/s9WmxkKnwH
— Dr. Paula R. Curtis (@paularcurtis) May 1, 2019

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props_source.data.text
The weather is getting blustery out there soon, so enjoy this early modern Japanese print I found of Raijin and Fūjin (deities of lightning/thunder and wind respectively) in the collection I'm cataloging. ☔️🌩️ https://t.co/s9WmxkKnwH

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.original_text
The weather is getting blustery out there soon, so enjoy this early modern Japanese print I found of Raijin and Fūjin (deities of lightning/thunder and wind respectively) in the collection I'm cataloging. ☔️🌩️ https://t.co/s9WmxkKnwH

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.text
The weather is getting blustery out there soon, so enjoy this early modern Japanese print I found of Raijin and Fūjin (deities of lightning/thunder and wind respectively) in the collection I'm cataloging. ☔️🌩️

# data[].attributes.headline
Lecture at Ann Arbor Japan Week Letterpress Lab, Ann Arbor Downtown District Library, 2019

# data[].attributes.subject
Lecture at Ann Arbor Japan Week Letterpress Lab, Ann Arbor Downtown District Library, 2019

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.text
Had a lovely time at @aadl speaking on Japanese crests at last night's Japan Week Letterpress Lab! Thanks for having me! Big community turnout like last year and great new plates. Read on for some pics and a funny story about a goof that turned into a teaching moment. 😅 1/20

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.original_text
Had a lovely time at @aadl speaking on Japanese crests at last night's Japan Week Letterpress Lab! Thanks for having me! Big community turnout like last year and great new plates. Read on for some pics and a funny story about a goof that turned into a teaching moment. 😅 1/20 https://t.co/KtOHlFIHsK

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.embed_code
Had a lovely time at @aadl speaking on Japanese crests at last night's Japan Week Letterpress Lab! Thanks for having me! Big community turnout like last year and great new plates. Read on for some pics and a funny story about a goof that turned into a teaching moment. 😅 1/20 pic.twitter.com/KtOHlFIHsK
— Dr. Paula 💀 Curtis (@paularcurtis) June 20, 2019

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props_source.data.text
Had a lovely time at @aadl speaking on Japanese crests at last night's Japan Week Letterpress Lab! Thanks for having me! Big community turnout like last year and great new plates. Read on for some pics and a funny story about a goof that turned into a teaching moment. 😅 1/20 https://t.co/KtOHlFIHsK

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.original_text
Had a lovely time at @aadl speaking on Japanese crests at last night's Japan Week Letterpress Lab! Thanks for having me! Big community turnout like last year and great new plates. Read on for some pics and a funny story about a goof that turned into a teaching moment. 😅 1/20 https://t.co/KtOHlFIHsK

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.text
Had a lovely time at @aadl speaking on Japanese crests at last night's Japan Week Letterpress Lab! Thanks for having me! Big community turnout like last year and great new plates. Read on for some pics and a funny story about a goof that turned into a teaching moment. 😅 1/20

# data[].attributes.headline
What's in an emoji? Origins of many emoji specific to Japan

# data[].attributes.subject
What's in an emoji? Origins of many emoji specific to Japan

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.text
It's #WorldEmojiDay today, and many people don't know the #Japan origins of emoji! 🇯🇵 The word "emoji" itself is Japanese: e 絵 (picture) moji 文字 (characters)! Here's some neat emoji you may not know entirely what they are because they're very Japanese:

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.original_text
It's #WorldEmojiDay today, and many people don't know the #Japan origins of emoji! 🇯🇵 The word "emoji" itself is Japanese: e 絵 (picture) moji 文字 (characters)! Here's some neat emoji you may not know entirely what they are because they're very Japanese:

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.embed_code
It's #WorldEmojiDay today, and many people don't know the #Japan origins of emoji! 🇯🇵 The word "emoji" itself is Japanese: e 絵 (picture) moji 文字 (characters)! Here's some neat emoji you may not know entirely what they are because they're very Japanese:
— Dr. Paula R. Curtis (@paularcurtis) July 17, 2019

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props_source.data.text
It's #WorldEmojiDay today, and many people don't know the #Japan origins of emoji! 🇯🇵 The word "emoji" itself is Japanese: e 絵 (picture) moji 文字 (characters)! Here's some neat emoji you may not know entirely what they are because they're very Japanese:

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.original_text
It's #WorldEmojiDay today, and many people don't know the #Japan origins of emoji! 🇯🇵 The word "emoji" itself is Japanese: e 絵 (picture) moji 文字 (characters)! Here's some neat emoji you may not know entirely what they are because they're very Japanese:

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.text
It's #WorldEmojiDay today, and many people don't know the #Japan origins of emoji! 🇯🇵 The word "emoji" itself is Japanese: e 絵 (picture) moji 文字 (characters)! Here's some neat emoji you may not know entirely what they are because they're very Japanese:

# data[].attributes.headline
More Buddhist Texts from the Kamada Collection

# data[].attributes.subject
More Buddhist Texts from the Kamada Collection

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The Seal of the Kamada Collection

This week we introduce another set of texts from the Kamada Collection related to Buddhism. This is the last in our summer series of posts highlighting this rich collection.

Whereas the sutra showcased last week had no illuminations, the sutra featured below has illustrations alongside the text.

This image comes from a small handheld printing of the Kanzeon shutsusō fumonbonkyō 観世音出相普門品経, or the Kanzeon (Kannon) Universal Gate Sutra. The manuscript is only 15.5 x 10.7 x 1 cm, making it easily portable. The date is unclear, but it is likely a mid-Edo period printing. Often called the Kannon Sutra, the Universal Gate is one chapter of the Lotus Sutra, one of the most influential Mahayana texts. The image above illuminates part of the text calling for faith even if one is "adrift on the ocean, menaced by dragons, fish, and various demons."

In contrast to modest manuscript above, the image below comes from a full-sized, thick compilation of Buddhist images, the Meiji sōho shoshū butsuzō zui 明治増補諸宗仏像図彙. Although it was printed in Tokyo during the Meiji period, the exact date is unclear. The book contains page after page of hundreds of Buddhist figures illustrated with minute attention to detail. It includes multiple ways of writing each deity's name, with helpful readings for kanji and, in some cases, short explanations. Note the figure Kangiten in the upper-right hand corner, who is the Japanese form of the Hindu Ganesha. Kangiten carries a daikon (radish), which is a typical offering to him.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
More Buddhist Texts from the Kamada Collection

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This week we introduce another set of texts from the Kamada Collection related to Buddhism. This is the last in our summer series of posts highlighting this rich collection. Whereas the sutra showcased last week had no illuminations, the sutra featured below has illustrations alongside the text.

# data[].attributes.headline
Buddhist Texts from the Kamada Collection

# data[].attributes.subject
Buddhist Texts from the Kamada Collection

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The Seal of the Kamada Collection

Our final two posts in this special summer series on items from the Kamada Collection will introduce texts related to Buddhism. The Kamada Collection contains a number of different materials linked to Buddhist thought and practice, including reproductions of sutras and guides to Buddhist deities and tales.

The image below is from the Jūhachi rakan zusan 十八羅漢図讃 or Illustrations of the Eighteen Arhats. This slim volume was printed in Kyoto in Jōkyō 4 (1687).

According to Mahayana Buddhism, the Eighteen Arhats are the original followers of Gautama Buddha, all of whom reached a state of nirvana. They are presented in various ways across South and East Asia, and in Japan are often depicted in connection with Zen monasteries. The image seen here is of Rahula, the son of the Buddha. Though imagery of him is not consistent, he is sometimes shown as holding a staff with a tiger or a lion before him. In the Jūhachi rakan manuscript each arhat has a full-page scene like the one above, accompanied by explanatory text on the opposite page.

The Kamada Collection also features a number of sutra reproductions. Below is a photograph of the Kongō hannya haramikkyō 金剛般若波羅密経, or The Perfection of Wisdom Diamond Sutra (in Sanskrit, Vajracchedikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra).

The Diamond Sutra was originally composed c. 2nd-5th centuries BCE, and its content focuses on professing the emptiness of all things. This copy has been created in black with the text in white relief. Unlike many of the other texts we have introduced, there are no accompanying illustrations. It was printed in Meiji 10 (1877) in orihon 折本 format, an accordion-like style of text that, in this case, makes it very easy to hold and use the sutra.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Buddhist Texts from the Kamada Collection

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Our final two posts in this special summer series on items from the Kamada Collection will introduce texts related to Buddhism. The Kamada Collection contains a number of different materials linked to Buddhist thought and practice, including reproductions of sutras and guides to Buddhist deities and tales.

# data[].attributes.headline
More Waka Poetry from the Kamada Collection

# data[].attributes.subject
More Waka Poetry from the Kamada Collection

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The Seal of the Kamada Collection

In our last post, on poetry-related works in the Kamada Collection, we introduced illustrated manuscripts of the famous poetry collection Hyakunin isshu 百人一首, or One Hundred People, One Poem Each, an anthology of Japanese poetry from the seventh to thirteenth centuries compiled by the courtier and poet Fujiwara no Teika (1162-1241). An incredibly popular collection, Hyakunin isshu inspired numerous alternate versions and parodies. We will introduce two such manuscripts below.

The first is Kyōka Hyakunin isshu 狂歌百人一首, or Comic Hyakunin isshu. The text was produced at the end of the Edo period in Kaei 7 (1854) and consists of two volumes. Its content is primarily parodies presented as full-page poem portraits, often with entertaining elements, such as an image of the poet leaning over his desk agonizing over his words. Note the discoloration of the paper, which may be from its frequent use over the years and/or lapses in preservation prior to its acquisition.

The next manuscript, Shibai Hyakunin isshu 芝居百人一首, loosely translated as One Hundred People of the Theatre, One Poem Each, parodies Hyakunin isshu through performance portraits. As seen below, the bold facial expression on the character's portrait echoes kabuki stage makeup.

Originally illustrated in Genroku 6 (1693) by Torii Kiyonobu (ca. 1664-1729), an Osaka ukiyo-e painter and printmaker, the copy held in the Kamada Collection is actually a Taishō 3 (1914) photographic reproduction of the original manuscript. The cover of the manuscript is also beautifully designed--colorful and featuring an ichimegasa 市女笠 pattern. Ichimegasa were a type of straw hat often worn by traveling noblewomen in premodern Japan. If you look carefully at the closeup of the cover, you will see tiny white flecks--the paper of the cover has been produced with a shiny mineral that makes it sparkle ever-so-slightly.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
More Waka Poetry from the Kamada Collection

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
In our last post, on poetry-related works in the Kamada Collection, we introduced illustrated manuscripts of the famous poetry collection Hyakunin isshu 百人一首, or One Hundred People, One Poem Each, an anthology of Japanese poetry from the seventh to thirteenth centuries compiled by the courtier and poet Fujiwara no Teika (1162-1241).

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The Seal of the Kamada Collection

The Kamada Collection: Poetry and the Hyakunin isshu

In previous weeks, we've showcased manuscripts from the Kamada Collection related to Japanese performance arts and warrior history. Here we introduce texts related to traditional Japanese poetry, specifically the famous anthology Hyakunin isshu 百人一首, or One Hundred People, One Poem Each.

This collection was originally compiled by the courtier and poet Fujiwara no Teika (1162-1241) in Kyoto. One of the most well-known poetry anthologies in Japan, it aimed to represent the long history of Japanese poetry from the seventh century until Teika's time and features the work of many highly regarded literary figures.

The image below is from a manuscript entitled Jokyō Hyakunin isshu takarabako 女教百人一首宝箱, or Treasure Box of Women's Learning of Hyakunin isshu. Published in Osaka in Meiji 24 (1891), it was likely a poetry primer intended for women.

This collection of Hyakunin isshu poems is copiously illustrated with imagined portraits of each poet. The largest figure in this image is meant to be Emperor Jitō (r. 686-697), the third female emperor of ancient Japan. The text on the far right reads "Jitō Tennō," identifying her as the composer, followed by the poem:

天の香具山

Spring has passed, and

it appears that summer has arrived.

Heavenly Mt. Kagu,

where they dry robes

of the purest white.

Above the main image and poem there are complementary images and poems by other famous figures, such as Yamabe no Akahito and Ōtomo no Yakamochi. The poems featured here are other well-known compositions by these authors that are not part of the Hyakunin isshu collection.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Kamada Collection: Poetry and the Hyakunin isshu In previous weeks, we've showcased manuscripts from the Kamada Collection related to Japanese performance arts and warrior history. Here we introduce texts related to traditional Japanese poetry, specifically the famous anthology Hyakunin isshu 百人一首, or One Hundred People, One Poem Each.

# data[].attributes.headline
Warrior Scenes from the Kamada Collection

# data[].attributes.subject
Warrior Scenes from the Kamada Collection

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The seal of the Kamada Collection, acquired in 1950.

This week and next we are featuring images from Kamada Collection texts related to warriors. Previously we posted illustrations related to premodern theatre performance; the ones here are from a late Edo manuscript published in Genji 1 (1864), Nanchō taihei chūshin ōrai 南朝太平忠臣往来. Although there are few images in this text, the beginning of the manuscript contains several beautifully printed and colored illuminations such as the one below.

The title Nanchō taihei chūshin ōrai can be roughly translated as Book of the Loyal Retainers of the Southern Court, referring to the fourteenth-century political factionalism that resulted in a split of the imperial court into the Northern and Southern Courts.

The figure featured in this image is Nitta Yoshisada (1301-1338), who, in attempting to attack Kamakura by water, purportedly tossed his sword into the sea at low tide and prayed to the deity of the sea, who parted the waters for him. The text above the image narrates the scene for the viewer, including readings for the kanji characters.

The image below, also from Nanchō taihei chūshin ōrai, is of Kusunoki Masatsura (1326-1348), a staunch military supporter of the Southern Court and its leader, Emperor Go-Daigo. This image shows Masatsura composing a death poem on the doors of Nyoirin Temple, the location of Emperor Go-Daigo's tomb.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
More from the Kamada Collection: Warrior Scenes (1)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This week and next we are featuring images from Kamada Collection texts related to warriors. Previously we posted illustrations related to premodern theatre performance; the ones here are from a late Edo manuscript published in Genji 1 (1864), Nanchō taihei chūshin ōrai 南朝太平忠臣往来.

# data[].attributes.headline
More from the Kamada Collection: Traditional Japanese Performing Arts

# data[].attributes.subject
More from the Kamada Collection: Traditional Japanese Performing Arts

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The Kamada Collection

In our last post, we discussed Asia Library's purchase of more than 20,000 volumes from the Kamada Library in Sakaide, Kagawa Prefecture, and highlighted a couple of items from the collection. This time we are featuring two more texts related to the traditional performing arts.

The first is Kyōgenki 狂言記, a six-volume series collecting kyōgen scripts, published in Ōsaka in Kaei 1 (1848). Kyōgen, a form of traditional comic theater, was typically interspersed between acts of (more sober or somber) noh performances.

Collections of kyōgen scripts began to be published in the late seventeenth century, and the postscript of this set dates it as a nineteenth-century reproduction of a 1699 publication. Each volume of Kyōgenki is approximately 16.2 x 2 x 11.2 cm, making it easy to flip through or carry. Scripts of the plays are followed by black and white illustrations of a scene from the performance. The image above is from Suehirogari 末広がり, a play about a daimyo who sends his servant to the capital to buy a fan for him, but as a result of many miscommunications, the servant returns with an umbrella.

The image above is from the Nōgaku zue 能楽図絵 booklets of the Kamada Collection. These two volumes were published in Meiji 32 (1899). Much like the Kyōgenki, these books are small and easy to carry. Each sheet of paper is bound accordion-style and depicts a scene from noh theater, a form of medieval drama that developed in the fourteenth century.

This scene is from Aoi no Ue, a play based on one of the most influential pieces of Japanese literature, The Tale of Genji (c. 1008) by Murasaki Shikibu. The story follows the life and many amorous affairs of a nobleman, Prince Genji. In this scene, Rokujō, a jealous lover of Genji, has manifested as a vengeful spirit and attacks Aoi, Genji's wife (represented on stage by a kimono). A Shugendō ascetic praying over Aoi confronts Rokujō's raging spirit. He eventually calms her spirit and enables her to reach enlightenment.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
More from the Kamada Collection: Traditional Japanese Performing Arts

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
In our last post, we discussed Asia Library's purchase of more than 20,000 volumes from the Kamada Library in Sakaide, Kagawa Prefecture, and highlighted a couple of items from the collection. This time we are featuring two more texts related to the traditional performing arts.

# data[].attributes.headline
About the Kamada Collection at the University of Michigan

# data[].attributes.subject
About the Kamada Collection at the University of Michigan

# data[].attributes.body
Blog post for UM's Asia Library on catalog work in their archives.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The Seal of the Kamada Collection

Asia Library's Origins and the Kamada Collection

Unlike most other large East Asian libraries in North America, the University of Michigan's started its collection with materials related to Japanese rather than Chinese Studies. This approach was the direct result of U-M's hosting the U.S. Army's Japanese Language School during World War II. In 1947, Michigan became the home of the Center for Japanese Studies, North America's first such interdisciplinary institute. The Far Eastern Library, as Asia Library was called until 1959, was established in 1948, just one year later. In October 1950, the library made a significant addition to its newly formed collection by purchasing nearly 20,000 volumes from the Kamada Library in Sakaide, Kagawa Prefecture. The books had been part of the personal collection of Kamada Library founder Kamada Katsutarō. At the time, the Kamada Library was being converted into a museum. It still exists in that form as the Kamada Kyōsaikai Hakubutsukan.

The books purchased included some 1,200 published before 1868. As can happen in libraries, some of these ended up in a closet and remained uncataloged over the years. But this academic year, we were able to hire Paula R. Curtis, who recently received her PhD from the U-M Department of History, to help us finish the inventory of these works. In this post and subsequent ones, we will show you a small sample of some of the more interesting illustrations that appear in works from this collection. Many thanks to Paula, who also wrote all of text that accompanies the illustrations.

The Kamada Collection contains a number of fascinating texts related to performance. The Bugakuzu 舞楽図 from Meiji 38 (1905) features two volumes of painted illustrations of costumes and masks from bugaku, a type of classical Japanese court dance that has been in existence since at least the Heian period (794-1185). In the images below, the labels indicate which dance is being performed, as well as the number of dancers who participate. First is the costume of Ranryōō 蘭陵王 (Prince of Lanling), meant to represent a sixth-century Northern Qi Dynasty ruler who wore a frightening mask in battle to terrify his enemies. Below that is the kochō 胡蝶, or "butterfly" dance, which is typically done by four child dancers.

​

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Asia Library's Origins and the Kamada Collection Unlike most other large East Asian libraries in North America, the University of Michigan's started its collection with materials related to Japanese rather than Chinese Studies. This approach was the direct result of U-M's hosting the U.S. Army's Japanese Language School during World War II.

# data[].attributes.headline
More Warrior Scenes from the Kamada Collection

# data[].attributes.subject
More Warrior Scenes from the Kamada Collection

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The Kamada Collection seal

In our last post on the Kamada Collection, we showcased nineteenth-century images related to warriors of the fourteenth century. This week, we will continue with an earlier manuscript of a more practical sort. The following illustrations come from the two-volume Heihō yūkan 兵法雄鑑, sometimes translated as The Paragon of Military Strategy. According to the preface, this text was originally written in Shōhō 2 (1645) by the shogunal retainer Hōjō Ujinaga (1609-1670), who trained in the Kōshū school of military tactics.

The publication dates of our copy of Heihō yūkan are unclear, but based on the manuscript style and condition, it may be a late Edo or early Meiji period copy. The images, both black and white as well as color, look to be hand-painted, and the manuscript was copied by hand.

The text includes a variety of information for warriors on military life, from the basic preparation of food and arms to methods of siege warfare like compromising water sources and setting strategic fires. The image below shows two warriors and a bonfire.

Illustrations are interspersed throughout the text and also include diagrams of castle layouts, architectural features of residences and castles, flags, fans, drums, and other relevant tools of warfare.

The image below appears to be a playful illustration of a dragon alongside the word jōja 常虵 (literally "eternal snake"). This is a type of battle formation that cleverly situates front and rear units under attack in unexpected ways. Perhaps for this reason, the dragon in this image coils around a mountainside.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
More from the Kamada Collection: Warrior Scenes (2)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
In our last post on the Kamada Collection, we showcased nineteenth-century images related to warriors of the fourteenth century. This week, we will continue with an earlier manuscript of a more practical sort. The following illustrations come from the two-volume Heihō yūkan 兵法雄鑑, sometimes translated as The Paragon of Military Strategy.

# data[].attributes.headline
Livetweets: Medieval Documents Symposium, Princeton University (7/25/19)

# data[].attributes.subject
Livetweets: Medieval Documents Symposium, Princeton University (7/25/19)

# data[].attributes.body
Morning sessions

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.text
Today I'm tweeting from Princeton's "New Trends in the Study of Medieval Japanese Documents" symposium, now being introduced by Tom Conlan. It focuses on docs recently discovered from Sakuramotobō, a temple center for Shugendō, a mountain asceticism practice. #medievaltwitter 📜

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.original_text
Today I'm tweeting from Princeton's "New Trends in the Study of Medieval Japanese Documents" symposium, now being introduced by Tom Conlan. It focuses on docs recently discovered from Sakuramotobō, a temple center for Shugendō, a mountain asceticism practice. #medievaltwitter 📜

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.embed_code
Today I'm tweeting from Princeton's "New Trends in the Study of Medieval Japanese Documents" symposium, now being introduced by Tom Conlan. It focuses on docs recently discovered from Sakuramotobō, a temple center for Shugendō, a mountain asceticism practice. #medievaltwitter 📜
— Dr. Paula R. Curtis (@paularcurtis) July 25, 2019

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props_source.data.text
Today I'm tweeting from Princeton's "New Trends in the Study of Medieval Japanese Documents" symposium, now being introduced by Tom Conlan. It focuses on docs recently discovered from Sakuramotobō, a temple center for Shugendō, a mountain asceticism practice. #medievaltwitter 📜

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.original_text
Today I'm tweeting from Princeton's "New Trends in the Study of Medieval Japanese Documents" symposium, now being introduced by Tom Conlan. It focuses on docs recently discovered from Sakuramotobō, a temple center for Shugendō, a mountain asceticism practice. #medievaltwitter 📜

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.text
Today I'm tweeting from Princeton's "New Trends in the Study of Medieval Japanese Documents" symposium, now being introduced by Tom Conlan. It focuses on docs recently discovered from Sakuramotobō, a temple center for Shugendō, a mountain asceticism practice. #medievaltwitter 📜

# data[].attributes.headline
Livetweets: Medieval Documents Symposium, Princeton University (7/25/19)

# data[].attributes.subject
Livetweets: Medieval Documents Symposium, Princeton University (7/25/19)

# data[].attributes.body
Afternoon sessions

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.text
Starting up our first afternoon session, Tom Conlan is introducing the Sakuramotobō documents and their journey to Princeton. #medievaltwitter 📜

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.original_text
Starting up our first afternoon session, Tom Conlan is introducing the Sakuramotobō documents and their journey to Princeton. #medievaltwitter 📜

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.embed_code
Starting up our first afternoon session, Tom Conlan is introducing the Sakuramotobō documents and their journey to Princeton. #medievaltwitter 📜
— Dr. Paula R. Curtis (@paularcurtis) July 25, 2019

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props_source.data.text
Starting up our first afternoon session, Tom Conlan is introducing the Sakuramotobō documents and their journey to Princeton. #medievaltwitter 📜

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.original_text
Starting up our first afternoon session, Tom Conlan is introducing the Sakuramotobō documents and their journey to Princeton. #medievaltwitter 📜

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.text
Starting up our first afternoon session, Tom Conlan is introducing the Sakuramotobō documents and their journey to Princeton. #medievaltwitter 📜

# data[].attributes.headline
Oral History & Digital Archive: Carving Community

# data[].attributes.subject
Oral History & Digital Archive: Carving Community

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Hiroi-sensei has also appeared in newspapers as a well-known Edo top maker. Below is a translation of an article entitled "Sendai: This Person and That Person - Hiroi Michiaki" that ran May 14, 1982 in the newspaper Shūkan Sendai. See the original Japanese article at the link below.

廣井先生はよく知られている江戸独楽の職人として新聞記事で特集されています。1982年5月14日、「週刊仙台」が廣井先生についての記事を掲載しました。以下のリンクでアクセスできます。

Click here for the original article: 歴史記事は こちら 。

=====
Sendai: This Person and That Person - Hiroi Michiaki A woodworker who makes Edogoma Gifts for Children
May is the season of children who sprout up like bamboo shoots. It seems impossible that the main event of the month, Children's Day (May 5), has passed. But as luck would have it, the Museum of History and Folklore of Tsutsujigaoka opened the exhibit "The Production and Performance of Tops," and the air is full of excitement from the invading children. Even though the exhibit is titled "production and performance," the children have lined up to turn the lathe and paint the tops. That said, the children are engrossed and soon the husband and wife instructors have no spare time tmo rest. Hiroi Michiaki (48) and his wife, Kyōko, who set up a workshop in Fukurohara, Sendai, are the instructors. "What? A workshop? It's not really that kind of thing, it's a shabby old house," Hiroi said. At the Citizens Festival in Nishikoen last fall Hiroi's craft demonstrations were .

"I think it's been about a year since I started the workshop. As for apprentices, right now I have seven pros and six amateurs. Among them is an assistant professor from Miyagi Women's University, Landis-san, an American, and there are only two women. There are lots of top ( koma) experts within the prefecture, but my [workshop] is Edo-style tops. And of course, my wife is helping, too."
A tradition spanning three generations Tops date back as far as 1,000 years ago
" Koma (top)" is written in kanji as 独楽. They're exclusively thought of as children's toys, but there are also high-quality tops that [spin] along a drawn sword or the edge of a fan, or which, when rotating at great speed, have the legendary figure Ishikawa Goemon [appear to] leap out of an iron pot. These trick tops are generally the traditional "Edo-style" tops. Flashy tops are characteristic of the Genroku period (1688-1704), but among historic tops, recently excavated ancient and medieval tops have been in the news lately.

"We know from written records that, since ancient times, tops were playthings, and this is substantiated by the actual items having been unearthed. If you divide them up into two [categories], there are 'outside tops' and 'inside tops.' Outside tops are like Sendai tops, tops used on the ground and that were exclusively used by boys, and inside tops were used by people of all ages and genders on tatami mats. If you divide them into types of play, there are those you spin using both hands, rubbing tops ( momigoma), twisting tops ( hinerigoma) spun with the tips of the fingers, and string-release tops ( itobikigoma)."
Hiroi has Enjoying playing with tops Foreign Apprentices in his Workshop, too
"If you divvy up tops even further, there's flower tops ( hanagoma), sumō tops ( sumōgoma), vegetable tops ( yasaigoma) like eggplants or cucumbers, spousal tops ( meotogoma), roulette tops ( ategoma), buzzing tops ( unarigoma), howling tops ( narigoma), two-tier tops ( nidangoma), three-tier tops ( sandangoma), throwing tops ( nagegoma), fighting tops ( kenkagoma), gambling tops ( bakuchigoma) umbrella tops ( kasagoma), chasing tops ( okkakegoma), etc."

According to records, there are over 200 types of Edo-style tops. According to Hiroi, among the string-release tops, there are some that look like they lift people up and spin. He deftly spins a spousal top made by one of his apprentices. Pinching the shaft of the top on the second tier and spinning it, the wife [seems to convey], "Well, honey, I'm going out!"

And if you [place] the tops onto each other again, they spin well together, and it looks like he's going, "Yes, honey, have good evening!" and goofing around. There are also tops that are specifically meant for gambling, and these are often called by the kanji for koma. In an age of parody, when these tops are spun, it's for the enjoyment of adults.

[Many of] these historic Edo-style tops were destroyed in the Taishō earthquake of 1923 and the air raids of 1943-1945, and the woodworkers scattered in all directions. Hiroi Michiaki is one of those people.
One family of wooden-toy artisans
According to the Traditional Kokeshi Artisan Register, Hiroi was taught by his father Kenjirō and Agatsuma Kichisuke.From a young age he learned woodworking from his father, androm 1955, he learned painting from Kichisuke. During the Tokyo air raids, he relied upon his artisan colleagues and evacuated to Miyagi Prefecture, and after that set up a workshop in Sendai. [Today], he devotes himself in earnest to creating tops rather than kokeshi.

Though slightly old, there are several features on the Hiroi artisan family, including the Bunka Publishing Bureau's Japan's Wooden Toys, edited by Kan'o Shinichi, and the special issue "Tokyo's nostalgic wooden toys" in (銀花) Quarterly 30. The former was published in 1976, and the latter in 1977.

Hiroi Michiaki's younger brother, Masaaki (44), is also who active in making traditional Edo-style tops in Ebina, Kanagawa. The writing in the article by Hosoi Tokiko from Ginka 's editorial department and their regular female reporter is beautiful.

Putting together Hiroi's story and what the reporter has written, the Hiroi family is one family that has continued for over two hundred years and three generations throughAsaaki, Kenjirō, Michiaki. Hiroi Michiaki's grandfather, Asaaki, was employed as the doctor of a Tokugawa shogun, and after the Meiji Restoration, their family "took the pulse of their esteemed [employers]." That they enthusiastically became Edo-style top makers for generations is interesting.

Now, let's spin some tops.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Hiroi-sensei has also appeared in newspapers as a well-known Edo top maker. Below is a translation of an article entitled "Sendai: This Person and That Person - Hiroi Michiaki" that ran May 14, 1982 in the newspaper Shūkan Sendai. See the original Japanese article at the link below.

# data[].attributes.headline
Creating ancient wooden slips to show the materiality of text

# data[].attributes.subject
Creating ancient wooden slips to show the materiality of text

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.text
My little mokkan 木簡 project for my class is done! Rather than just having students read about these wooden slips from ancient Japan, I want them to get a sense of the materiality of them as textual objects. My crappy handwriting aside, I think they turned out pretty well! ✨

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.original_text
My little mokkan 木簡 project for my class is done! Rather than just having students read about these wooden slips from ancient Japan, I want them to get a sense of the materiality of them as textual objects. My crappy handwriting aside, I think they turned out pretty well! ✨ https://t.co/ox262mQIMx

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.embed_code
My little mokkan 木簡 project for my class is done! Rather than just having students read about these wooden slips from ancient Japan, I want them to get a sense of the materiality of them as textual objects. My crappy handwriting aside, I think they turned out pretty well! ✨ pic.twitter.com/ox262mQIMx
— Dr. Paula R. Curtis (@paularcurtis) August 11, 2019

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props_source.data.text
My little mokkan 木簡 project for my class is done! Rather than just having students read about these wooden slips from ancient Japan, I want them to get a sense of the materiality of them as textual objects. My crappy handwriting aside, I think they turned out pretty well! ✨ https://t.co/ox262mQIMx

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.original_text
My little mokkan 木簡 project for my class is done! Rather than just having students read about these wooden slips from ancient Japan, I want them to get a sense of the materiality of them as textual objects. My crappy handwriting aside, I think they turned out pretty well! ✨ https://t.co/ox262mQIMx

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.text
My little mokkan 木簡 project for my class is done! Rather than just having students read about these wooden slips from ancient Japan, I want them to get a sense of the materiality of them as textual objects. My crappy handwriting aside, I think they turned out pretty well! ✨

# data[].attributes.headline
Asakawa Kan'ichi, first Japanese professor in the US, medievalist

# data[].attributes.subject
Asakawa Kan'ichi, first Japanese professor in the US, medievalist

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.text
Today I'll be attending a handful of talks for a small symposium, "Asakawa Kan’ichi: A Modern Appraisal," so here's some background on Kan'ichi Asakawa 朝河貫一 (1873-1948), a #medieval historian and one of the first Japanese educators at a university in the US. #medievaltwitter

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.original_text
Today I'll be attending a handful of talks for a small symposium, "Asakawa Kan’ichi: A Modern Appraisal," so here's some background on Kan'ichi Asakawa 朝河貫一 (1873-1948), a #medieval historian and one of the first Japanese educators at a university in the US. #medievaltwitter https://t.co/cp7lb8jTpn

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.embed_code
Today I'll be attending a handful of talks for a small symposium, "Asakawa Kan’ichi: A Modern Appraisal," so here's some background on Kan'ichi Asakawa 朝河貫一 (1873-1948), a #medieval historian and one of the first Japanese educators at a university in the US. #medievaltwitter pic.twitter.com/cp7lb8jTpn
— Dr. Paula R. Curtis (@paularcurtis) September 14, 2019

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props_source.data.text
Today I'll be attending a handful of talks for a small symposium, "Asakawa Kan’ichi: A Modern Appraisal," so here's some background on Kan'ichi Asakawa 朝河貫一 (1873-1948), a #medieval historian and one of the first Japanese educators at a university in the US. #medievaltwitter https://t.co/cp7lb8jTpn

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.original_text
Today I'll be attending a handful of talks for a small symposium, "Asakawa Kan’ichi: A Modern Appraisal," so here's some background on Kan'ichi Asakawa 朝河貫一 (1873-1948), a #medieval historian and one of the first Japanese educators at a university in the US. #medievaltwitter https://t.co/cp7lb8jTpn

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.text
Today I'll be attending a handful of talks for a small symposium, "Asakawa Kan’ichi: A Modern Appraisal," so here's some background on Kan'ichi Asakawa 朝河貫一 (1873-1948), a #medieval historian and one of the first Japanese educators at a university in the US. #medievaltwitter

# data[].attributes.headline
Letters reveal women heads of warrior houses in 16th cen

# data[].attributes.subject
Letters reveal women heads of warrior houses in 16th cen

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.text
Two letters have been found in which the Sengoku warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi recognizes the wife of warrior Munakata Ujisada as lord. The letters, addressed to the lord "Munakata Saikaku," include one with Hideyoshi's monogram and a red seal letter. 📜 #medievaltwitter #medieval

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.original_text
Two letters have been found in which the Sengoku warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi recognizes the wife of warrior Munakata Ujisada as lord. The letters, addressed to the lord "Munakata Saikaku," include one with Hideyoshi's monogram and a red seal letter. 📜 #medievaltwitter #medieval https://t.co/3wdzkhsYk7

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.embed_code
Two letters have been found in which the Sengoku warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi recognizes the wife of warrior Munakata Ujisada as lord. The letters, addressed to the lord "Munakata Saikaku," include one with Hideyoshi's monogram and a red seal letter. 📜 #medievaltwitter #medieval pic.twitter.com/3wdzkhsYk7
— Dr. Paula R. Curtis (@paularcurtis) September 24, 2019

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props_source.data.text
Two letters have been found in which the Sengoku warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi recognizes the wife of warrior Munakata Ujisada as lord. The letters, addressed to the lord "Munakata Saikaku," include one with Hideyoshi's monogram and a red seal letter. 📜 #medievaltwitter #medieval https://t.co/3wdzkhsYk7

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.original_text
Two letters have been found in which the Sengoku warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi recognizes the wife of warrior Munakata Ujisada as lord. The letters, addressed to the lord "Munakata Saikaku," include one with Hideyoshi's monogram and a red seal letter. 📜 #medievaltwitter #medieval https://t.co/3wdzkhsYk7

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.text
Two letters have been found in which the Sengoku warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi recognizes the wife of warrior Munakata Ujisada as lord. The letters, addressed to the lord "Munakata Saikaku," include one with Hideyoshi's monogram and a red seal letter. 📜 #medievaltwitter #medieval

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.text
It's October, everyone! 🎃 Which means it's time for spooky facts & features, Japan edition. This is a yūrei-zu 幽霊図, or "ghost image," by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (1882). Here we see an image from Yoshitoshi ryakuga with a painting of a ghost come to life. #spooktober #👻 #Japan

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.original_text
It's October, everyone! 🎃 Which means it's time for spooky facts & features, Japan edition. This is a yūrei-zu 幽霊図, or "ghost image," by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (1882). Here we see an image from Yoshitoshi ryakuga with a painting of a ghost come to life. #spooktober #👻 #Japan https://t.co/q5AD6ZXPM9

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.embed_code
It's October, everyone! 🎃 Which means it's time for spooky facts & features, Japan edition. This is a yūrei-zu 幽霊図, or "ghost image," by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (1882). Here we see an image from Yoshitoshi ryakuga with a painting of a ghost come to life. #spooktober #👻 #Japan pic.twitter.com/q5AD6ZXPM9
— Dr. Paula R. Curtis (@paularcurtis) October 1, 2019

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props_source.data.text
It's October, everyone! 🎃 Which means it's time for spooky facts & features, Japan edition. This is a yūrei-zu 幽霊図, or "ghost image," by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (1882). Here we see an image from Yoshitoshi ryakuga with a painting of a ghost come to life. #spooktober #👻 #Japan https://t.co/q5AD6ZXPM9

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.original_text
It's October, everyone! 🎃 Which means it's time for spooky facts & features, Japan edition. This is a yūrei-zu 幽霊図, or "ghost image," by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (1882). Here we see an image from Yoshitoshi ryakuga with a painting of a ghost come to life. #spooktober #👻 #Japan https://t.co/q5AD6ZXPM9

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.text
It's October, everyone! 🎃 Which means it's time for spooky facts & features, Japan edition. This is a yūrei-zu 幽霊図, or "ghost image," by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (1882). Here we see an image from Yoshitoshi ryakuga with a painting of a ghost come to life. #spooktober #👻 #Japan

# data[].attributes.headline
Understanding other worlds from the hungry ghost scrolls

# data[].attributes.subject
Understanding other worlds from the hungry ghost scrolls

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.text
#spooktober continues, #Japan edition! One type of creature from beyond is hungry ghosts (gaki 餓鬼), a kind of hellish in-between existence sometimes believed to result from suffering a violent or unhappy death. They're often identified by distended bellies & skeletal limbs. #👻

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.original_text
#spooktober continues, #Japan edition! One type of creature from beyond is hungry ghosts (gaki 餓鬼), a kind of hellish in-between existence sometimes believed to result from suffering a violent or unhappy death. They're often identified by distended bellies & skeletal limbs. #👻 https://t.co/u06tt31TqE

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.embed_code
#spooktober continues, #Japan edition! One type of creature from beyond is hungry ghosts (gaki 餓鬼), a kind of hellish in-between existence sometimes believed to result from suffering a violent or unhappy death. They're often identified by distended bellies & skeletal limbs. #👻 pic.twitter.com/u06tt31TqE
— Dr. Paula R. Curtis (@paularcurtis) October 3, 2019

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props_source.data.text
#spooktober continues, #Japan edition! One type of creature from beyond is hungry ghosts (gaki 餓鬼), a kind of hellish in-between existence sometimes believed to result from suffering a violent or unhappy death. They're often identified by distended bellies & skeletal limbs. #👻 https://t.co/u06tt31TqE

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.original_text
#spooktober continues, #Japan edition! One type of creature from beyond is hungry ghosts (gaki 餓鬼), a kind of hellish in-between existence sometimes believed to result from suffering a violent or unhappy death. They're often identified by distended bellies & skeletal limbs. #👻 https://t.co/u06tt31TqE

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.text
#spooktober continues, #Japan edition! One type of creature from beyond is hungry ghosts (gaki 餓鬼), a kind of hellish in-between existence sometimes believed to result from suffering a violent or unhappy death. They're often identified by distended bellies & skeletal limbs. #👻

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.text
#spooktober, #Japan! This is an Edo period print of Tale of the Heike, a 14th cen narrative of the Genpei War (1180-1185). Here, the monk Mongaku is urging Minamoto no Yoritomo to war with the Taira by showing him his father's skull, which Mongaku has carried for 10 years. 💀

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.original_text
#spooktober, #Japan! This is an Edo period print of Tale of the Heike, a 14th cen narrative of the Genpei War (1180-1185). Here, the monk Mongaku is urging Minamoto no Yoritomo to war with the Taira by showing him his father's skull, which Mongaku has carried for 10 years. 💀 https://t.co/jdTjG3RhVg

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.embed_code
#spooktober, #Japan! This is an Edo period print of Tale of the Heike, a 14th cen narrative of the Genpei War (1180-1185). Here, the monk Mongaku is urging Minamoto no Yoritomo to war with the Taira by showing him his father's skull, which Mongaku has carried for 10 years. 💀 pic.twitter.com/jdTjG3RhVg
— Dr. Paula R. Curtis (@paularcurtis) October 5, 2019

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props_source.data.text
#spooktober, #Japan! This is an Edo period print of Tale of the Heike, a 14th cen narrative of the Genpei War (1180-1185). Here, the monk Mongaku is urging Minamoto no Yoritomo to war with the Taira by showing him his father's skull, which Mongaku has carried for 10 years. 💀 https://t.co/jdTjG3RhVg

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.original_text
#spooktober, #Japan! This is an Edo period print of Tale of the Heike, a 14th cen narrative of the Genpei War (1180-1185). Here, the monk Mongaku is urging Minamoto no Yoritomo to war with the Taira by showing him his father's skull, which Mongaku has carried for 10 years. 💀 https://t.co/jdTjG3RhVg

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.text
#spooktober, #Japan! This is an Edo period print of Tale of the Heike, a 14th cen narrative of the Genpei War (1180-1185). Here, the monk Mongaku is urging Minamoto no Yoritomo to war with the Taira by showing him his father's skull, which Mongaku has carried for 10 years. 💀

# data[].attributes.headline
Yotsuya Kaidan and ghost tales of kabuki plays

# data[].attributes.subject
Yotsuya Kaidan and ghost tales of kabuki plays

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.text
#spooktober, #Japan! Some of you may be familiar with images of a ghastly-looking woman with a bulging forehead/eye. This is Oiwa from the kabuki play Tōkaidō Yotsuya kaidan (Ghost Story of Yotsuya in Tokaido) by Tsuruya Namboku IV in 1825. 👻 This is an Utagawa Kuniyoshi print.

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.original_text
#spooktober, #Japan! Some of you may be familiar with images of a ghastly-looking woman with a bulging forehead/eye. This is Oiwa from the kabuki play Tōkaidō Yotsuya kaidan (Ghost Story of Yotsuya in Tokaido) by Tsuruya Namboku IV in 1825. 👻 This is an Utagawa Kuniyoshi print. https://t.co/tI4bkIesJv

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.embed_code
#spooktober, #Japan! Some of you may be familiar with images of a ghastly-looking woman with a bulging forehead/eye. This is Oiwa from the kabuki play Tōkaidō Yotsuya kaidan (Ghost Story of Yotsuya in Tokaido) by Tsuruya Namboku IV in 1825. 👻 This is an Utagawa Kuniyoshi print. pic.twitter.com/tI4bkIesJv
— Dr. Paula R. Curtis (@paularcurtis) October 16, 2019

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props_source.data.text
#spooktober, #Japan! Some of you may be familiar with images of a ghastly-looking woman with a bulging forehead/eye. This is Oiwa from the kabuki play Tōkaidō Yotsuya kaidan (Ghost Story of Yotsuya in Tokaido) by Tsuruya Namboku IV in 1825. 👻 This is an Utagawa Kuniyoshi print. https://t.co/tI4bkIesJv

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.original_text
#spooktober, #Japan! Some of you may be familiar with images of a ghastly-looking woman with a bulging forehead/eye. This is Oiwa from the kabuki play Tōkaidō Yotsuya kaidan (Ghost Story of Yotsuya in Tokaido) by Tsuruya Namboku IV in 1825. 👻 This is an Utagawa Kuniyoshi print. https://t.co/tI4bkIesJv

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.text
#spooktober, #Japan! Some of you may be familiar with images of a ghastly-looking woman with a bulging forehead/eye. This is Oiwa from the kabuki play Tōkaidō Yotsuya kaidan (Ghost Story of Yotsuya in Tokaido) by Tsuruya Namboku IV in 1825. 👻 This is an Utagawa Kuniyoshi print.

# data[].attributes.body
Article for Nursing Clio, an open access, peer-reviewed blog that ties historical scholarship to present issues on gender & medicine.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Japan's Once and Future Female Emperors

By Paula R. Curtis *

With the abdication today of the Japanese emperor, Akihito, and the passage of the throne to his son, talk has emerged yet again about the future of Japan's imperial family and its insistence on male dynastic succession. But would it be so revolutionary to put a woman on the throne? History tells us no. In Japan's past, eight women have served as emperor over ten reigns. Women's exclusion is a modern development.

When I was an undergraduate in 2005, there was a period of time when none of my professors would stop talking about the Japanese imperial family. Princess Kiko, the wife of the emperor's second son, was pregnant. If it wasn't a boy, the government would face a crisis: all other children in the direct line of succession to Japan's imperial throne were girls. A private Advisory Council on the Imperial Household Law had already been called to discuss the feasibility of a modern-day female emperor-Kiko's pregnancy signaled in a very real way that the government might have to reconsider their male-only succession rule. Many politicians were relieved when Kiko gave birth to a little prince, abruptly halting all talk of revisions and returning the question of gender parity in the imperial house to the realm of idle speculation.

Women lost the right to ascend the throne in 1889, when the Imperial Household Law ( Kōshitsu tenpan 皇室典範) first went into effect alongside Japan's first constitution, the Meiji Constitution ( Meiji kenpō 明治憲法). In the early 1880s, the oligarchy tasked with transforming Japan into a "modern" nation that could contend with Western foreign powers restructured Japan's premodern government following the model of the Prusso-German constitutional monarchy. The Prussian constitution forbade women to succeed the throne; Japan, too, adopted a stricter definition of what it meant to be an emperor.

Tennō: The Heavenly Sovereign

The word "emperor" primes us to think of a Western-style marriage, an emperor/empress dichotomy that prioritizes patrilineal succession and elevates the emperor over his empress. But, like "prince" in Game of Thrones' Old Valyrian, the term we now translate as "emperor," tennō 天皇, does not carry any gender-specific connotations; a better translation would be "heavenly sovereign." Even so, outside of scholarship on premodern Japan, female sovereigns are rarely referred to in English as anything but "empress." Most casual readers would never know or fully understand that they ruled in their own right as tennō. Yet these were not always empresses; they were female emperors.

To be fair, some of the women who became emperors had been, in fact, empresses. But marriage did not function in premodern Japan in the way we think of it today, and to become an empress was to be conferred the title and office of empress ( kōgō 皇后), the highest-ranking among many of the emperor's consorts (who often varied in social status). Some female emperors previously served as empress, but not all. The following women became emperor, including two who took the throne twice under different names:

Emperor Suiko (reigned 592-628)

Emperor Kōgyoku (r. 642-645)

Emperor Saimei (r. 655-661) [reascension]

Emperor Jitō (r. 686-697)

Emperor Genmei (r. 707-715)

Emperor Genshō (r. 715-724)

Emperor Kōken (r. 749-758)

Emperor Shōtoku (r. 764-770) [reascension]

Emperor Meishō (r. 1629-1643)

Emperor Go-Sakuramachi (r. 1762-1771)

The six ancient emperors who ruled before 800 CE, especially, were powerful sovereigns who helped shape the Japanese archipelago's governance and religious landscape from its earliest years. And although the early modern emperors had less power than their ancient counterparts (having a parallel military government also present that stymied their roles as rulers), their cultural influence as ritual figures and authorities on art and poetics was still significant.

Success and Scandal under Emperor Kōken/Shōtoku

History loves a good scandal. And if recent history has taught us anything, it's that they often define women's lives and careers, usually against their will. This was as true in the eighth century as the twenty-first. Emperor Kōken (713-770), for example, is best known as the ruler who had an illicit affair with a priest who aspired to take the throne. But Kōken had far more to her name as tennō than just an amorous encounter, particularly one that may not have ever even happened.

Despite being the sixth woman to inherit the throne, Kōken was the first woman to ever receive the title of crown prince ( kōtaishi 皇太子, technically another gender-neutral term), securing her position in 738 as successor through the official court channels at age seventeen. Female emperors before her had either begun as empresses, been selected to rule until a younger male heir came of age, or both. This was not the case with Kōken, who was selected, as any man would have been, to preserve the imperial line. She spent about ten years as crown prince under her father, Emperor Shōmu, learning the ropes of rulership as his right hand. She took the throne in 749.

Throughout her reign, Kōken issued edicts on a variety of topics, including investitures, court affairs, diplomatic missions to China and the Korean peninsula, condemnations of provincial misgovernment, and legal statutes. A great number of her proclamations relate to Buddhism, of which she was a devout follower and which had only in the last century or so gained steady acceptance in the archipelago. Work on the Daibutsu (Great Buddha), a recasting of which survives as a world heritage site today, began under Shōmu in 740, but was ultimately completed under Kōken's guidance in 752. At its completion ceremony, Kōken was the leader of the grandest Buddhist assembly of its time, with over ten thousand monks in attendance and a vast number of musical performers. Kōken was known as a devoted sponsor of Buddhist sutra copying, art production, and priests, even bringing famed practitioners from China to establish temples.

Towards the end of her first reign, Kōken weathered high-profile rebellions and eventually abdicated to care for her mother and close advisor, Empress Dowager Kōmyō. But even after her abdication, Kōken was actively involved in matters of state while her successor, Emperor Junnin, ruled. Kōken expanded her power at court during her time as retired emperor. During an illness, she became close with the priest Dōkyō, who looked after her physical health and provided her spiritual guidance. When she was recovered, she took the tonsure, becoming a nun, and issued a formal chastisement of Emperor Junnin, calling for a split of imperial power between them. After a brief court struggle, Junnin was deposed, and Kōken took the throne yet again, this time as Emperor Shōtoku.

The history of Shōtoku's reign has largely been overshadowed by her relationship with Dōkyō. Dōkyō was a learned priest in both Buddhism and Confucianism, and other arts. He received a number of conspicuous court and religious titles in his time as Shōtoku's close advisor, leading to accusations that he had undue influence over her. In 769, an oracle from Hachiman Shrine supposedly stated that Dōkyō should be made emperor for peace to come to the realm. This led to an upset at court over the suspicious circumstances of the oracle's creation, though Dōkyō, having the high esteem of the emperor, was never punished in connection to the crime of falsifying a message from the deities. Dōkyō remained by Shōtoku's side until her death in 770. Ultimately, despite Shōtoku's extensive accomplishments in governance and civil engineering, and her sponsorship of Buddhist arts and learning, historians have tended to focus primarily on speculation about the nature of her relationship with Dōkyō.

In the centuries that followed, premodern Japanese writers drew their own conclusions about and sensationalized the supposedly unseemly nature of their relationship, even though the eighth-century histories said only that Dōkyō received the "favor" or "affection" of Shōtoku, neither sexually suggestive terms. In modern scholarship, Shōtoku has often been painted as a lonely, desperate woman who was taken in by a beguiling man, rather than a strong-willed ruler who skillfully managed political affairs for two decades.

Japan's nineteenth-century politicians considered themselves modern and progressive in adopting Western modes of governance and social custom. But in that process, they rewrote and obscured a long history of women in power. Premodern Japan provides us a glimpse of a time when some women ruled, and ruled well. It wasn't a golden age by any means-scandals still shaped the lives and histories of women like Emperor Kōken/Shōtoku before and after their deaths, and the bias of elite, patriarchal structures still loomed large in ancient times. But today, as Emperor Akihito abdicates and with the line of succession on the minds of many, most people don't even know that there ever were female emperors at all.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
By Paula R. Curtis * With the abdication today of the Japanese emperor, Akihito, and the passage of the throne to his son, talk has emerged yet again about the future of Japan's imperial family and its insistence on male dynastic succession. But would it be so revolutionary to put a woman on the throne?

# data[].attributes.headline
Recent polls on Japanese openness to having a female emperor

# data[].attributes.subject
Recent polls on Japanese openness to having a female emperor

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.text
With coverage of the enthronement of #Japan's new emperor in mind-- from NHK: Among 1,539 ppl polled on allowing a woman to become emperor, 74% said they were in favor, far outnumbering 12% opposed. Support was particularly strong among respondents ages 18-29, with 90% in favor.

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.original_text
With coverage of the enthronement of #Japan's new emperor in mind-- from NHK: Among 1,539 ppl polled on allowing a woman to become emperor, 74% said they were in favor, far outnumbering 12% opposed. Support was particularly strong among respondents ages 18-29, with 90% in favor. https://t.co/a4tNNwEAkp

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.embed_code
With coverage of the enthronement of #Japan's new emperor in mind-- from NHK: Among 1,539 ppl polled on allowing a woman to become emperor, 74% said they were in favor, far outnumbering 12% opposed. Support was particularly strong among respondents ages 18-29, with 90% in favor. pic.twitter.com/a4tNNwEAkp
— Dr. Paula R. Curtis (@paularcurtis) October 22, 2019

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props_source.data.text
With coverage of the enthronement of #Japan's new emperor in mind-- from NHK: Among 1,539 ppl polled on allowing a woman to become emperor, 74% said they were in favor, far outnumbering 12% opposed. Support was particularly strong among respondents ages 18-29, with 90% in favor. https://t.co/a4tNNwEAkp

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.original_text
With coverage of the enthronement of #Japan's new emperor in mind-- from NHK: Among 1,539 ppl polled on allowing a woman to become emperor, 74% said they were in favor, far outnumbering 12% opposed. Support was particularly strong among respondents ages 18-29, with 90% in favor. https://t.co/a4tNNwEAkp

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.text
With coverage of the enthronement of #Japan's new emperor in mind-- from NHK: Among 1,539 ppl polled on allowing a woman to become emperor, 74% said they were in favor, far outnumbering 12% opposed. Support was particularly strong among respondents ages 18-29, with 90% in favor.

# data[].attributes.headline
Typhoon reveals hidden documents; historians beg locals not to discard papers

# data[].attributes.subject
Typhoon reveals hidden documents; historians beg locals not to discard papers

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.text
The intense damage to homes from #Japan's latest typhoon also threatens historical materials. Historians urge residents not to carelessly discard documents discovered lining their sliding doors or walls, as they contain valuable clues to local #history. https://t.co/Vq4ylvsozm

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.original_text
The intense damage to homes from #Japan's latest typhoon also threatens historical materials. Historians urge residents not to carelessly discard documents discovered lining their sliding doors or walls, as they contain valuable clues to local #history. https://t.co/Vq4ylvsozm https://t.co/djMwY7bfca

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.embed_code
The intense damage to homes from #Japan's latest typhoon also threatens historical materials. Historians urge residents not to carelessly discard documents discovered lining their sliding doors or walls, as they contain valuable clues to local #history. https://t.co/Vq4ylvsozm pic.twitter.com/djMwY7bfca
— Dr. Paula R. Curtis (@paularcurtis) October 23, 2019

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props_source.data.text
The intense damage to homes from #Japan's latest typhoon also threatens historical materials. Historians urge residents not to carelessly discard documents discovered lining their sliding doors or walls, as they contain valuable clues to local #history. https://t.co/Vq4ylvsozm https://t.co/djMwY7bfca

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.original_text
The intense damage to homes from #Japan's latest typhoon also threatens historical materials. Historians urge residents not to carelessly discard documents discovered lining their sliding doors or walls, as they contain valuable clues to local #history. https://t.co/Vq4ylvsozm https://t.co/djMwY7bfca

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.text
The intense damage to homes from #Japan's latest typhoon also threatens historical materials. Historians urge residents not to carelessly discard documents discovered lining their sliding doors or walls, as they contain valuable clues to local #history. https://t.co/Vq4ylvsozm

# data[].attributes.headline
1586 scroll of warrior poetic shows poetic critiques

# data[].attributes.subject
1586 scroll of warrior poetic shows poetic critiques

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.text
A 1586 scroll of 100 lines of renga (linked verse) by the Hashimoto family head has been discovered. It contains edits/suggestions by the tonsured warrior & skilled poet Hosokawa Yūsai, with notations marking good compositions. 🖌️  #poetry #medievaltwitter https://t.co/ztTxvYBvxp

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.original_text
A 1586 scroll of 100 lines of renga (linked verse) by the Hashimoto family head has been discovered. It contains edits/suggestions by the tonsured warrior & skilled poet Hosokawa Yūsai, with notations marking good compositions. 🖌️  #poetry #medievaltwitter https://t.co/ztTxvYBvxp https://t.co/MvBtLZt7Dv

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.embed_code
A 1586 scroll of 100 lines of renga (linked verse) by the Hashimoto family head has been discovered. It contains edits/suggestions by the tonsured warrior & skilled poet Hosokawa Yūsai, with notations marking good compositions. 🖌️ #poetry #medievaltwitter https://t.co/ztTxvYBvxp pic.twitter.com/MvBtLZt7Dv
— Dr. Paula R. Curtis (@paularcurtis) October 25, 2019

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props_source.data.text
A 1586 scroll of 100 lines of renga (linked verse) by the Hashimoto family head has been discovered. It contains edits/suggestions by the tonsured warrior & skilled poet Hosokawa Yūsai, with notations marking good compositions. 🖌️  #poetry #medievaltwitter https://t.co/ztTxvYBvxp https://t.co/MvBtLZt7Dv

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.original_text
A 1586 scroll of 100 lines of renga (linked verse) by the Hashimoto family head has been discovered. It contains edits/suggestions by the tonsured warrior & skilled poet Hosokawa Yūsai, with notations marking good compositions. 🖌️  #poetry #medievaltwitter https://t.co/ztTxvYBvxp https://t.co/MvBtLZt7Dv

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.text
A 1586 scroll of 100 lines of renga (linked verse) by the Hashimoto family head has been discovered. It contains edits/suggestions by the tonsured warrior & skilled poet Hosokawa Yūsai, with notations marking good compositions. 🖌️  #poetry #medievaltwitter https://t.co/ztTxvYBvxp

# data[].attributes.headline
Using images and film to discuss legends and performances of oral narratives

# data[].attributes.subject
Using images and film to discuss legends and performances of oral narratives

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.text
Today my students learned about the spooky "Heike" crabs (heikegani  平家蟹)! 🦀 Tale of the Heike is a 14th cen oral narrative on the Genpei War (1180-1185) between the Taira (Heike) & Minamoto (Genji), often considered the advent of Japan's #medieval period. #spooktober #Japan

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.original_text
Today my students learned about the spooky "Heike" crabs (heikegani  平家蟹)! 🦀 Tale of the Heike is a 14th cen oral narrative on the Genpei War (1180-1185) between the Taira (Heike) & Minamoto (Genji), often considered the advent of Japan's #medieval period. #spooktober #Japan https://t.co/mHkuxxIQ21

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.embed_code
Today my students learned about the spooky "Heike" crabs (heikegani 平家蟹)! 🦀 Tale of the Heike is a 14th cen oral narrative on the Genpei War (1180-1185) between the Taira (Heike) & Minamoto (Genji), often considered the advent of Japan's #medieval period. #spooktober #Japan pic.twitter.com/mHkuxxIQ21
— Dr. Paula R. Curtis (@paularcurtis) October 7, 2019

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props_source.data.text
Today my students learned about the spooky "Heike" crabs (heikegani  平家蟹)! 🦀 Tale of the Heike is a 14th cen oral narrative on the Genpei War (1180-1185) between the Taira (Heike) & Minamoto (Genji), often considered the advent of Japan's #medieval period. #spooktober #Japan https://t.co/mHkuxxIQ21

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.original_text
Today my students learned about the spooky "Heike" crabs (heikegani  平家蟹)! 🦀 Tale of the Heike is a 14th cen oral narrative on the Genpei War (1180-1185) between the Taira (Heike) & Minamoto (Genji), often considered the advent of Japan's #medieval period. #spooktober #Japan https://t.co/mHkuxxIQ21

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.text
Today my students learned about the spooky "Heike" crabs (heikegani  平家蟹)! 🦀 Tale of the Heike is a 14th cen oral narrative on the Genpei War (1180-1185) between the Taira (Heike) & Minamoto (Genji), often considered the advent of Japan's #medieval period. #spooktober #Japan

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.text
On Friday my slides promised students I'd show them a cool thing, so I'll share with Twitter too. My course is on text & textuality in premodern Japanese history, so I wanted an example of something beyond "typical" expectations of text use. I showed them the Seiryōji buddha.

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.original_text
On Friday my slides promised students I'd show them a cool thing, so I'll share with Twitter too. My course is on text & textuality in premodern Japanese history, so I wanted an example of something beyond "typical" expectations of text use. I showed them the Seiryōji buddha. https://t.co/1Y7aqdjbIk

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.embed_code
On Friday my slides promised students I'd show them a cool thing, so I'll share with Twitter too. My course is on text & textuality in premodern Japanese history, so I wanted an example of something beyond "typical" expectations of text use. I showed them the Seiryōji buddha. pic.twitter.com/1Y7aqdjbIk
— Dr. Paula R. Curtis (@paularcurtis) September 1, 2019

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props_source.data.text
On Friday my slides promised students I'd show them a cool thing, so I'll share with Twitter too. My course is on text & textuality in premodern Japanese history, so I wanted an example of something beyond "typical" expectations of text use. I showed them the Seiryōji buddha. https://t.co/1Y7aqdjbIk

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.original_text
On Friday my slides promised students I'd show them a cool thing, so I'll share with Twitter too. My course is on text & textuality in premodern Japanese history, so I wanted an example of something beyond "typical" expectations of text use. I showed them the Seiryōji buddha. https://t.co/1Y7aqdjbIk

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.text
On Friday my slides promised students I'd show them a cool thing, so I'll share with Twitter too. My course is on text & textuality in premodern Japanese history, so I wanted an example of something beyond "typical" expectations of text use. I showed them the Seiryōji buddha.

# data[].attributes.headline
Students learning about ancient texts as material history and artifacts

# data[].attributes.subject
Students learning about ancient texts as material history and artifacts

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.text
Had a fun day of digging (sorry 😂) into ancient archaeology/history writing in class. Students got to puzzle out the mokkan (wooden slips) I prepared, first thinking about them as material objects, then comparing the text and seeing how the writing changed their interpretations!

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.original_text
Had a fun day of digging (sorry 😂) into ancient archaeology/history writing in class. Students got to puzzle out the mokkan (wooden slips) I prepared, first thinking about them as material objects, then comparing the text and seeing how the writing changed their interpretations! https://t.co/ct5fuwFXHO

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.embed_code
Had a fun day of digging (sorry 😂) into ancient archaeology/history writing in class. Students got to puzzle out the mokkan (wooden slips) I prepared, first thinking about them as material objects, then comparing the text and seeing how the writing changed their interpretations! pic.twitter.com/ct5fuwFXHO
— Dr. Paula R. Curtis (@paularcurtis) September 9, 2019

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props_source.data.text
Had a fun day of digging (sorry 😂) into ancient archaeology/history writing in class. Students got to puzzle out the mokkan (wooden slips) I prepared, first thinking about them as material objects, then comparing the text and seeing how the writing changed their interpretations! https://t.co/ct5fuwFXHO

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.original_text
Had a fun day of digging (sorry 😂) into ancient archaeology/history writing in class. Students got to puzzle out the mokkan (wooden slips) I prepared, first thinking about them as material objects, then comparing the text and seeing how the writing changed their interpretations! https://t.co/ct5fuwFXHO

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.text
Had a fun day of digging (sorry 😂) into ancient archaeology/history writing in class. Students got to puzzle out the mokkan (wooden slips) I prepared, first thinking about them as material objects, then comparing the text and seeing how the writing changed their interpretations!