{"id":2336,"date":"2026-10-19T13:01:15","date_gmt":"2026-10-19T04:01:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsletter.nichibun.ac.jp\/?post_type=messages&p=2336"},"modified":"2026-10-19T13:13:10","modified_gmt":"2026-10-19T04:13:10","slug":"resonances-of-1987-and-the-horizons-of-transnational-history-reflections-on-international-research-center-for-japanese-studies","status":"publish","type":"messages","link":"https:\/\/newsletter.nichibun.ac.jp\/en\/messages\/2336\/","title":{"rendered":"Resonances of “1987” and the Horizons of Transnational History Reflections on International Research Center for Japanese Studies"},"content":{"rendered":"

I was a foreign researcher at Nichibunken from April 2025 to March 2026. What I achieved while there exceeded the bounds of mere academic exchange. For me it was an intellectual turning point. My stay at Nichibunken was in fact a process that involved relativizing the intellectual interests and methods I had embraced till then. At the same time, I was able to reposition myself academically.<\/p>\r\n

1. A Shared Chronology of Foundation (1987) and Academic Fate<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\r\n

Nichibunken had for me a symbolic significance that transcended its role as a research institute. 1987, the year of its foundation, was by coincidence the year of my birth.<\/p>\r\n

This chronological coincidence has been for me not simply a matter of chance; rather, it has served me as an academic metaphor.<\/p>\r\n

In the late 1980s, Nichibunken arrived on the scene seeking to re-construct Japanese cultural studies from an international, trans-border perspective. Nichibunken\u2019s trajectory can be understood as symbolic of the switch within Japanese studies, linked to advances in Japan\u2019s own internationalization. The founding of Nichibunken was an intellectual attempt to re-interrogate the framework of state and civilization, and to redefine \"Japan\" in terms of its connectivity with the outside. At the same time, I received my education in a new era that witnessed the rapid advance of globalization. I belong to the generation that has naturally internalized a problematique that transcends national borders.<\/p>\r\n

The \"contemporaneity\" of which I write acquired substance for me only after I situated myself within the space of Nichibunken. I enter the library, and engage both with the vast research output that occupies the shelves by the entrance, and with the outcomes of the arguments accumulated therein over forty years. On such occasions, I always experience a profound sense of respect for the scholars who have produced all this scholarly work. I become keenly aware I am blessed that my own work partakes of this outstanding environment. Whenever I buried myself in the library, I was not only investigating sources and reading them, I was re-experiencing the paradigm shift in Japanese studies with my own bodily sensations.<\/p>\r\n

2. The Richness of Sources and the Accommodation of the Other\u2019s Perspective<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\r\n

My encounter with the abundance of primary sources held in the Nichibunken library, especially those relating to Sino-Japanese diplomacy, to negotiations between the two countries, and to military history, has taught me to listen to the \"sources\u2019 silent voices.\" Records kept in official archives relating to different fields and themes within modern Chinese history are sometimes written with the icy \"gaze of the adversary.\" They are at the same time, however, essential missing pieces that can supplement sources on the Chinese side. Rather than read the Other\u2019s perspective in a uniquely critical fashion, we should accept that perspective as a mirror essential to the reconstruction of history in its three-dimensional form. It is this process that has been the greatest academic takeaway of my stay in Japan.<\/p>\r\n

In the quiet of my room at Nichibunken, I have had the occasion to reevaluate my own research position as I confronted these sources. I have made the switch from a position of simply using sources to one of engaging with those sources. The experience has made me think anew about academic honesty.<\/p>\r\n

3. The Birds\u2019 Eye View Nurtured by Katsurazaka<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\r\n

Nichibunken is situated in Katsurazaka west of Kyoto, and so it keeps a suitable distance from the hustle and bustle of the city. It is the perfect environment for immersing oneself in research. These geographical conditions are not simply a question of convenience; rather, they exert an influence on the scholar\u2019s very mindset.<\/p>\r\n

The topos of Katsurazaka accommodates a remoteness and a freedom that is never completely insular. I was engaged in research within a space that struck an exquisite balance. At the same time, I was able to develop a broad aerial perspective on the vast historical space that is East Asia. The time I spent within the natural environment, experiencing the shift in the seasons, was highly significant in the deepening of my thought processes. The green of spring, the rains of summer, the leaves of autumn, and the still of winter: the seasonal rhythm of nature gave to my research time a natural rhythm, and prompted me to introspection. Sometimes, adorable deer and monkeys would appear on the open spaces before Nichibunken House, which made me appreciate the diversity which Nichibunken offers. Now, I find myself missing my time there.<\/p>\r\n

Conclusion: Establishing a Scholarly Identity that Transcends Borders<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\r\n

Since 1987, Nichibunken has pioneered a type of Japan research that is open to the world, and my engagement with it will provide \uff4de with a solid foundation for the rest of my days as a scholar. The wisdom and the skills which I have acquired here will prompt new questions in me, and will be the bridge connecting me with different academic traditions.<\/p>\r\n

More than anything, the networks I developed and experiences of mutual understanding are more important for me than academic papers and publications; my time at Nichibunken will serve me as an enduring resource for academic exchange. Relations between China and Japan are beset with problems, but it is precisely for this reason that these sorts of dialogue, exchange, and debate are invaluable.<\/p>\r\n

My Nichibunken experience has given me the courage to narrate history across borders. In that sense, this sabbatical is certainly not an end, but rather a new beginning. Hereafter, I wish to use my experiences as a cornerstone that will sustain my efforts to interrogate East Asian history from a broader perspective. My next encounter with Nichibunken is definitely not something for the distant future.<\/p>\r\n

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A corner of the Nichibunken campus
Photo by author (3 May 2026)<\/p><\/div>\r\n

\"\"

In Hohhot
Photo by the conference support staff (1 August 2026)<\/p><\/div>","protected":false},"featured_media":2338,"template":"","message_category":[17],"class_list":["post-2336","messages","type-messages","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","message_category-essays"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsletter.nichibun.ac.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/messages\/2336","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsletter.nichibun.ac.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/messages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsletter.nichibun.ac.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/messages"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsletter.nichibun.ac.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2338"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsletter.nichibun.ac.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2336"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"message_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsletter.nichibun.ac.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/message_category?post=2336"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}