History C

Academic unit or major

Humanities and social science courses

Instructor(s)

Isami Sawai

Class Format

Lecture

Media-enhanced courses

-

Day of week/Period
(Classrooms)

Class

-

Course Code

LAH.H305

Number of credits

200

Course offered

2026

Offered quarter

3Q

Syllabus updated

Mar 5, 2026

Language

Japanese

Syllabus

Course overview and goals

Theme: Reading Historical Sources of the Early Modern and Modern Japan

This course combines lectures with practical exercises to read and interpret historical sources from early modern and modern Japan together. This year, we will focus in particular on Japan’s foreign relations in the Bakumatsu period, centering on primary sources related to the shogunate’s Tairō (Chief Minister) Ii Naosuke and the Gaikoku-bugyō (Commissioner for Foreign Affairs) Inoue Kiyonao.

The kind of formal, official prose written in the contemporary Japanese we encounter today became standard only after 1945. Before then, many texts—especially official documents—were composed in modern literary Japanese (bungobun), most notably in styles heavily influenced by kanbun kundoku (Japanese renderings of Classical Chinese). Alongside such literary styles, there also existed a long-established epistolary format known as sōrōbun. Widely used in both public and private contexts during the Edo period, sōrōbun continued to be employed—particularly in letters—until the prewar era. Moreover, before the development of widespread pen use and print culture, writing was generally done with brush and ink. As a result, texts were often written in scripts other than standard block characters (including cursive forms), commonly referred to as kuzushiji.

People living in contemporary Japan are, in general, able to understand only modern Japanese. This means that they cannot directly access the memories and intellectual world of Japanese speakers before the prewar era. Compared with languages such as English—where a reader with knowledge of modern grammar can often read texts from the seventeenth or eighteenth centuries to a certain extent—this constitutes a significant disadvantage. In recent years, advances in databases and AI have begun to make pre-1945 knowledge more accessible than before; however, there remain areas that are not yet fully practical —most notably the reading of kuzushiji (at least at present).

Through a combination of lectures and close reading (a somewhat “classical” pedagogical approach), this course aims to provide an entry into the accumulated body of Japanese knowledge prior to 1945. By taking this course, you may even become able to read documents that once lay unread and gathering dust—perhaps even secret manuscripts sleeping in your family storehouse.

(For the sources to be covered, please refer to the section “Reference Books and Course Materials.”)

Course description and aims

1.　Understand the grammar, vocabulary, and conventional set phrases of modern literary Japanese (bungobun) and sōrōbun., and thereby become able to read prewar (and earlier) Japanese texts.
2.　Gain an understanding of how to decipher kuzushiji by making use of dictionaries, databases, apps, and related tools.
3.　Through hands-on experience with methods for reading prewar (and earlier) texts and deciphering kuzushiji, gain a glimpse into part of the accumulated body of knowledge from Japan prior to 1945.

Keywords

History, Japanese History, Historical sources, modern literary Japanese (bungobun), sōrōbun, kuzushiji

Competencies

• Specialist skills
• Intercultural skills
• Communication skills
• Critical thinking skills
• Practical and/or problem-solving skills

Class flow

For modern literary Japanese (bungo) and sōrōbun in transcription (honkoku), the course will begin with lectures explaining key grammar, vocabulary, and conventional set phrases, followed by two practice sessions in which we will conduct close reading of designated sources in a seminar format. For kuzushiji, the course will first introduce, in lecture format, practical methods for reading kuzushiji using dictionaries, databases, apps, and related tools. This will be followed by five seminar-style practice sessions devoted to the close reading of designated sources (the allocation of reading assignments will be decided during the introductory session). The seminars presuppose that students have read the assigned source materials in advance; in particular, each student is expected to work on their assigned portion as precisely and carefully as possible. Class sessions will be conducted with open discussion, and we will consistently aim for active, two-way communication

Course schedule/Objectives

Study advice (preparation and review)

To enhance effective learning, students are encouraged to spend approximately 100 minutes preparing for class and another 100 minutes reviewing class content afterwards (including assignments) for each class.
They should do so by referring to reference books and other course materials.

Textbook(s)

No textbook

Reference books, course materials, etc.

The following materials are proposed as candidate primary sources for the course, which are related to the shogunate’s Tairō (Chief Minister) Ii Naosuke and the Gaikoku-bugyō (Commissioner for Foreign Affairs) Inoue Kiyonao.
・島田三郎『開国始末 : 井伊掃部頭直弼伝』1888年、輿論社
・佐々木克『史料 公用方秘録』サンライズ出版、2007年
・武蔵村山市歴史民俗資料館所蔵 井上清直関係資料（渡辺善一郎家文書）
The instructor will either provide the materials or select sources that are available for online access. Depending on participants’ interests and preferences, the specific materials may be changed.


For understanding modern literary Japanese and sōrōbun, the following are recommended:
・庵功雄『留学生のための近代文語文入門 －現代の日本と日本語を知るために－』スリーエーネットワーク、2021年
・古田島洋介『日本近代史を学ぶための文語文入門: 漢文訓読体の地平』吉川弘文館、2013年
・佐藤孝之監修・著、宮原一郎・天野清文著『近世史を学ぶための古文書「候文」入門』吉川弘文館、2023年

For deciphering kuzushiji, the following dictionaries are recommended:
・児玉幸多編『くずし字解読辞典 普及版』東京堂出版、1993年
・児玉幸多編『くずし字用例辞典 普及版』東京堂出版、1993年

Additional resources will also be introduced as needed during the course.

Evaluation methods and criteria

50% participation and contribution to class discussion; 50% assigned presentation for the seminar-style close reading

Related courses

• History A
• History B
• LAH.S414 ： Essence of Humanities and Social Sciences14:History

Prerequisites

Prior coursework (at the level of compulsory education and high school) in Japanese history, classical Japanese (kobun), and Classical Chinese (kanbun) is desirable; however, the course will proceed while reviewing and confirming basic knowledge as needed during class.

Contact information (e-mail and phone) Notice : Please replace from ”[at]” to ”@”(half-width character).

sawai.i.1085[at]m.isct.ac.jp
Replace [at] with @.

Office hours

Students can contact the lecturer in advance.