Updated on 2025/01/09

Information

 

写真a

 
VAN GOETHEM ELZA MELINA ALBERT ELLEN
 
Organization
Faculty of Humanities Department of Philosophy Professor
School of Letters Department of Humanities（Concurrent）
Graduate School of Humanities Department of Philosophy（Concurrent）
Title
Professor
Profile
Ellen Van Goethem specializes in Japanese history. Her main focus is on the Asuka, Nara, and early Heian periods, particularly on the layout of Chinese-style capital cities, on religious and philosophical thought underpinning the construction of these cities, and on inscribed wooden tablets (mokkan). She has also published on site divination practices in premodern East Asia and on the influence of fengshui thought on contemporary Japanese architecture. Her current research centers on Heian Jingu and Jidai Matsuri. She has a special interest in issues related to the (re-)construction of long-lost buildings, the deification of emperors, and changes in the shrine and festival’s perception over the last century. She was the principal investigator of three Progress 100 Strategic Partnership grants (AY2015, AY2016, AY2019–2021) to promote collaboration with colleagues in Europe, the US, Asia and Africa. She was also the principal investigator of a collaborative project with Yuki Kato (Faculty of Design, Kyushu University) and Alice Y. Tseng (Department of History of Art & Architecture, Boston University). This project on the founding of Heian Jingu was funded by a Kyushu University Tsubasa Project grant. She is the co-founder of the peer-reviewed Journal of Asian Humanities at Kyushu University (JAH-Q). Since 2020, she is a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of the Journal of Religion in Japan. She teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in premodern Japanese history, material culture, religious beliefs and practices, and East-West encounters.
Homepage
External link

Degree

  • BA in Oriental Languages and Cultures (Ghent University, Belgium)

  • Academic Teacher Training Program, Qualified Teacher’s Degree for Secondary Education – Section 2 in Oriental Languages and Cultures (Ghent University, Belgium)

  • MA in Oriental Languages and Cultures (Ghent University, Belgium)

  • Doctor in Oriental Languages and Cultures (Ghent University, Belgium)

Research History

  • 1999年3月-2006年2月　Ghent University文学部日本学科　助手 2006年3月-2008年3月　Ghent University文学部日本学科 博士号取得後研究員 2006年2月-2007年1月　Canon Foundation in Europe 研究奨学金　立命館大学文学部客員研究員 2007年1月-2008年3月　日本国際交流基金（ジャパンファンデ－ション）研究奨学金　立命館大学文学部客員研究員 2008年4月-2011年3月　法政大学グローバル教養学部　助教 2010年4月-2011年3月　法政大学交換留学生受入れプログラム（ESOP）　非常勤講師 2011年2月-2011年10月　Ghent University文学部日本学科 客員教授 2011年４月-2011年９月　法政大学グローバル教養学部　非常勤講師   

Research Interests・Research Keywords

  • Research theme： An institutional and social history of Heian Jingu with a specific focus on the reconstruction of long-lost buildings, the deification of emperors, the presence of Chinese cosmological symbolism in Shinto shrines, and changes in perceptions of Heian Jingū since its founding in the late nineteenth century.

    Keyword： Heian shrine, deification, reconstruction, four directional deities

    Research period： 2020.1 - 2023.12

  • Research theme： Research on 19th- and early 20th-century creation of Shinto shrines and rituals

    Keyword： Heian shrine, Dazaifu tenmangu shrine, Kashihara jingu, four directional deities

    Research period： 2015.5

  • Research theme： Research on inscribed wooden tablets (ancient Japan)

    Keyword： inscribed wooden tablets

    Research period： 2012.1

  • Research theme： Research on "shijin soo", i.e. "correspondence to the four gods"

    Keyword： the Sakuteiki, feng shui, geomancy, site divination

    Research period： 2008.4

  • Research theme： Research on the influence of religio-philosophical thought on the establishment of the Nagaoka capital

    Keyword： the Nagaoka capital, Buddhism, Confucianism, Daoism, yin yang and Five Phases

    Research period： 2007.3 - 2008.3

  • Research theme： research on the Nagaoka capital

    Keyword： gridiron capital cities, inscribed wooden tablets, Kanmu tenno

    Research period： 1999.3 - 2008.4

  • Research theme： Research on urban planning in ancient Japan

    Keyword： capital city, urbanisation, palace, city

    Research period： 1999.3

Papers

  • 時代祭の起源―禍転じて福となす Invited

    エレン・ヴァン＝フーテム (Ellen Van Goethem)

    図書   ( 10月号 )   22 - 24   2023.10

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    Language：Japanese   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)  

    時代祭は、明治28年（1895年）からほぼ毎年10月に行われている有名な祭りです。京都の三大祭の一つとしてたちまち有名になった時代祭ですが、その成り立ちは意外にも偶然によるものでした。行列を作ろうという声が上がったのは、他の祭りが「風邪気」という病によって延期になったことがきっかけだったのです。直接の因果関係を論じることはできませんが、この病気が介在しなければ、時代祭は実現しなかった可能性が高いのです。このエッセイでは、最初の時代祭が生まれた背景について説明します。

    Repository Public URL： https://hdl.handle.net/2324/7177903

  • 宮都の敷地選定と風水 Invited Reviewed International journal

    Ellen Van Goethem

    2023.4

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    Language：Japanese  

  • Heian Jingū: Monument or Shinto Shrine? Reviewed

    Ellen Van Goethem

    Journal of Religion in Japan   7 ( 1 )   1 - 26   2018.11

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    Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)  

    The founding of Heian Jingū in 1895 is usually explained in very simple terms: it was established to commemorate the 1100th anniversary of the move to the Heian capital and was, therefore, dedicated to the city’s founder, Kanmu Tennō. A closer look at the shrine’s founding story, however, reveals a much more complex account that illustrates the fits and starts of State Shintō in the third decade of the Meiji period. By disentangling the standard narrative of Heian Jingū’s founding, this article touches not only on doctrinal issues such as the deification of past emperors, but also on material aspects such as early attempts at reconstructing long-lost structures and the Meiji government’s creation of a set of plans that regulated the appearance of newly erected shrines. Doing so will help explain how the design of this major imperial shrine could deviate so significantly from the stipulated template and be so replete with Chinese influences at a time when the relationship between the two countries was one of outright hostility.

    DOI： 10.1163/22118349-00701005

    Repository Public URL： https://hdl.handle.net/2324/7177916

  • Of Trees and Beasts: Site Selection in Premodern East Asia Reviewed

    Ellen Van Goethem

    Journal of Asian Humanities at Kyushu University (JAH-Q)   1   1 - 7   2016.3

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    Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)  

    This paper focuses on a site selection practice called shijin sōō 四神相応(“correspondence to the four deities”) in Japanese sources. The practice is a subcategory within site divination (Ch. fengshui, Jp. fūsui); the latter encompasses practices and beliefs connected to determining ideal sites to construct graves, found cities, build houses, etc. Among the Chinese, Korean, and Japanese sources that describe this specific divinatory practice of “correspondence to the four deities,” several texts provide a practical—and in most cases fairly easily realizable albeit not always sound—solution to remedy any shortcomings in the surrounding topography. According to these sources, lack of auspiciousness due to missing landscape features could be corrected by planting specific species of trees. In a number of cases, the sources even go so far as to specify the actual number of trees to be planted.

    Repository Public URL： https://hdl.handle.net/2324/1654559

  • “Feng Shui Symbolism in Japan: The Four Divine Beasts” Invited International journal

    Ellen E. M. A. Van Goethem

    Asien- und Afrikastudien der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin   2013.11

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    Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)  

    This paper presents a discussion of the appearance and context of feng shui symbolism in Japan. Attention is focused on the four divine beasts and their associated symbolism from their initial appearance on the Japanese archipelago until the ninth century and from the mid-nineteenth century until the present day, in an attempt to show how this symbolism became fully assimilated to the point that it appeared in (early) modern times in contexts no longer consciously associated with “original”, foreign practices or was fully absorbed into contexts that are deemed quintessentially Japanese.
    By doing so, I would like to argue that the four directional animals preserved their role of “multivalent signs”, susceptible to many applications, interpretations, meanings and values. As symbols, visual depictions of underlying concepts, the four divine beasts adapted to (or, better still, were appropriated by) changing circumstances and ideologies to appear in new and entirely different contexts.

  • The Four Divine Beasts -- Asuka Through European Eyes Invited

    Ellen Van Goethem

    国際飛鳥学講演会報告書２０１２   2012.11

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    Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (other academic)  

    本論文では、風水思想における景観上での四方四神の表現方法に関する比較研究の結論を紹介する。集合的には、四方四神が異なる名前で知られており、中国では四靈や四獣、日本では四禽や四神と呼ばれる。また、個別には、四獣は、後方（もしくは北方）の玄武、前方（もしくは南方）の朱雀、左方（もしくは東方の）青龍、右方（もしくは西方）の白虎として知られている。
    しかしながら、風水に関する現存する最古の記録では、伝説の四獣のそれぞれに対する地形的な特徴は不明瞭なままである。後に、少なくとも二つの共存する風習が、東アジアにおける風水の中で、発達してきたようである。
    一つの風習では、自然地形の存在が強調され、四獣は山などの地形として表現された。これに対し、もう一つの風習では、それぞれの四獣について、異なる自然的・人為的な地形的特徴の存在が必要とされている。本論文では、日本で「四神相応」と呼ばれる、後者の風習に注目する。

  • 歴史資料・資源としての木簡―長岡京の場合― Invited

    Ellen Van Goethem

    交響する古代II　国際的日本古代学の展開　予稿集（明治大学古代学研究所　日本古代学教育・研究センター）   2012.3

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    Language：Japanese   Publishing type：Research paper (other academic)  

    本稿では、多数の木簡の発見が長岡京時代の諸側面に関する我々の理解をいかに深めたか、具体的に示したい。木簡発見以前は長岡京の同時代史料が極めて限られていた。長岡京での初めての発見以来40年、大量の木簡は長岡京のその他の考古資料をも補う貴重な資料となった。

  • The Four Directional Animals in East Asia: A Comparative Analysis Invited Reviewed International journal

    Ellen Van Goethem

    Asien- und Afrika-Studien der Humboldt Universitat zu Berlin   38   2011.11

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    Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)  

    In this paper , I present some tentative conclusions about the comparative research I have been conducting into the way(s) in which the four creatures that each guard one of the (cardinal) directions are represented in the physical landscape within the practice(s) of geophysical divination.
    In China, in Korea, as well as in Japan, these four directional beasts are identified as the Black Turtle-Snake (玄武) of the back/north , the Vermilion Bird (朱雀) of the front/south, the Azure Dragon (青龍) of the left/east, and the White Tiger (白虎) of the right/west. However, the earliest texts on divination remain vague about the specific landscape features corresponding to each of the four mythical animals. In later times, at least two co-existing traditions seem to have developed within the practice of site divination in East Asia. Following one tradition, emphasis lay on the presence of natural features with all four animals represented in the landscape as mountains. Another tradition, however, required the presence of a different natural or man-made landscape feature for each of the four beasts.
    This paper focuses on the latter tradition, in Japanese referred to as “shijin sōō 四神相応” (“correspondence to the four deities”). Through an investigation of written sources, this paper will trace the origin and evolution of the observances of shijin sōō, as well as provide a basic analysis of the different textual traditions. Furthermore, this paper will challenge the commonly held view that the practice of shijin sōō was a divination process used to determine the location of capital cities.

  • Pleasing the Four Gods: Shijin sōō (四神相応), Site Selection and Site Adaptation Reviewed International journal

    Ellen Van Goethem

    Cultural Crossroads, Proceedings of the 26th International SAHANZ Conference   2009.7

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    Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (international conference proceedings)  

  • Shijin sōō and the Site Selection Process of Chinese-style Capitals in Japan Invited Reviewed International journal

    Ellen Van Goethem

    Conference proceedings CD of the 4th International Conference on Scientific Feng Shui & Built Environment 2009, Sustainability and Operability   2009.2

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    Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (international conference proceedings)  

  • The Status of Descendants of the Baekje Kingdom during Emperor Kanmu’s Reign Reviewed International journal

    Ellen Van Goethem

    Korea Journal   47 ( 2 )   2007.7

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    Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)  

  • Influence of Chinese Philosophical Thought on the Construction of Nagaokakyō, Japan's Forgotten Capital Reviewed

    Ellen Van Goethem

    International Conference on East Asian Architectural Culture, Kyoto 2006 – Reassessing East Asia in the Light of Urban and Architectural History   II   2006.12

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    Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (other academic)  

  • Tracing Feng Shui in Ancient Japanese Capital Cities – Case-study: Nagaokakyō Reviewed International journal

    Ellen Van Goethem

    Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Scientific Feng Shui and Built Environment   2006.10

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    Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (international conference proceedings)  

  • The Construction of the Nagaoka Palace and Capital – Mokkan 木簡 as a Historical Source Invited Reviewed International journal

    Ellen Van Goethem

    Nachrichten der Gesellschaft für Natur- und Völkerkunde Ostasiens (NOAG)   76 ( 179-180 )   2006.9

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    Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)  

  • 子連れで参加ー第3回東アジア環境史会議 Invited Reviewed International journal

    VAN GOETHEM ELLEN

    Polymorfia ポリモルフィア   ( 1 )   127 - 129   2016.3

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    Language：Japanese   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)  

  • Asuka-Fujiwara through Foreign Eyes - Research from Abroad 海外の視点から探る飛鳥・藤原京～海外の研究者の研究～ Invited

    Ellen E. M. A. Van Goethem

    世界に伝えたい「飛鳥・藤原」の魅力　　記念講演資料集２０１６   17 - 27   2016.3

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    Language：English  

    In this paper, I briefly summarize roughly 130 years of foreign interest in and scholarship on the Asuka period (538-710) in general and the Asuka-Fujiwara area in particular. This summary is merely intended to highlight some of the broader trends and is by no means exhaustive, in part because it only focuses on some of the scholarship published in English, French or German, leaving out many other scholars’ efforts at bringing the Asuka era (and area) to the attention of the scholarly community and the wider public.

  • 「飛鳥・藤原」世界遺産化応援エッセー　　Asuka-Fujiwara: The Beginning of Japanese History Invited

    VAN GOETHEM ELLEN

    世界に伝えたい飛鳥・藤原の魅力　記念講演資料集２０１５　(明治大学日本古代学研究所・世界遺産「藤原・飛鳥」登録推進協議会)   ３５ - ３５   2015.3

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    Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (other academic)  

  • ‘Applying for Kakenhi: From Start-Up to Wakate A’

    Ellen E. M. A. Van Goethem

    15 - 19   2014.3

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    Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (bulletin of university, research institution)  

  • 東アジアの四神獣に関する比較研究：宮都・住宅・樹木 Invited International journal

    Ellen E. M. A. Van Goethem

    交響する古代III   2013.2

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    Language：Japanese   Publishing type：Research paper (international conference proceedings)  

    本論文では、風水（または堪輿）思想における景観上での四方四神 の表現方法に関する比較研究の結論を紹介する。個別には、四神獣は、東アジア全体において、後方（もしくは北方） の玄武、前方（もしくは南方）の朱雀、左方（もしくは東方）の青龍、右方（もしくは西方）の白虎として知られている。
    しかしながら、風水に関する現存する最古の記録では、伝説の四神獣のそれぞれに対応する地形的な特徴は不明瞭なままである。後に、少なくとも二つの共存する風習が、東アジアにおける風水の中で、発達してきたようである。一つの風習では、自然地形の存在が強調され、四神獣は山などの地形として表現された。これに対し、もう一つの風習では、それぞれの四神獣について、異なる自然的・人為的な地形的特徴の存在が必要とされていた。本論文では、日本で「四神相応」と呼ばれる、後者の風習に注目する。
    まず、文書資料の調査に基づいて、本論文では、四神相応の思想の起源と発展をさかのぼり、異なる記録に関する基礎分析の結果について報告を行った。そして、その上で、「四神相応が宮都（中国風都城）の位置の決定過程において利用されていた」という一般的な認識に対し、異議を唱えた。

  • “The Four Divine Beasts -- Asuka Through European Eyes” Invited

    Ellen E. M. A. Van Goethem

    国際飛鳥学講演会報告書２０１２   25 - 31   2012.11

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    Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (other academic)  

    本論文では、風水思想における景観上での四方四神の表現方法に関する比較研究の結論を紹介する。集合的には、四方四神が異なる名前で知られており、中国では四靈や四獣、日本では四禽や四神と呼ばれる。また、個別には、四獣は、後方（もしくは北方）の玄武、前方（もしくは南方）の朱雀、左方（もしくは東方の）青龍、右方（もしくは西方）の白虎として知られている。
    しかしながら、風水に関する現存する最古の記録では、伝説の四獣のそれぞれに対する地形的な特徴は不明瞭なままである。後に、少なくとも二つの共存する風習が、東アジアにおける風水の中で、発達してきたようである。
    一つの風習では、自然地形の存在が強調され、四獣は山などの地形として表現された。これに対し、もう一つの風習では、それぞれの四獣について、異なる自然的・人為的な地形的特徴の存在が必要とされている。本論文では、日本で「四神相応」と呼ばれる、後者の風習に注目する。

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Books

  • 日本の都城と東アジア

    Pham Le Huy（編）（Role：Joint author）

    2023.4 

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    Language：Japanese   Book type：Scholarly book

  • Animated City: Life Force, Guardians, and Contemporary Architecture in Kyoto

    Fabio Rambelli, Sato Hiroo, Jason A. Josephson-Storm, Ioannis Gaitanidis, Ellen Van Goethem, Carina Roth, Andrea De Antoni, Rebecca Suter, Mauro Arrighi, Jolyon Baraka Thomas, Andrea Castiglioni（Role：Joint author）

    Bloomsbury Publishing  2019.4 

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    Language：English   Book type：Scholarly book

    Like practitioners of many other occupations, architects are often asked to justify the meaning behind their creations or are required to envelop their proposals in appealing narratives to attract clients, to promote their projects, or to convince neighbors, city authorities, and competition jurors. In this chapter, I explore the long-held conviction that Kyoto is a city animated by various invisible agencies and how this notion has influenced its architecture between the 1990s and the early 2000s. Inspired by the belief that the city was designed and built in the late eighth century according to the core principles of site divination––popularly known as geomancy or fengshui (風水 Ch. fēng shuǐ, Jp. fūsui)––, it is generally assumed that Kyoto is vitalized by the invisible flow of qi (Ch. qì 氣, Jp. ki 気, “life force” or “cosmic breath”) and protected by the guardians of the four directions. Starting in the 1990s, when a fengshui boom gripped Japan, several architectural projects in Kyoto were conceived, announced, or justified with explicit reference to these practices either because of the architect’s personal beliefs, a particular client’s request, or to convince the general public of the project’s suitability to the city. Be it implicitly or explicitly, from the outset or post hoc, fengshui-derived concepts informed––at least in part and for different reasons––the design of the architectural projects discussed here. Moreover, it will become clear that the three architects behind the projects, Hara Hiroshi 原広司, Isozaki Arata 磯崎新, and Umebayashi Katsu 梅林克, each differ in their level of commitment to fengshui, ranging from a near-total immersion to a more casual engagement with and isolated application of its principles.

  • Ellen Van Goethem

    Ellen E. M. A. Van Goethem（Role：Joint author）

    Harrassowitz Verlag, Wiesbaden  2013.11 

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    Responsible for pages："Feng Shui Symbolism in Japan: The Four Divine Beasts" in Florian C. Reiter (ed.), Theory and Reality of Feng Shui in Architecture and Landscape Art (Asien- und Afrika-Studien der Humboldt-Universitat zu Berlin) 41, 35-48.   Language：English   Book type：Scholarly book

    This paper presents a discussion of the appearance and context of feng shui symbolism in Japan. Attention is focused on the four divine beasts and their associated symbolism from their initial appearance on the Japanese archipelago until the ninth century and from the mid-nineteenth century until the present day, in an attempt to show how this symbolism became fully assimilated to the point that it appeared in (early) modern times in contexts no longer consciously associated with “original”, foreign practices or was fully absorbed into contexts that are deemed quintessentially Japanese. By doing so, I would like to argue that the four directional animals preserved their role of "multivalent signs", susceptible to many applications, interpretations, meanings and values. As symbols, visual depictions of underlying concepts, the four divine beasts adapted to (or, better still, were appropriated by) changing circumstances and ideologies to appear in new and entirely different contexts.

  • Nagaoka, Japan's Forgotten Capital

    Ellen Van Goethem（Role：Sole author）

    Brill  2008.4 

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    Language：English   Book type：Scholarly book

    Repository Public URL： http://hdl.handle.net/2324/1001520644

  • Interroger le paysage: À la recherche des quatre divinités protégeant les capitales japonaises de style chinois

    Ellen Van Goethem

    Presses Polytechniques Universitaires Romandes  2014.6 

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    Responsible for pages：81–100   Language：Others  

  • Feng Shui Symbolism in Japan: The Four Divine Beasts

    Ellen Van Goethem

    Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin  2013.4 

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    Responsible for pages：41, 35–48   Language：English  

    This paper presents a discussion of the appearance and context of feng shui symbolism in Japan. Attention is focused on the four divine beasts and their associated symbolism from their initial appearance on the Japanese archipelago until the ninth century and from the mid-nineteenth century until the present day, in an attempt to show how this symbolism became fully assimilated to the point that it appeared in (early) modern times in contexts no longer consciously associated with “original,” foreign practices or was fully absorbed into contexts that are deemed quintessentially Japanese. By doing so, I would like to argue that the four directional animals preserved their role of “multivalent signs,” susceptible to many applications, interpretations, meanings and values. As symbols, visual depictions of underlying concepts, the four divine beasts adapted to (or, better still, were appropriated by) changing circumstances and ideologies to appear in new and entirely different contexts.

  • "Tracing Feng Shui in Ancient Japanese Capitals - Case Study: Nagaoka, Japan's Forgotten Capital" in Research in Scientific Feng Shui and the Built Environment

    Michael J. Mak (編)、 Albert T. So (編)（Role：Joint author）

    City University of Hong Kong Press  2009.2 

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    Responsible for pages：151頁-166頁   Language：English   Book type：Scholarly book

  • "Treurlied om de dood van een concubine", in Het Gebroken Hart in Oosterse Literaturen [The Broken Heart in Oriental Literature]

    Caroline Janssen (編)（Role：Joint author）

    Academia Press  2001.9 

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    Responsible for pages：127頁-139頁   Language：Others   Book type：Scholarly book

    Translation and analysis of Man'yōshū 2 : 207 - 209, poems by Kakinomoto Hitomaro (ca.662 - ca.710)

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Presentations

  • Ruptures and Junctures: Identity Building through Festivals and Parades International conference

    Ellen Van Goethem

    17th European Association for Japanese Studies International Conference  2023.8 

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    Event date： 2024.4

    Language：English   Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

    Venue：Ghent   Country：Belgium  

  • Revival and Reconstruction: From Ritual Space to Monument and Back Again Invited International conference

    Ellen Van Goethem

    2023.10 

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    Event date： 2024.4

    Language：English   Presentation type：Public lecture, seminar, tutorial, course, or other speech  

    Venue：UCSB   Country：United States  

    Japan is well known for its long tradition of cyclic rebuilding. The most famous example is arguably the practice at the Ise Grand Shrines, which are currently being rebuilt every 20 years as identical copies of their previous iterations. Perhaps less well known is modern Japan’s enthusiasm about reconstructing long-lost structures, ranging from early twentieth-century reconstructions of medieval castle keeps to a postwar fascination with reconstructing archaeological sites. This talk focuses on the reconstruction efforts surrounding three premodern palatial structures: the Nara, Heian, and Shuri Palaces.

  • Temple Construction in Eighth-Century Japan: Building for the Buddha or Building for the Sovereign? Invited International conference

    Ellen Van Goethem

    2023.11 

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    Event date： 2024.4

    Language：English   Presentation type：Public lecture, seminar, tutorial, course, or other speech  

    Venue：UCSB   Country：United States  

    At least for eighth-century temple construction in Japan, there is not necessarily a distinction between the people building Buddhist temples and those constructing government buildings, palaces, and capitals. In the talk, I reconstruct the construction worker's livelihoods based on traditional historical records, before moving on to inscribed wooden tablets, a type of sources that has so far been virtually overlooked in conducting research on this topic.

  • Reconstructing a Palace and Building a Shrine: Heian Jingu as a Marker of National and Regional Identity International conference

    Ellen Van Goethem

    International Symposium "Emperor and Shrine: Commemoration, Ideology, and Identity"  2019.10 

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    Event date： 2019.10

    Language：English  

    Venue：Kyushu University   Country：Japan  

  • Commemoration and Deification: The Creation of Heian Jingū Invited International conference

    Ellen Van Goethem

    UCSB, East Asia Center  2019.2 

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    Event date： 2019.4

    Language：English  

    Venue：UCSB   Country：United States  

    The founding of Heian Jingū in 1895 is usually explained in very simple terms; it was established to commemorate the 1100th anniversary of the move to the Heian capital and was, therefore, dedicated to the city’s founder, Kanmu Tennō (r.781–806). Nevertheless, a closer look at this founding story reveals a much more complex narrative that touches not only on material aspects such as the government’s creation of a blueprint for new shrines, but also on doctrinal issues such as the unprecedented deification of past emperors. Moreover, it helps explain how a major imperial shrine (kanpei taisha) in the emerging Japanese nation state could be so replete with Chinese symbolism and why in later years at least one of its designers expressed great disappointment at the end result.

  • Workshop ‘Cosmos, Ethos, Episteme’ Invited International conference

    Ellen Van Goethem

    Workshop ‘Cosmos, Ethos, Episteme’  2018.6 

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    Event date： 2019.4

    Language：English   Presentation type：Symposium, workshop panel (public)  

    Venue：The University of Edinburgh   Country：United Kingdom  

  • Monument, Shrine, Power Spot: Heian Jingū’s Multi-Layered Signification Invited International conference

    Ellen Van Goethem

    Columbia University, Donald Keene Center of Japanese Culture  2018.11 

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    Event date： 2019.4

    Language：English   Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

    Venue：Columbia University   Country：United States  

    In 1895, Heian Jingū was festively inaugurated as a testimony to Kyoto’s bygone days as the nation’s capital. A close look at its founding story reveals a complex narrative that touches not only on doctrinal issues, but also on material aspects. Moreover, it helps explain how a major imperial shrine (kanpei taisha) in the emerging Japanese nation state could be so replete with Chinese symbolism and why in later years at least one of its designers expressed great disappointment at the end result. Finally, it appears that today exactly those China-derived elements play a crucial role in Heian jingū’s popularity.

  • Heian Jingū: A "Traditional" Shrine in a "Foreign" Guise International conference

    Ellen Van Goethem

    15th European Association for Japanese Studies (EAJS) International Conference  2017.8 

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    Event date： 2017.8 - 2017.9

    Language：English   Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

    Venue：Lisbon   Country：Portugal  

    The founding of Heian jingū in 1895 is usually explained in very simple terms; it was established to commemorate the 1100th anniversary of the move to the Heian capital and was, therefore, dedicated to the city's founder, Emperor Kanmu (r.781-806). A closer look at the shrine's founding story reveals a much more complex narrative that illustrates the fits and starts of State Shinto in the first decades of the Meiji period.As such, this paper touches not only on doctrinal issues such as the deification of past emperors, but also on material aspects such as the Meiji government's creation of a blueprint for newly erected shrines. Moreover, tracing Heian jingū's founding story might help explain how a major imperial shrine (kanpei taisha) can be so replete with Chinese symbolism and why in later years at least one of its designers expressed great disappointment at the end result.The paper will conclude by arguing that exactly these China-derived elements-and their related beliefs and practices-currently form the core of Heian jingū's self-portrayal and play a crucial role in its continued popularity.

  • Guardians of Kyoto: Shinto Shrines as Manifestations of the Directional Deities International conference

    Ellen Van Goethem

    Association for Asian Studies  2017.3 

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    Event date： 2017.3 - 2017.5

    Language：English   Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

    Venue：Toronto   Country：Canada  

    This paper traces the history of five Kyoto shrines to explain how and why they came to be identified with the directional deities. Emphasis is placed on Heian Jingu, the youngest, yet most important shrine in the configuration. Constructed in the late nineteenth century to commemorate the 1100th anniversary of Kyoto’s founding, the shrine itself is replete with references to the four guardian deities of the cardinal directions and therefore also provides an interesting case study of the establishment of a shrine of national importance in the climate of shinbutsu bunri and the process in which the entire shrine set-up, from the actual buildings and decorations to the rituals and the shrine priests, was created.

  • From Scale Model to Shrine: The Creation of Heian Jingū Invited International conference

    VAN GOETHEM ELLEN

    Invited lecture at　the Asian Languages & Cultures Department Department, UCLA  2017.3 

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    Event date： 2017.3

    Language：English   Presentation type：Oral presentation (invited, special)  

    Venue：カリフォルニア大学ロサンゼルス校   Country：United States  

    The founding of Heian jingū in 1895 is usually explained in very simple terms; it was established to commemorate the 1100th anniversary of the move to the Heian capital and was, therefore, dedicated to the city’s founder, Kanmu Tennō (r.781–806). A closer look at the shrine’s founding story reveals a much more complex narrative that involves not only doctrinal issues such as the deification of past emperors, but also material aspects such as the Meiji government’s creation of a blueprint for newly erected shrines. Moreover, it explains why a major imperial shrine (kanpei taisha) can be so replete with Chinese symbolism.

  • Animated City: Life Force, Guardians, and Contemporary Architecture in Kyoto Invited International conference

    VAN GOETHEM ELLEN

    Invisible Empire: Spirits and Animism in Contemporary Japan  2017.2 

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    Event date： 2017.2

    Language：English  

    Venue：カリフォルニア大学サンタバーバラ校   Country：United States  

    In this presentation I explore the conviction that Kyoto is a city animated by a number of invisible agencies and how this notion has influenced the city’s contemporary architecture. Inspired by the belief that the city was designed and built according to the core principles of site divination (popularly known as fengshui or fūsui), it is generally assumed that Kyoto is vitalized by the invisible flow of qi and protected by the guardians of the four directions. Starting in the 1990s, when a fengshui boom gripped Japan, a number of architectural projects in Kyoto were conceived with explicit reference to fengshui either because of the architect’s personal beliefs, a particular client’s request, or to convince the general public of the project’s suitability to the city.

  • Heian Jingu: Civic Shrine, Exhibition Pavilion, Imperial Shrine? Invited International conference

    Ellen E. M. A. Van Goethem

    Workshop: "The Creation of a National Culture in Japan’s Modern Period: Architecture, Art, and Place"  2016.12 

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    Event date： 2016.12

    Language：English   Presentation type：Symposium, workshop panel (public)  

    Venue：九州大学   Country：Japan  

    The founding of Heian jingū in 1895 is usually explained in very simple terms; it was established to commemorate the 1100th anniversary of the move to the Heian capital and was, therefore, dedicated to the city’s founder, Kanmu Tennō (r.781–806). A closer look at the shrine’s founding story reveals a much more complex narrative that might help explain how a major imperial shrine (kanpeitaisha) can be so replete with Chinese symbolism and why in later years one of its designers expressed great disappointment at the end result.

  • Buildings on the Move: Temple Construction and Capital Relocation in Ancient Japan Invited International conference

    Ellen E. M. A. Van Goethem

    MOVING OBJECTS: AUTHORSHIP, OWNERSHIP AND EXPERIENCE IN BUDDHIST MATERIAL CULTURE  2016.4 

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    Event date： 2016.5

    Language：English   Presentation type：Symposium, workshop panel (public)  

    Venue：NYU Shanghai   Country：China  

    This paper examines the interrelationships between temple construction and the establishment of Japan’s Chinese-style capitals between the 7th and 9th centuries.

    Other Link： http://shanghai.nyu.edu/events/moving-objects-symposium

  • 海外の視点から探る飛鳥・藤原京　～海外の研究者の研究～ Invited

    Ellen E. M. A. Van Goethem

    世界に伝えたい「飛鳥・藤原」の魅力  2016.3 

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    Event date： 2016.3

    Language：Japanese  

    Venue：明治大学　駿河台キャンパス   Country：Japan  

    飛鳥時代と飛鳥・藤原エリアに対する海外の関心についての130年の歴史

  • Of Trees and Beasts: Site Selection in Premodern East Asia International conference

    Ellen E. M. A. Van Goethem

    The Third Conference of East Asian Environmental History (EAEH)  2015.10 

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    Event date： 2015.10

    Language：English   Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

    Venue：Kagawa University, Takamatsu   Country：Japan  

    Since ancient times people in the Chinese cultural sphere have been looking for ideal sites to construct graves, found cities, build houses, etc. These practices are generally grouped under the broad label of telluric divination or geomancy (Chn. 風水 fengshui). This paper focuses on a subcategory within telluric divination; it concentrates on a practice that received its own label—shijin sōō 四神相応 or “correspondence to the four deities”—in Japan but is in no way unique to the country.
    In China, Korea, and Japan, a number of written sources dating from the 8th through 19th centuries describe the ideal siting conditions of private residences. What these sources have in common is that a residence needs to be surrounded by specific landscape features, either natural or manmade (a river, an irrigated plain, a road, and a hill), each corresponding to one of the four directional deities (the Azure Dragon, the Vermilion Bird, the White Tiger, and the Black Turtle-Snake).
    Inhabitants of a site that corresponds to these topographical requirements are promised good health and a long life, a successful career, and numerous descendants. Interestingly, several of the written sources describing these ideal siting conditions also provide a practical—and in most cases realizable—solution to remedy any shortcomings in the surrounding topography in the form of substituting missing landscape features with specific (numbers of) trees.
    This paper will thus compare and contrast a number of these sources to address the underlying philosophy of substituting landscape features for trees as well as issues of knowledge transfer.

    Other Link： http://www.aeaeh.org/eaeh2015.htm

  • Foreign Beliefs in ‘Native’ Settings: Fengshui Elements in Shinto Shrines International conference

    Ellen E. M. A. Van Goethem

    ICAS (International Convention of Asia Scholars)  2015.7 

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    Event date： 2015.7

    Language：English   Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

    Venue：Adelaide Convention Centre   Country：Australia  

    The earliest evidence of the presence of fengshui-related practices on the Japanese archipelago dates back to nearly two millennia ago. At that time, there was no unified, systematized, or institutionalized indigenous religion. The loose set of native rituals and practices performed at the time is classified by scholars as kami worship and over the centuries that followed it was receptive of a wide variety of rites, symbolism, and beliefs belonging to imported religious traditions including Buddhism, Confucianism, and Christianity.
    This process of absorption did not come to a halt when kami-related worship was systematized into what we now call Shinto. Close inspection of Shinto prayers and rites conducted at shrines reveals the pervasive influence of imported elements in this so-called native religion. To illustrate this point, this paper focuses on the famous Daizaifu Tenmangu shrine in Kyushu. Dedicated to Sugawara no Michizane (845-903), who was deified after his death and is still worshipped as a paragon of refinement and scholarship, the shrine draws thousands of visitors and has been designated an Important Cultural Property. The shrine is thus portrayed as a symbol of Japan(eseness) and its native religion. Scratching the surface, however, it quickly becomes clear that the core of the shrine's most important ritual, the rice-planting festival, and the norito (ritual prayers) recited at the Dazaifu Tenmangu shrine are replete with fengshui-related references.

  • Fengshui Protection: The Four Mythical Beasts and Shinto Shrines Invited International conference

    Ellen E. M. A. Van Goethem

    アジア伝統科学国際ワークショップ２０１５　　古今の宇宙観  2015.6 

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    Event date： 2015.6

    Language：English   Presentation type：Public lecture, seminar, tutorial, course, or other speech  

    Venue：Kyoto University, Institute for Research in Humanities   Country：Japan  

    This paper presents a discussion of the appearance and context of fengshui-related symbolism in Japan. Attention will be focused on the four directional deities (四神) and their associated symbolism from their initial appearance on the Japanese archipelago until the present day, in an attempt to show how this symbolism became fully assimilated to the point that it appeared in (early) modern times in contexts no longer consciously associated with their “original” practices or was fully absorbed into contexts that are deemed quintessentially Japanese. To illustrate this point, this paper will present a case-study of six well-known Shinto shrines, Dazaifu Tenmangū in Dazaifu, and Heian Jingū, Kamigamo jinja, Matsuo taisha, Yasaka jinja, and Jōnangū in Kyoto.
    By doing so, this paper will argue that the four directional animals preserved their ancient Chinese role of “multivalent signs”, susceptible to many applications, interpretations, meanings and values. As symbols, i.e. visual depictions of underlying concepts, the four divine beasts adapted to (or, better still, were appropriated by) changing circumstances and new ideas to appear in new and entirely different contexts.

  • Written, Used, Discarded, and Unintentionally Preserved: Writings on Wood in Ancient Japan Invited International conference

    Ellen E. M. A. Van Goethem

    Hamburg University, Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures  2013.11 

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    Event date： 2013.11

    Language：English   Presentation type：Public lecture, seminar, tutorial, course, or other speech  

    Venue：Hamburg University   Country：Germany  

    This paper provides an overview of the discovery, typology, and practical use of kodai mokkan, inscribed wooden tablets that were produced in large numbers between the seventh and tenth centuries in Japan.
    While a small number of these mokkan had been carefully preserved for centuries in imperial repositories, the vast majority of the tablets was not discovered until recent decades. Excavations of sites mostly related to local or central government facilities, elite residences, and temples have yielded hundreds of thousands of inscribed tablets or shavings (kezurikuzu).
    As a result, our understanding of various aspects of government, economy, and society in ancient Japan has changed and we have been allowed glimpses of the practical execution of government regulations and of daily life. Mokkan have also contributed to a better understanding of archaeological remains as they occasionally allow for precise dating and identification.

  • Adopting and adapting the paradigm: Gridiron cities in Japan International conference

    Ellen E. M. A. Van Goethem

    International Institute for Asian Studies  2013.11 

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    Event date： 2013.11

    Language：English   Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

    Venue：National Museum of Antiquities, Leiden   Country：Netherlands  

    Using the example of capital cities, this paper will address the issue of cultural borrowing and the subsequent modification of imported ideas in ancient Japan. It is common knowledge that during the early centuries CE the ruling elites of the Japanese archipelago were heavily dependent on Chinese archetypes and prototypes for the formation of the early state.
    Unquestionably, one of the most visually striking and impressive examples of this process of cultural borrowing was the establishment of large, semi‐permanent urban centers. Laid out on a gridiron pattern with a clearly delineated space reserved for the ruler’s residential quarters as well as for the apparatus of government—itself also mostly newly introduced—these cities symbolized the power of the ruler and the political, social and cultural center of the recently emerged state.
    In order to explain how the Chinese archetype was adopted and adapted, this paper will briefly trace the evolution of gridiron cities. Then it will address the process of selecting a suitable site for the establishment of these cities. This process is commonly addressed only briefly by referring to lofty ideals and/or to esoteric practices but has received little scholarly attention so far.

    Other Link： http://iias.nl/event/patterns-early-asian-urbanism-0

  • “Heiankyō: Guardian Deities and Geomantic Theories” Invited International conference

    Ellen E. M. A. Van Goethem

    2013.9 

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    Event date： 2013.9

    Language：English   Presentation type：Symposium, workshop panel (public)  

    Venue：Doshisha University   Country：Japan  

    This paper discusses the various geomantic theories that circulate to explain why the site of Heian was chosen by Kanmu tenno for the construction of the new capital. It challenges the commonly-accepted notion that shijin soo as described in "Sakuteiki" (in the east, the direction of the Azure Dragon, there should be flowing water; in the west, the direction of the White Tiger, there should be a broad road; in the south, the direction of the Vermilion Bird, there should be a pond; and in the north, the direction of the Black Turtle-Snake, there should be a mountain) was decisive in this matter.

  • Conceptualizing and Manipulating Nature: Mythical Beasts, Trees, and Auspicious Sites International conference

    Ellen Van Goethem

    Association for Asian Studies  2013.3 

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    Event date： 2013.3

    Presentation type：Symposium, workshop panel (public)  

    Venue：Grand Hyatt San Diego   Country：United States  

    References to the mythical beasts guarding the primary directions first entered the Japanese archipelago in the early centuries CE as imagery on the backs of bronze mirrors imported from China. Although practical guidelines on how to divine these guardian deities in the landscape may have been transmitted earlier, the Nihon shoki informs us that the first treatises on telluric divination were officially introduced in the sixth century. By the late seventh and early eighth centuries, we find more evidence that the practice of site divination had taken root in Japan as the four mythical beasts appear on tomb walls, on banners used at court ceremonies, and in written references to the site selection process preceding the relocation of the capital. What remains uncertain, however, is how the presence of these mythical beasts was visually translated in actual site divination processes.
    By the Heian period, the divinatory techniques started to gain prominence in popular cosmology. Moreover, locally produced texts in which nature is conceptualized and manipulated present an increasingly rigid interpretation of ideal sites that incorporates (esoteric) Buddhist concepts. At this stage, the evaluation of a landscape became codified to the extent that it effected a reimagination of history and selection of earlier sites. This process of reinvention continues to modern times.
    This presentation thus examines the assimilation, transformation, and increasing orthodoxy of notions of an ideal landscape, including both its underlying systems of thought and its visible features, from the sixth century to the present.

  • 東アジアの四神獣に関する比較研究：宮都・住宅・樹木 Invited International conference

    Ellen Van Goethem

    明治大学日本古代学研究所  2013.2 

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    Event date： 2013.2

    Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

    Venue：明治大学駿河台校舎リバティタワー   Country：Japan  

    Comparative Research on the Four Divine Beasts in East Asia: Capitals, Residences, and Trees

  • 四神獣ーヨーロッパから見た飛鳥 Invited

    Ellen Van Goethem

    明治大学リバティアカデミー、明治大学日本古代学研究所  2012.11 

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    Event date： 2012.11

    Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

    Venue：明日香村公民館   Country：Japan  

    The Four Divine Beasts: Asuka as Seen Through European Eyes

  • Site Divination and the (Re)Creation of Cultural Memory Invited International conference

    Ellen Van Goethem

    Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Seminar of Sinology  2012.11 

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    Event date： 2012.11

    Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

    Venue：Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin   Country：Germany  

    This paper is a preliminary discussion of the shifts in interpretation attached to feng shui and its symbolism. The paper starts with the introduction of feng shui symbolism and written sources to the Japanese archipelago in premodern times, and continues to investigate occurrences of feng shui symbolism in the present day.
    The paper focuses on the (re-)use and (re-)interpretation of the four divine beasts and discusses the contexts in which they appear, how and by whom they are used and how they are understood.

  • 歴史資料・資源としての木簡―長岡京の場合 Invited International conference

    Ellen Van Goethem

    日本古代学研究所 (明治大学)  2012.3 

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    Event date： 2012.3

    Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

    Venue：明治大学   Country：Japan  

    In this presentation, a number of inscribed wooden tablets (mokkan 木簡) are presented to illustrate how their discovery has deepened our understanding of specific aspects of the Nagaokakyo era. Prior to the discovery of these wooden tablets, only a limited number of written sources contemporaneous to the Nagaoka capital’s existence were available to scholars. In the four decades since the discovery of the first inscribed wooden tablet in the remains of the former capital, this vast body of written evidence has also proved to be a valuable addition to the archaeological record of the Nagaoka capital.

  • Planting Trees and Healing Sites: Sakuteiki, Hoki naiden, and Taishiden gyokurinsho International conference

    Ellen Van Goethem

    13th International Conference of the European Association of Japanese Studies  2011.8 

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    Event date： 2011.8

    Venue：タリン大学   Country：Other  

    Other Link： http://www.eajs.eu/fileadmin/announcements/EAJS_program.pdf

  • Planting Trees and Healing Sites: Geomantic Thought in China, Korea and Japan

    Ellen Van Goethem

    2011.5 

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    Event date： 2011.5

    Venue：九州大学　人文科学研究院   Country：Japan  

  • In Search of the "Four Gods" Protecting Capital Cities in Cultural East Asia International conference

    Ellen Van Goethem

    Association for Asian Studies & International Convention of Asia Scholars  2011.4 

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    Event date： 2011.3 - 2011.4

    Venue：Honolulu, Hawaii   Country：United States  

    Throughout East Asia, great care was taken to select suitable locations for constructing tombs, residences, and cities. A site was considered auspicious if protected by four gods: the Black Turtle-Snake, the Vermilion Bird, the Azure Dragon, and the White Tiger.
    As in any other polity within the East Asian cultural sphere, geophysical divination thus became an integral part of the site selection process preceding the relocation of capital cities in ancient Japan. Although primary sources provide scant information on the actual landscape features representing these gods, secondary sources generally resort to the term “the four guardian gods are in balance” (shijin sōō) and its interpretation offered in the Sakuteiki, the text on garden aesthetics attributed to Tachibana Toshitsuna (1028–1094).
    In a section on the planting of trees, the Sakuteiki explains that an auspicious site requires the presence of a mountain, a plain, a river, and a road to the north, south, east, and west, respectively. It is commonly assumed that this way of divining the gods in the landscape was a development unique to Japan.
    However, having shown in previous research that this “Sakuteiki-model” ultimately derives from Chinese traditions, it is now time to move beyond the Japanese archipelago and present a more in-depth study of the continental sources. Although the principles of what is required from an auspicious site are identical, there are some significant differences with regard to remedying topographical deficiencies in the various texts.

  • Cultural Borrowing and Adaptation in Ancient Japan: Capital Cities Invited International conference

    Ellen Van Goethem

    International Symposium on Japanese Studies“Japanese Cultural and Linguistic Identity”  2011.3 

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    Event date： 2011.3

    Presentation type：Symposium, workshop panel (public)  

    Venue：Bucharest University, Center for Japanese Studies   Country：Romania  

  • ベルギーからみた古代日本 Invited

    Ellen Van Goethem

    明治大学　日本古代学教育・研究センター　南カリフォルニア大学プログラム特別講義  2011.1 

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    Event date： 2011.1

    Presentation type：Oral presentation (invited, special)  

    Venue：明治大学   Country：Japan  

  • “The Construction of Temples and Government Buildings in the Eighth Century / ８世紀における仏教寺院と政府関係建築の建設” Invited International conference

    Ellen Van Goethem

    Ryukoku University International Research Seminar  2023.12 

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    Event date： 2024.4

    Language：English   Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

    Venue：龍谷大学   Country：Japan  

  • Green-Glazed Roof Tiles and Vermilion Pillars: The Legacy of the 1895 Daigokuden Reconstruction in Kyoto Invited International conference

    Ellen Van Goethem

    Sainsbury Institute  2022.7 

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    Event date： 2022.7

    Language：English   Presentation type：Symposium, workshop panel (public)  

    Venue：オンライン   Country：Japan  

    Discussion of heritage preservation and reconstruction efforts in Japan during the past of 130 years through the lens of the emerging field of "reconstruction studies" (fukugengaku).

  • なぜ、首里城復元なのか Invited

    高良倉吉、西村幸夫、Ellen Van Goethem、マルティネス　アレハンドロ

    Asia Week 2021  2021.10 

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    Event date： 2021.10

    Language：Japanese   Presentation type：Symposium, workshop panel (public)  

    Venue：Kyushu University   Country：Japan  

    Panelist/Discussant for a round table on the reconstruction efforts of Shuri Castle

  • Moderator of the Plenary Session “A Global Heritage Site” with Toshiyuki Kono (Honorary President of ICOMOS) and Simon Kaner (Sainsbury Institute/University of East Anglia) Invited International conference

    Ellen Van Goethem, Toshiyuki Kono, and Simon Kaner

    Kyushu University Border Studies  2021.3 

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    Event date： 2021.5

    Language：English   Presentation type：Symposium, workshop panel (public)  

    Venue：Online   Country：Japan  

    I led the plenary discussion between Honorary President of ICOMOS, Toshiyuki Kono, and Professor Simon Kaner of the University of East Anglia on Shuri Castle as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

  • Imitation, Deification, and Identity: Heian Jingu's Many Facades Invited

    Ellen Van Goethem

    東北大学国際文化研究科国際日本研究講座企画  2019.12 

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    Event date： 2019.12

    Language：English   Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

    Venue：東北大学   Country：Japan  

  • Reconstructing a Palace and Building a Shrine: Emperor, Nation, and Imperial Cult International conference

    Ellen Van Goethem

    International Convention of Asia Scholars (ICAS) 11  2019.7 

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    Event date： 2019.7

    Language：English   Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

    Venue：Leiden University   Country：Netherlands  

    This paper investigates how, after its construction in the late nineteenth century, Heian Jingu became central to the imperial cult and to the creation of a national and local identity. It focuses on a number of specific phases (1915, 1940, 1970s, present) to highlight how roles and interpretations of the shrine continue to evolve pithing the historical, social, and ideological context at each of these crucial times.

  • The Others Within: Architecture, Activism, and Advertising at Heian Jingu Invited International conference

    Ellen Van Goethem

    Workshop “Thank God We’re Not Like Them”: The Global Dimensions of Religious Othering  2019.2 

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    Event date： 2019.4

    Language：English   Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

    Venue：UCSB   Country：United States  

    The topic of “religious othering”—stereotyping people of other faiths in a prejudicial way—has become an aspect of nationalist politics and social conflict throughout the world, including Europe and the United States. At Goettingen University in Germany and the University of California, Santa Barbara in the United States the global dimensions of religious othering will be the focus of two workshops in 2018-19. They will explore the various ways in which religious phenomena are related to the process of othering—identifying and maintaining group boundaries between those who share a particular form of religious phenomena and those who do not. By “religious phenomena” we mean religious identities, ideologies, practices, organizations, leadership, cultural attitudes, and values that are related to the social, cultural, political, and personal aspects of othering in communities and societies across the world. The papers in the workshops will deal with these issues both in case studies and on a general, theoretical level.

  • Heian Jingū: Shinto Shrine and/or Yellow Dragon of the Center Invited

    Ellen Van Goethem

    Interdisciplinary Colloquium, Kyushu University  2017.10 

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    Event date： 2018.1

    Language：English   Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

    Venue：九州大学　教育学部会議室   Country：Japan  

    In 1895, a new Shinto shrine was festively inaugurated in Kyoto; merging various architectural styles, Heian jingū was intended as a testimony to Kyoto’s bygone days as the nation’s capital. Yet in spite of its grandeur, the shrine’s founding is usually explained in very simple terms. It was established to commemorate the 1100th anniversary of the move to the Heian capital and was, therefore, dedicated to the city’s founder, Emperor Kanmu (r.781–806), and modeled after part of his palace compound.
    A closer look at the shrine’s founding story, however, reveals a much more complex narrative that illustrates the fits and starts of State Shinto in the mid-Meiji period (1868–1912). Moreover, unraveling Heian jingū’s founding explains how a major imperial shrine (kanpei taisha) in the emerging Japanese nation state could be so replete with Chinese symbolism. Finally, it appears that today exactly those China-derived elements—and their related beliefs and practices—form the core of Heian jingū’s self-portrayal and play a crucial role in its current popularity.

  • Tracing Feng Shui in Ancient Japanese Capital Cities – Case-study: Nagaokakyō International conference

    Ellen Elza Melina Albert Van Goethem

    2nd International Symposium on Scientific Feng Shui and Built Environment  2006.10 

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    Language：English  

    Country：Other  

  • The Influence of Chinese Philosophical Thought on the Construction of Nagaokakyō, Japan’s Forgotten Capital International conference

    Ellen Elza Melina Albert Van Goethem

    2006 International Conference on East Asian Architectural Culture  2006.12 

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    Language：English  

    Country：Other  

  • Shijin sōō and the Site Selection Process of Chinese-style Capitals in Japan International conference

    Ellen Elza Melina Albert Van Goethem

    4th International Conference on Scientific Feng Shui & Built Environment  2009.2 

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    Language：English  

    Country：Other  

  • Pleasing the Four Gods: Shijin sōō (四神相応), Site Selection and Site Adaptation International conference

    Ellen Elza Melina Albert Van Goethem

    26th International SAHANZ Conference  2009.7 

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    Language：English  

    Country：Other  

    In this paper, I investigate the antiquity and origin of the interpretation given to the concept of shijin sōō 四神相応, ‘to befit the Four Gods’, in Japan.
    When discussing the site selection process that preceded the relocation of the ancient Chinese-style capitals on the Japanese archipelago, scholars often use the term shijin sōō. According to shijin sōō, the most favorable site to construct a capital was protected in the cardinal directions by one of Four Gods: the Vermilion Bird (suzaku 朱雀) of the south, the Black Turtle-Snake (genbu 玄武) of the north, the Azure Dragon (seiryū 青龍) of the east, and the White Tiger (byakko 白虎) of the west. Still according to the same scholars, each of these gods was represented in the landscape by natural or man-made features: an irrigated plain in the south, a mountain in the north, a river in the east, and a road in the west. Although the first textual evidence of this interpretation of the Four Gods in the landscape postdates the construction of Heian—the last of the Chinese-style capitals—by at least two centuries, it is often asserted that capital site selection based on these man-made and natural requirements was already put to practice in the seventh or eighth century. A second assertion frequently
    made in connection with this interpretation is the claim that it is a type of geophysical divination unique to Japan.
    Based on textual study and geographical analysis, this paper refutes both the presumed antiquity of the above-mentioned interpretation of the shijin sōō concept as well as its uniqueness, thus questioning the notion that the theory applied to capital site selection in ancient Japan.

  • Cultural Borrowing and Adaptation in Ancient Japan: Capital Cities International conference

    Ellen Elza Melina Albert Van Goethem

    International Symposium on Japanese Studies "Japanese Cultural and Linguistic Identity"  2011.3 

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    Language：English  

    Country：Other  

  • 歴史資料・資源としての木簡—長岡京の場合 International conference

    Ellen Elza Melina Albert Van Goethem

    国際的日本古代学の展開ー交響する古代III  2012.3 

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    Language：Japanese  

    Country：Other  

  • The Four Divine Beasts—Asuka Through European Eyes

    Ellen Elza Melina Albert Van Goethem

    世界に伝えたい「飛鳥・藤原の魅力」記念講演  2012.11 

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    Language：English  

    Country：Other  

    本論文では、風水思想における景観上での四方四神の表現方法に関する比較研究の結論を紹介する。集合的には、四方四神が異なる名前で知られており、中国では四靈や四獣、日本では四禽や四神と呼ばれる。また、個別には、四獣は、後方（もしくは北方）の玄武、前方（もしくは南方）の朱雀、左方（もしくは東方の）青龍、右方（もしくは西方）の白虎として知られている。
    しかしながら、風水に関する現存する最古の記録では、伝説の四獣のそれぞれに対する地形的な特徴は不明瞭なままである。後に、少なくとも二つの共存する風習が、東アジアにおける風水の中で、発達してきたようである。
    一つの風習では、自然地形の存在が強調され、四獣は山などの地形として表現された。これに対し、もう一つの風習では、それぞれの四獣について、異なる自然的・人為的な地形的特徴の存在が必要とされている。本論文では、日本で「四神相応」と呼ばれる、後者の風習に注目する。

  • 東アジアの四神獣に関する比較研究—宮都・住宅・樹木 International conference

    Ellen Elza Melina Albert Van Goethem

    国際的日本古代学の展開ー交響する古代III  2013.2 

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    Language：Japanese  

    Country：Other  

  • 「飛鳥・藤原」世界遺産化　パネリスト

    Ellen Elza Melina Albert Van Goethem

    世界に伝えたい「飛鳥・藤原」の魅力ー世界遺産化登録をめざして  2016.3 

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    Language：Japanese  

    Country：Other  

  • 海外の視点から探る飛鳥・藤原〜海外の研究者の研究〜

    Ellen Elza Melina Albert Van Goethem

    世界に伝えたい「飛鳥・藤原」の魅力ー世界遺産化登録をめざして  2016.3 

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    Language：Japanese  

    Country：Other  

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MISC

  • Kyoto: An Urban History of Japan's Premodern Capital (Matthew Stavros)

    Ellen Van Goethem

    Monumenta Nipponica   2017.1

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    Language：English   Publishing type：Book review, literature introduction, etc.  

  • Capital and Countryside in Japan, 300-1180: Japanese Historians Interpreted in English (Joan R. Piggott, ed.)

    Ellen Van Goethem

    The Journal of Asian Studies 68: 3, 988-90   2009.7

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    Language：English   Publishing type：Book review, literature introduction, etc.  

  • Heian Japan – Centers and Peripheries (Mikael Adolphson, Edward Kamens and Stacie Matsumoto, eds.)

    Ellen Van Goethem

    Nachrichten der Gesellschaft für Natur- und Völkerkunde Ostasiens (NOAG) 77: 181-182, 252-4   2007.9

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    Language：English   Publishing type：Book review, literature introduction, etc.  

  • 時代祭の起源ー禍転じて福となる

    Ellen Van Goethem

    『図書』   2023.9

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    Language：Japanese  

    時代祭は、明治28年からほぼ毎年10月に行われている有名な祭りです。京都の三大祭の一つとしてたちまち有名になった時代祭ですが、その成り立ちは意外にも偶然によるものでした。行列を作ろうという声が上がったのは、他の祭りが「風邪気」という病によって延期になったことがきっかけだったのです。直接の因果関係を論じることはできませんが、この病気が介在しなければ、時代祭は実現しなかった可能性が高いのです。このエッセイでは、最初の時代祭が生まれた背景について説明します。時代祭の起源を語る場合、時代祭の主役である西村捨三と、その年に京都で開催された他の二つの重要なイベント、すなわち第四回内国勧業博覧会と平安紀念祭、だけに焦点を当てることが多いです。というのも、ここに書かれている出来事は100年以上前に起こったものですが、コロナ禍の現代に生きる私たちにとってなじみのある内容もありますので、病という切り口でこの話題を取り上げてみます。

Professional Memberships

  • Center for International Japanese Studies, Hosei University

  • 木簡学会

  • japARCHI

  • The Society for East Asian Archaeology (SEAA)

  • Premodern Japanese Studies (PMJS)

  • European Association for Japanese Studies (EAJS)

  • Association for Asian Studies (AAS)

  • 日本道教学会

  • Association for East Asian Environmental History (AEAEH)

  • American Academy of Religion (AAR)

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Academic Activities

  • Screening of academic papers

    Role(s)： Peer review

    2023

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    Type：Peer review 

    Number of peer-reviewed articles in foreign language journals：2

  • Journal of Asian Humanities at Kyushu University (JAH-Q) International contribution

    2022.4 - 2025.3

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    Type：Academic society, research group, etc. 

  • Bloomsbury Academic International contribution

    Role(s)： Peer review

    2021.12 - 2022.1

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    Type：Academic society, research group, etc. 

  • Screening of academic papers

    Role(s)： Peer review

    2021

    　More details

    Type：Peer review 

    Number of peer-reviewed articles in foreign language journals：1

  • Brill Academic Publishers International contribution

    Role(s)： Peer review

    2020.6 - 2021.4

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    Type：Academic society, research group, etc. 

  • Bloomsbury Academic International contribution

    Role(s)： Peer review

    2020.5 - 2020.6

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    Type：Academic society, research group, etc. 

  • Journal of Religion in Japan International contribution

    Role(s)： Peer review

    2020.4 - 2020.5

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    Type：Academic society, research group, etc. 

  • Journal of Religion in Japan International contribution

    2020.3 - 2023.2

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    Type：Academic society, research group, etc. 

  • Screening of academic papers

    Role(s)： Peer review

    2020

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    Type：Peer review 

    Number of peer-reviewed articles in foreign language journals：3

    Number of peer-reviewed articles in Japanese journals：0

    Proceedings of International Conference Number of peer-reviewed papers：0

    Proceedings of domestic conference Number of peer-reviewed papers：0

  • Co-organized with Liza Wing Man Kam and Caleb Carter International contribution

    Emperor and Shrine: Commemoration, Ideology, and Identity  （ Kyushu University Japan ） 2019.10

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    Type：Competition, symposium, etc. 

  • Routledge International contribution

    Role(s)： Peer review

    2019.4 - 2019.5

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    Type：Academic society, research group, etc. 

  • Screening of academic papers

    Role(s)： Peer review

    2019

    　More details

    Type：Peer review 

    Number of peer-reviewed articles in foreign language journals：1

    Number of peer-reviewed articles in Japanese journals：0

  • 共催 International contribution

    6th IMAP/IDOC in Japanese Humanities Symposium on Premodern Japanese Culture  （ Kyushu University Japan ） 2018.2

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    Type：Competition, symposium, etc. 

    Number of participants：50

  • Panel organizer (with Lindsey E. DeWitt) International contribution

    Association for Asian Studies Panel "According to Tradition": (Re)Imagining Religion in Modern Japan"  （ Toronto Canada ） 2017.3

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    Type：Competition, symposium, etc. 

  • 共催 International contribution

    IMAP/IDOC Distinguished Lecture Series (2): Bernard Faure  （ Japan ） 2017.1 - 2017.2

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    Type：Competition, symposium, etc. 

    Number of participants：25

  • 共催 International contribution

    5th IMAP in Japanese Humanities Symposium on Pre-Modern Japanese Culture  （ Japan ） 2016.12

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    Type：Competition, symposium, etc. 

    Number of participants：25

  • 共催 International contribution

    IMAP/IDOC Distinguished Lecture Series (1): Catherine V. Yeh  （ Japan ） 2016.12

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    Type：Competition, symposium, etc. 

    Number of participants：25

  • 共催 International contribution

    4th IMAP in Japanese Humanities Symposium on Pre-Modern Japanese Culture "Religion and Imagination in Japanese Contexts"  （ Japan ） 2016.12

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    Type：Competition, symposium, etc. 

    Number of participants：30

  • Moderator International contribution

    Eighth World Archaeological Congress  （ Japan ） 2016.8 - 2016.9

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    Type：Competition, symposium, etc. 

  • 共催 International contribution

    3rd IMAP in Japanese Humanities Symposium on Pre-Modern Japanese Culture  （ Japan ） 2016.1

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    Type：Competition, symposium, etc. 

    Number of participants：25

  • Journal of Asian Humanities at Kyushu University (JAH-Q) International contribution

    2015.11 - 2020.10

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    Type：Academic society, research group, etc. 

  • ポリモルフィア

    2015.9 - 2021.3

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    Type：Academic society, research group, etc. 

  • Discussant of "Overlapping Cosmologies and Cosmographies in Pre-Modern Asia (I)" International contribution

    Asian Studies Conference Japan 日本アジア研究学会  （ Tokyo, Meiji Gakuin University Japan ） 2015.6

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    Type：Competition, symposium, etc. 

  • Discussant of "Overlapping Cosmologies and Cosmographies in Pre-Modern Asia (II)" International contribution

    Asian Studies Conference Japan 日本アジア研究学会  （ Tokyo, Meiji Gakuin University Japan ） 2015.6

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    Type：Competition, symposium, etc. 

  • Local Convenor (History Section) International contribution

    1st EAJS Kyoto Conference  （ Faculty of Letters, Kyoto University Japan ） 2013.9

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    Type：Competition, symposium, etc. 

  • 共催 International contribution

    2nd IMAP in Japanese Humanities Symposium on Pre-Modern Japanese Culture "Fengshui in Asia and Beyond"  （ Japan ） 2013.1

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    Type：Competition, symposium, etc. 

    Number of participants：15

  • 共催 International contribution

    1st IMAP in Japanese Humanities Symposium on Pre-Modern Japanese Culture "The Making of Religions and Religious Representations in Pre-Modern Japan:­ Imported, Native , and Modified Forms"  （ Japan ） 2013.1

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    Type：Competition, symposium, etc. 

    Number of participants：20

  • Co-Convenor of Section 7 'History' International contribution

    4th EAJS (European Association of Japanese Studies) International Conference  （ Ljubljana Slovenia ） 2012.5 - 2014.8

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    Type：Competition, symposium, etc. 

  • 共催 International contribution

    "You Are What You Eat": 'Feeding Identities' in Asia  （ Belgium ） 2011.9

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    Type：Competition, symposium, etc. 

  • 共催 International contribution

    1st International Symposium of the Department of Global and Interdisciplinary Studies NZ and Japan: Partners in the Pacific  （ Japan ） 2009.6

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    Type：Competition, symposium, etc. 

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Other

  • Podcast　“Capitals of Fate” in the Beyond Japan podcast series, Oliver Moxham, Centre for Japanese Studies, University of East Anglia (Season 2, Episode 9; November 4, 2021)

    2021.11

Research Projects

  • Heian Jingu and Jidai Matsuri: Changing Meanings and Perceptions from Their Creation to the Present

    2024.4 - 2029.3

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    Authorship：Principal investigator 

    This research project is a social and institutional history of Heian Jingū and its related festival, Jidai Matsuri, from their creation in 1895 until the present. The project will be implemented mainly through archival research and addresses both material aspects and doctrinal/interpretative issues. At the metalevel of perception and signification, it will become clear that both the shrine and the festival are the product of continuous processes of (re)construction and (re)invention.

  • Cities and Monuments International coauthorship

    2023.4 - 2024.4

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    Authorship：Coinvestigator(s) 

  • Cities and Monuments

    2023.4 - 2024.3

    Joint research

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    Authorship：Coinvestigator(s)  Grant type：Other funds from industry-academia collaboration

  • Mountains, Religion, and Spirituality: Modern Constructs and Ongoing Reconstructions

    2022.4 - 2024.3

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    Authorship：Coinvestigator(s) 

  • 神功皇后とその威光―北部九州における神格化と神社の事例研究 International coauthorship

    2022.4 - 2022.10

    Kakenhi 

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    Authorship：Coinvestigator(s) 

  • Heian Jingu: Changing Meanings and Perceptions From Its Founding to the Present

    2021 - 2026

    Japan Society for the Promotion of Science  Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research  Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)

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    Authorship：Principal investigator  Grant type：Scientific research funding

  • Changing Meanings and Perceptions of Heian Jingu, 1894 to the present

    2020 - 2025

    Japan Society for the Promotion of Science  Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research  Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)

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    Authorship：Principal investigator  Grant type：Scientific research funding

  • Kyushu U. IMAP/IDOC & Ghent U. Japanese Studies/BOCULT Network

    2020

    Kyushu University Webinar 100

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    Authorship：Principal investigator  Grant type：On-campus funds, funds, etc.

  • Reiterations of the Past: Reconstructions, Practices, and Places International coauthorship

    2019.4 - 2022.3

    Kyushu University 

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    Authorship：Principal investigator 

    Throughout history, “the past” has continuously been reconstructed from the point of view of “the present” and, especially in modern times, people have shown great interest in intentionally engaging with the past in a variety of contexts and through myriad means. This Strategic Partnership seeks to investigate objects, practices, and places that exemplify these interactions with the past in the present. Our starting point is the fact that current views of the past are not merely a simple recreation of the past in forms that are either tangible (buildings, prints, literary works, etc.) or intangible (rituals, ceremonies, space, etc.); instead, they require an active negotiation with the past that is never straightforward or uncomplicated. Through this collaborative project, the Strategic Partnership will explore these complex negotiations (be they social, political, global, regional, communal, etc.) both within and outside Japan.
    The project is organized around three interconnected themes that are distributed evenly over a three-year period. Japan scholars will be paired with scholars working on a similar theme in a different geographical region in order to transcend boundaries, both between research fields and countries. Geographically speaking, the research of the participants in our Strategic Partnership covers the tangible and intangible heritage of North- and Meso-America, Europe, and Asia. Our disciplinary breadth extends across the fields of anthropology, archaeology, architecture, art history, cultural studies, history, literature, religious studies, as well as visual and material culture.

  • 平安神宮の変容一記念、模饭、神格化、意義を中心に一

    2019 - 2023

    Japan Society for the Promotion of Science  Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research  Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)

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    Authorship：Principal investigator  Grant type：Scientific research funding

  • Reiterations of the Past: Reconstructions, Practices, and Places

    2019 - 2021

    Progress 100 - Strategic Partnership Acceleration

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    Authorship：Principal investigator  Grant type：On-campus funds, funds, etc.

  • The Many Guises and Significations of Heian Jingu: Monument, Shrine, Power Spot

    2018 - 2022

    Japan Society for the Promotion of Science  Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research  Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)

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    Authorship：Principal investigator  Grant type：Scientific research funding

  • 「四神相応の都」—京都の五つの神社と風水

    2018 - 2019

    Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research  住友生命　未来を強くする子育てプロジェクト

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    Authorship：Principal investigator  Grant type：Competitive funding other than Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research

  • Heian Jingu: The Creation of a New Shrine International coauthorship

    2017.4 - 2019.3

    Kyushu University (Japan) 

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    Authorship：Principal investigator 

    The founding of Heian jingū in 1895 is usually explained in very simple terms; it was established to commemorate the 1100th anniversary of the move to the Heian capital and was, therefore, dedicated to the city's founder, Kanmu Tennō (r.781–806). A closer look at the shrine's founding story reveals a much more complex narrative that involves not only doctrinal issues such as the deification of past emperors, but also material aspects such as the Meiji government's creation of a blueprint for newly erected shrines and the debate on the "reconstruction" of ancient buildings. Moreover, it explains why a major imperial shrine (kanpei taisha) can be so replete with Chinese symbolism.

  • Heian Jingu: The Creation of a New Shrine (in collaboration with Yuki Kato (Kyushu University) and Alice Tseng (Boston University))

    2017 - 2019

    平成２９年度　ＱＲプログラム研究計画書（つばさプロジェクト）

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    Authorship：Principal investigator  Grant type：On-campus funds, funds, etc.

  • Geomantic Protectors of the Ancient Capital: Kyoto's Shrines as Twenty-First-Century Manifestations of the Directional Deities

    2017 - 2018

    Japan Society for the Promotion of Science  Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research  Fostering Joint International Research

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    Authorship：Principal investigator  Grant type：Scientific research funding

  • 沖ノ島と世界遺産　－　現代日本での女人禁制を中心に

    2016.10 - 2018.3

    科研 

    　 More details

    Authorship：Principal investigator 

    In this project, postdoctoral research DeWitt explores the religious history of Munakata Shrine 宗像大社 in northern Kyushu (which in fact denotes three separate shrines). The project examines a diverse range of factors as windows to understanding how the current tradition of women’s exclusion from Okinoshima 沖ノ島 is deployed and challenged. The results of this work will preserve the important histories of the shrines shed new light on the cultural phenomenon of women’s prohibitions in Japan.

  • Foreign Beliefs in ‘Native’ Settings: Fengshui Concepts and Shinto Shrines

    2016 - 2018

    Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research  Grant-in-Aid for International Scientific Research

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    Authorship：Principal investigator  Grant type：Scientific research funding

  • 沖ノ島と世界遺産　－　現代日本での女人禁制を中心に

    Grant number：16F16768  2016 - 2018

    Japan Society for the Promotion of Science  Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research  Grant-in-Aid for JSPS Fellows

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    Authorship：Principal investigator  Grant type：Scientific research funding

  • 京都の守護神：神社に見られる方位とその神性

    2016 - 2018

    Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research 

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    Authorship：Principal investigator  Grant type：Competitive funding other than Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research

  • 日本前近代歴史・文化等に関する国際共同研究

    2016

    Progress 100（世界トップレベル研究者招へいプログラム） 通常枠 戦略的パートナーシップ構築型

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    Authorship：Principal investigator  Grant type：On-campus funds, funds, etc.

  • 歴史的背景から見た複製の可能性　八世紀の薬師寺金堂薬師如来三尊像台座をめぐって

    2015.12 - 2016.3

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    Authorship：Coinvestigator(s) 

    In this project, Cynthea Bogel, the lead researcher, conducts research on the figures and design motifs on the pedestal of the bronze Medicine Master Buddha at Yakushiji in Nara. My contribution to the project consists of a detailed study of the pedestal’s four mythical beasts symbolizing the four directions.

  • Site Divination Practices in Premodern East Asia

    2015.4 - 2019.3

    科研費 

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    Authorship：Principal investigator 

    Purpose of this research:
    - to arrive at a better understanding of ancient site divination practices in East Asia in general and in Japan in particular
    - to differentiate between various divinatory models (for tombs, private residences, cities, military camps, etc.)
    - to investigate the transmission of theoretical and practical knowledge of site divination both geographically (from China to Korea and Japan) and temporally (ca. 3000 BCE–800 CE)

  • Ancient Borders and Crossroads: Transmission, Traces, and Omissions

    2015.4 - 2016.3

    Kyushu University (Japan) 平成２７年度九州大学教育研究プログラム・研究拠点形成プロジェクト（P＆P） 

    　 More details

    Authorship：Coinvestigator(s) 

    The ubiquity of modern telecommunication, transportation, and trade networks has elided numerous boundaries, resulting in an increasingly seamless and transnational world. The dismantling of these borders obscures the conspicuous role they once played in the political realities and imaginations of ancient societies. On the other hand, new national borders erase the historical and physical memory of ancient crossroads and boundaries, along with the cultures and exchanges engendered by them. Over the past couple of decades, marginalized areas have received greater attention in the humanities, yet they still remain underexplored. “Core” locations, institutions and entities still figure prominently in Japanese Studies. Examples include the Tokyo literary scene, the Kyoto traditional culture and arts scene, Kyoto and Nara religious institutions, and Tokyo-based bureaucracies.
    Our joint research will emphasize ancient borders within Japan and among its neighbors, the transmission of information and culture, and the omissions and assimilations that occurred in the process. As four experts from the fields of history, literature, visual culture, and religion, we propose an investigation of boundaries, frontiers, and other liminal spaces in Japan and Japanese Studies, ranging from the physical and material to the conceptual and symbolic. They include borders manifested or interpreted in the center as well as the study of frontiers in situ.

  • Site Divination Practices in Premodern East Asia

    Grant number：15H05376  2015 - 2019

    Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research  Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (A)

    　 More details

    Authorship：Principal investigator  Grant type：Scientific research funding

  • 日本前近代歴史・文化等に関する国際共同研究

    2015

    Progress 100（世界トップレベル研究者招へいプログラム）

    　 More details

    Authorship：Principal investigator  Grant type：On-campus funds, funds, etc.

  • Coping with Illness and Death in the Seventh Century: A Cross-Cultural Approach to Beliefs and Practices among the Asuka-Fujiwara Elite

    2015

    Ｐ＆Ｐ特別枠第３回 新学術領域創造・発掘プログラム

    　 More details

    Authorship：Principal investigator  Grant type：On-campus funds, funds, etc.

  • Ancient Borders and Crossroads: Transmission, Traces, and Omissions

    2015

    平成２７年度　九州大学教育研究プログラム・研究拠点形成プロジェクト （Ｐ＆Ｐ）研究計画書（新規・ＦＳタイプ)

    　 More details

    Authorship：Coinvestigator(s)  Grant type：On-campus funds, funds, etc.

  • 歴史的背景から見た複製の可能性、八世紀の薬師寺金堂薬師如来三尊像台座をめぐって A New Proposal for the Eighth-Century Yakushiji Buddha Pedestal: A Copy of the Original and Its Historical Context

    2015

    Ｐ＆Ｐ特別枠第３回 新学術領域創造・発掘プログラム

    　 More details

    Authorship：Coinvestigator(s)  Grant type：On-campus funds, funds, etc.

  • Shijin Sōō 四神相応 in East Asia: An Urban or Private Site Selection Model?

    2014.9 - 2015.3

    平成２６年度　九州大学教育研究プログラム・研究拠点形成プロジェクト（P＆P） 

    　 More details

    Authorship：Principal investigator 

    Through this research I aim to arrive at a better understanding of ancient site divination practices in East Asia in general and in Japan in particular, differentiating between various divinatory models (for tombs, private residences, cities, military camps, etc.).

  • Shijin Sōō 四神相応 in East Asia: An Urban or Private Site Selection Model?

    2014 - 2017

    Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research  Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (A)

    　 More details

    Authorship：Principal investigator  Grant type：Scientific research funding

  • 平安時代以降の四方四神と関係のある信仰・儀式

    2014

    Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research  稲盛財団

    　 More details

    Authorship：Principal investigator  Grant type：Competitive funding other than Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research

  • Shijin Sōō 四神相応 in East Asia: An Urban or Private Site Selection Model?

    2014

    平成２６年度　九州大学教育研究プログラム・研究拠点形成プロジェクト（P＆P）

    　 More details

    Authorship：Principal investigator  Grant type：On-campus funds, funds, etc.

  • Constructing Identity in Asia

    2013 - 2015

    二国間交流事業　共同研究〔B オープンパートナーシップ〕

    　 More details

    Authorship：Collaborating Investigator(s) (not designated on Grant-in-Aid)  Grant type：Contract research

  • 日本古代・中世の敷地選定

    2011.4 - 2014.3

    　 More details

    Authorship：Principal investigator 

    To trace how the “Four gods” were interpreted in the landscape and how this knowledge spread from the continent to Japan
    To investigate why different interpretations were given to each of the “Four Gods”
    To find an explanation why trees species and numbers are different among various related texts
    To clarify issues related to text transmission

  • 日本古代・中世の敷地選定

    Grant number：23682001  2011 - 2014

    Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research  Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (A)

    　 More details

    Authorship：Principal investigator  Grant type：Scientific research funding

▼display all

Educational Activities

  • In the School of Letters, I teach courses related to premodern Japanese history and history of ideas as well as courses on East-West interaction.
    In the International Master's Program (IMAP) and International Doctorate (IDOC) in Japanese Humanities, I teach graduate seminars that offer an in-depth examination of specific aspects of Japanese history. Other courses aim to familiarize the students with source materials available for the study of Japanese history, including documents, inscriptions, architecture, landscapes, pottery, and other archaeological finds. While the main focus in these courses is on developments within what is now Japan, I occasionally touch on relevant developments in China or on the Korean peninsula.
    I also co-teach a week-long fieldwork course during which the students visit major historical and archaeological sites and a yearlong course of one-day excursions to cultural, historical, and archaeological sites in the Kyushu area.
    Finally, during the Research, Readings, and Methods courses, the Master’s Thesis Guidance sessions and the PhD-level Research and Professional Development, I introduce students to advanced research methodologies, additional source materials, and help them to develop their scholarly writing and presentation skills.

Class subject

  • Master Thesis Guidance

    2024.10 - 2025.3   Second semester

  • Upper-level Graduate Seminar: History I

    2024.10 - 2025.3   Second semester

  • Topics in Japanese History VI

    2024.4 - 2024.9   First semester

  • Upper-level Graduate Seminar: History Ⅱ

    2024.4 - 2024.9   First semester

  • Topics in Text and Material Culture II

    2024.4 - 2024.9   First semester

  • Research, Readings, and Methods

    2024.4 - 2024.9   First semester

  • Research, Readings, and Methods

    2023.10 - 2024.3   Second semester

  • Upper-level Graduate Seminar: History I

    2023.10 - 2024.3   Second semester

  • Topics in Japanese History ⅡI

    2023.10 - 2024.3   Second semester

  • International Humanities I

    2023.4 - 2023.9   First semester

  • International Humanities Ⅱ

    2023.4 - 2023.9   First semester

  • Topics in Japanese History Ⅱ

    2023.4 - 2023.9   First semester

  • Upper-level Graduate Seminar: History Ⅱ

    2023.4 - 2023.9   First semester

  • Master’s Thesis Guidance

    2023.4 - 2023.9   First semester

  • Topics in Japanese History Ⅰ

    2022.10 - 2023.3   Second semester

  • Upper-level Graduate Seminar: History Ⅰ

    2022.10 - 2023.3   Second semester

  • Japan: A History to 1600

    2022.10 - 2023.3   Second semester

  • Topics in Text and Material Culture Ⅰ

    2022.10 - 2023.3   Second semester

  • International Humanities Ⅰ

    2022.4 - 2022.9   First semester

  • International Humanities Ⅱ

    2022.4 - 2022.9   First semester

  • Upper-level Graduate Seminar: Selected Subject I

    2022.4 - 2022.9   First semester

  • Upper-level Graduate Seminar: Selected Subject Ⅱ

    2022.4 - 2022.9   First semester

  • Topics in Japanese History Ⅲ

    2022.4 - 2022.9   First semester

  • Upper-level Graduate Seminar: History Ⅱ

    2022.4 - 2022.9   First semester

  • Doctoral Dissertation Guidance

    2022.4 - 2022.9   First semester

  • Topics in Text and Material Culture Ⅲ

    2022.4 - 2022.9   First semester

  • Research and Professional Development

    2022.4 - 2022.9   First semester

  • Research, Readings, and Methods

    2021.10 - 2022.3   Second semester

  • Topics in Text and Material Culture Ⅱ

    2021.10 - 2022.3   Second semester

  • Master’s Thesis Guidance

    2021.10 - 2022.3   Second semester

  • Upper-level Graduate Seminar: History Ⅰ

    2021.10 - 2022.3   Second semester

  • Topics in Japanese History Ⅳ

    2021.10 - 2022.3   Second semester

  • Topics in Japanese History Ⅰ

    2021.10 - 2022.3   Second semester

  • Topics in Japanese Humanities Ⅳ

    2021.10 - 2022.3   Second semester

  • Topics in Text and Material Culture II

    2021.10 - 2022.3   Second semester

  • Topics in Japanese History I

    2021.10 - 2022.3   Second semester

  • Introduction to Japanese History II

    2021.10 - 2022.3   Second semester

  • Topics in Japanese History Ⅰ

    2021.10 - 2021.12   Fall quarter

  • International Humanities Ⅰ（ⅤからⅠへ修正）

    2021.4 - 2021.9   First semester

  • International Humanities Ⅵ

    2021.4 - 2021.9   First semester

  • Research, Readings, and Methods

    2021.4 - 2021.9   First semester

  • Topics in Text and Material Culture Ⅰ

    2021.4 - 2021.9   First semester

  • Topics in Japanese Humanities Ⅲ

    2021.4 - 2021.9   First semester

  • International Humanities Ⅰ

    2021.4 - 2021.9   First semester

  • Topics in Text and Material Culture I

    2021.4 - 2021.9   First semester

  • Research, Readings, and Methods

    2021.4 - 2021.9   First semester

  • Topics in Japanese Humanities III

    2021.4 - 2021.9   First semester

  • Research, Readings, and Methods

    2020.10 - 2021.3   Second semester

  • Topics in Japanese History IV

    2020.10 - 2021.3   Second semester

  • Japan: A History to 1600

    2020.10 - 2021.3   Second semester

  • Topics in Text and Material Culture II

    2020.10 - 2021.3   Second semester

  • Topics in Text and Material Culture II

    2020.10 - 2021.3   Second semester

  • Topics in Japanese History IV

    2020.10 - 2021.3   Second semester

  • Japan: A History to 1600

    2020.10 - 2021.3   Second semester

  • Research, Readings, and Methods

    2020.10 - 2021.3   Second semester

  • Research, Readings, and Methods

    2020.4 - 2020.9   First semester

  • Topics in Japanese History Ⅱ

    2020.4 - 2020.9   First semester

  • Topics in Text and Material Culture Ⅰ

    2020.4 - 2020.9   First semester

  • Japanese Humanities Research in Situ

    2020.4 - 2020.9   First semester

  • Topics in Japanese History II

    2020.4 - 2020.9   First semester

  • Topics in Text and Material Culture I

    2020.4 - 2020.9   First semester

  • Research, Readings, and Methods

    2020.4 - 2020.9   First semester

  • International Humanities Ⅱ

    2019.10 - 2020.3   Second semester

  • Research, Readings, and Methods

    2019.10 - 2020.3   Second semester

  • Topics in Japanese History Ⅰ

    2019.10 - 2020.3   Second semester

  • Topics in Japanese History Ⅲ

    2019.10 - 2020.3   Second semester

  • Japanese Humanities Research in Situ

    2019.10 - 2020.3   Second semester

  • Master Thesis Guidance

    2019.10 - 2020.3   Second semester

  • Japanese Humanities Research in Situ

    2019.10 - 2020.3   Second semester

  • Research, Readings and Methods

    2019.10 - 2020.3   Second semester

  • Topics in Japanese History I

    2019.10 - 2020.3   Second semester

  • Introduction to Japanese History II

    2019.10 - 2020.3   Second semester

  • Topics in Japanese History Ⅱ

    2019.4 - 2019.9   First semester

  • Topics in Japanese History Ⅳ

    2019.4 - 2019.9   First semester

  • Master Thesis Guidance

    2019.4 - 2019.9   First semester

  • Japanese Humanities Research in Situ

    2019.4 - 2019.9   First semester

  • Topics in Japanese History IV

    2019.4 - 2019.9   First semester

  • Topics in Japanese History II

    2019.4 - 2019.9   First semester

  • Introduction to Japanese History !

    2019.4 - 2019.6   Spring quarter

  • International Humanities Ⅰ

    2019.4 - 2019.6   Spring quarter

  • Master Thesis Guidance

    2018.10 - 2019.3   Second semester

  • 広人文学演習Ⅲ

    2017.4 - 2017.9   First semester

  • Experiencing Kyushu Culture and History in Situ

    2017.4 - 2017.9   First semester

  • Research, Readings, and Methods II

    2017.4 - 2017.9   First semester

  • Master Thesis Guidance

    2017.4 - 2017.9   First semester

  • Topics in Religious Beliefs and Practices I

    2017.4 - 2017.9   First semester

  • 広人文学演習III

    2017.4 - 2017.9   First semester

  • Topics in Japanese History III

    2016.10 - 2017.3   Second semester

  • Topics in Japanese History I

    2016.10 - 2017.3   Second semester

  • Japan: A History to 1600

    2016.10 - 2017.3   Second semester

  • Research, Readings, and Methods I

    2016.10 - 2017.3   Second semester

  • Master Thesis Guidance

    2016.10 - 2017.3   Second semester

  • Experience Kyushu Culture and History in Situ

    2016.10 - 2017.3   Second semester

  • Research, Readings, and Methods II

    2016.4 - 2016.9   First semester

  • Master Thesis Guidance

    2016.4 - 2016.9   First semester

  • Experiencing Kyushu Culture and History in Situ

    2016.4 - 2016.9   First semester

  • Topics in Japanese History II

    2016.4 - 2016.9   First semester

  • Topics in Japanese Humanities IV

    2016.4 - 2016.9   First semester

  • Experiencing Kyushu Culture and History in Situ

    2015.4 - 2016.3   Full year

  • Master Thesis Tutorial

    2015.4 - 2016.3   Full year

  • Japanese Language and Gender

    2015.4 - 2015.9   First semester

  • Readings in Japanese History II: Supervised Reading and Research

    2015.4 - 2015.9   First semester

  • Topics in Japanese History II: Trade, Diplomacy, and Exchange in Premodern East Asia

    2015.4 - 2015.9   First semester

  • Research, Readings, and Methods II

    2015.4 - 2015.9   First semester

  • Japanese Linguistics II

    2015.4 - 2015.9   First semester

  • Experiencing Kyushu Culture and History in Situ

    2014.10 - 2015.3   Second semester

  • Master's Thesis Tutorial

    2014.10 - 2015.3   Second semester

  • History and Visual Culture Fieldwork

    2014.10 - 2015.3   Second semester

  • Research, Readings, and Methods I

    2014.10 - 2015.3   Second semester

  • Topics in Japanese History I: Nara History and Archaeology

    2014.10 - 2015.3   Second semester

  • Introduction to Kanbun

    2014.10 - 2015.3   Second semester

  • Japanese History IV: The Early Archipelago

    2014.4 - 2014.9   First semester

  • Master's Thesis Tutorial

    2014.4 - 2014.9   First semester

  • Japanese History III: Experiencing Kyushu Culture and History in Situ

    2014.4 - 2014.9   First semester

  • Readings in Japanese History II

    2014.4 - 2014.9   First semester

  • Japanese Culture IV: Research and Methods II

    2014.4 - 2014.9   First semester

  • Japanese History VI: Tōshi Kaden: Biographies of the Fujiwara Family

    2014.4 - 2014.9   First semester

  • Japanese Linguistics I: Introduction to Kanbun

    2014.4 - 2014.9   First semester

  • Japanese History V: Pre- and Protohistoric Beliefs and Practices

    2014.4 - 2014.9   First semester

  • Japanese History I: A History to 1600

    2013.10 - 2014.3   Second semester

  • Japanese Culture VIII: Intensive Course in Nara

    2013.10 - 2014.3   Second semester

  • Readings in Japanese History I

    2013.10 - 2014.3   Second semester

  • Japanese History II: Nara History and Archaeology

    2013.10 - 2014.3   Second semester

  • Japanese History III: Experiencing Kyushu History and Culture in Situ

    2013.4 - 2014.3   Full year

  • Master's Thesis Tutorial

    2013.4 - 2014.3   Full year

  • Japanese Culture II: An Introduction to Bungo

    2013.4 - 2013.9   First semester

  • Japanese History II

    2013.4 - 2013.9   First semester

  • Japanese Culture IV: State and Authority in Ancient Japan

    2013.4 - 2013.9   First semester

  • Readings in Japanese History I

    2013.4 - 2013.9   First semester

  • Japanese Culture VII: Readings in Japanese Culture I

    2013.4 - 2013.9   First semester

  • 広人文学演習III : Anthropology of Religion

    2013.4 - 2013.9   First semester

  • 広人文学演習 I

    2012.10 - 2013.3   Second semester

  • Japanese Culture I: An Introduction to Bungo

    2012.10 - 2013.3   Second semester

  • Japanese Culture V: Readings in Japanese Thought I

    2012.10 - 2013.3   Second semester

  • Master's Thesis Tutorial

    2012.10 - 2013.3   Second semester

  • Japanese Culture VIII: Intensive Course in Culture and Thought

    2012.10 - 2013.3   Second semester

  • Japanese Culture VII: Readings in Japanese Culture I

    2012.4 - 2012.9   First semester

  • 広人文学講義 I

    2012.4 - 2012.9   First semester

  • Japanese Culture II: A History in Books and Texts

    2012.4 - 2012.9   First semester

  • Japanese Culture IV: Japanese Thought II

    2012.4 - 2012.9   First semester

  • Japanese Culture VI: Readings in Japanese Thought II

    2012.4 - 2012.9   First semester

  • Japanese Culture V: Readings in Japanese Thought I

    2011.10 - 2012.3   Second semester

  • Japanese Culture I: Characteristics of Japanese Culture

    2011.10 - 2012.3   Second semester

  • Japanese Culture III: Japanese Thought I

    2011.10 - 2012.3   Second semester

  • Upper-level Graduate Seminar: History Ⅰ

    2024.10 - 2025.3   Second semester

  • Topics in Japanese History Ⅴ

    2024.10 - 2025.3   Second semester

  • Research and Professional Development

    2024.10 - 2025.3   Second semester

  • Japan: A History to 1600

    2024.10 - 2025.3   Second semester

  • Doctoral Dissertation Guidance

    2024.10 - 2025.3   Second semester

  • Upper-level Graduate Seminar: History Ⅱ

    2024.4 - 2024.9   First semester

  • Topics in Text and Material Culture Ⅱ

    2024.4 - 2024.9   First semester

  • Topics in Japanese History Ⅵ

    2024.4 - 2024.9   First semester

  • Japanese Humanities Research in Situ

    2024.4 - 2024.9   First semester

▼display all

FD Participation

  • 2023.1   Role：Moderator   Title：Boosting Your Kakenhi Success Rate

    Organizer：University-wide

  • 2022.10   Role：Participation   Title：大学におけるハラスメントの実情とその対応

    Organizer：University-wide

  • 2022.9   Role：Participation   Title：FDE Understanding the Faculty Evaluation Systems at Kyushu University

    Organizer：University-wide

  • 2022.3   Role：Participation   Title：着任講義

    Organizer：[Undergraduate school/graduate school/graduate faculty]

  • 2021.9   Role：Planning   Title：FD in English "Financial Planning in Japan: Medical System, Insurance and Loans"

    Organizer：University-wide

  • 2021.9   Role：Participation   Title：JST 次世代研究者挑戦的研究プログラム 説明会

    Organizer：University-wide

  • 2021.7   Role：Participation   Title：COILとは？九大農学部＆共創学部の実施例

    Organizer：University-wide

  • 2021.5   Role：Moderator   Title：FDE: Online Teaching Experiences

    Organizer：University-wide

  • 2021.5   Role：Planning   Title：FDE: Online Teaching Experiences

    Organizer：University-wide

  • 2020.12   Role：Participation   Title：Create a Future Vision for Kyushu University

    Organizer：University-wide

  • 2020.11   Role：Participation   Title：オンライン環境・状況で遭遇しうるハラスメント

    Organizer：University-wide

  • 2020.1   Role：Moderator   Title：FD in English Dealing With Harassment: What Kyushu U Can Do to Help

    Organizer：University-wide

  • 2020.1   Role：Participation   Title：SENTAN-Q Kick-off Meeting

    Organizer：University-wide

  • 2019.11   Role：Participation   Title：国際研究につながる助成金についてのセミナー

    Organizer：University-wide

  • 2019.9   Role：Participation   Title：M2B学習支援システム講習会 入門編

    Organizer：University-wide

  • 2019.9   Role：Participation   Title：M2B学習支援システム講習会 中級編

    Organizer：University-wide

  • 2019.8   Role：Participation   Title：AiRIMAQ Kakenhi Seminar

    Organizer：University-wide

  • 2019.5   Role：Participation   Title：2019年度文学部就任講義

    Organizer：[Undergraduate school/graduate school/graduate faculty]

  • 2018.1   Role：Planning   Title：First FD in English (FDE) Setting up International Collaborations

    Organizer：University-wide

  • 2018.1   Role：Moderator   Title：First FD in English (FDE) Setting up International Collaborations

    Organizer：University-wide

  • 2017.12   Role：Participation   Title：魅力ある短期留学プログラムをつくる

    Organizer：University-wide

  • 2017.11   Role：Participation   Title：救急救命FD

    Organizer：[Undergraduate school/graduate school/graduate faculty]

  • 2017.6   Role：Participation   Title：障害者支援における合理的配慮

    Organizer：[Undergraduate school/graduate school/graduate faculty]

  • 2017.6   Role：Participation   Title：障害者支援における合理的配慮

    Organizer：[Undergraduate school/graduate school/graduate faculty]

  • 2017.5   Role：Participation   Title：文学部就任講義

    Organizer：[Undergraduate school/graduate school/graduate faculty]

  • 2016.9   Role：Participation   Title：「シンガポールのアカデミア教育・研究環境の現状と発展〜Duke-NUS共同大学院を例に」　杉井重紀氏

    Organizer：University-wide

  • 2016.5   Role：Participation   Title：e ラーニングシステム（Moodle）講習会

    Organizer：[Undergraduate school/graduate school/graduate faculty]

  • 2016.3   Role：Participation   Title：クォーター制の導入と現在の状況

    Organizer：[Undergraduate school/graduate school/graduate faculty]

  • 2014.8   Role：Participation   Title：改訂したＧＰＡ制度のためのＦＤ

    Organizer：[Undergraduate school/graduate school/graduate faculty]

  • 2014.3   Role：Participation   Title：Web学習システムならびにHandbook講習会

    Organizer：University-wide

  • 2013.7   Role：Participation   Title：13th FD for the Internationalization of Education: Mental Health of International Students

    Organizer：University-wide

  • 2012.9   Role：Participation   Title：第12回スキルアップセミナー「女性研究者英語能力向上セミナーⅢ」

    Organizer：University-wide

  • 2012.8   Role：Speech   Title："Applying for Research Funding (Kakenhi): Your Kyudai Obligation and Success Strategies"

    Organizer：University-wide

  • 2012.6   Role：Participation   Title：Clarifying Roles in the G30 Programs

    Organizer：University-wide

  • 2011.11   Role：Participation   Title：Mid-Term Evaluation and Progress on Our G30 Project

    Organizer：University-wide

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Visiting, concurrent, or part-time lecturers at other universities, institutions, etc.

  • 2024  国際日本文化研究センター  Classification:Affiliate faculty  Domestic/International Classification:Japan 

  • 2023  国際日本文化研究センター  Classification:Affiliate faculty  Domestic/International Classification:Japan 

  • 2021  Using a Kyushu University Webinar 100 grant, I set up an online intensive course on the theme of Japanese literature, translation and rakugo with three colleagues affiliated with Ghent University in Belgium. Graduate students of both Kyushu University and Ghent University participated.  Classification:Intensive course  Domestic/International Classification:Overseas 

    Semester, Day Time or Duration：January and February 2021

  • 2020  放送大学学園  Classification:Part-time lecturer  Domestic/International Classification:Japan 

    Semester, Day Time or Duration：2020年4月1日〜2020年9月30日

  • 2014  シドニー大学文学部日本研究学科  Classification:Intensive course  Domestic/International Classification:Overseas 

    Semester, Day Time or Duration：３月１６日〜２０日

  • 2011  法政大学グローバル教養学部  Classification:Intensive course  Domestic/International Classification:Japan 

    Semester, Day Time or Duration：8月8日～12日

  • 2011  ゲント大学文学部日本学科  Classification:Affiliate faculty  Domestic/International Classification:Overseas 

    Semester, Day Time or Duration：２月〜９月

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Participation in international educational events, etc.

  • 2022.11

    Kyushu University

    J-MENA Online Study In Japan Month 2022

  • 2021.11

    Kyushu University

    J-MENA Online Study In Japan Month 2021

  • 2020.12

    J-MENA, Study in Japan Global Network Project in Middle East & North Africa

    Online Study in Japan Fair for MENA region students

  • 2020.11

    Kyushu University

    J-MENA Online Study In Japan Month 2020

  • 2011.3

    EU Socrates Program、日本国際交流基金

    EU Socrates Program faculty exchange (Bucharest University)

    　 More details

    Venue：ルーマニア・ブカレスト

    Number of participants：50

  • 2011.2

    EU Socrates Program

    EU Socrates Program faculty exchange (Cologne University)

    　 More details

    Venue：ベルギー・ヘント

    Number of participants：60

▼display all

Other educational activity and Special note

  • 2024  Coaching of Students' Association  International MA Program in Japanese Humanities

    　詳細を見る

    Organizer of field trips in the Kyushu area with foreign students at Kyushu University

  • 2023  Coaching of Students' Association  International MA Program in Japanese Humanities

    　詳細を見る

    Organizer of field trips in the Kyushu area with foreign students at Kyushu University

  • 2022  Coaching of Students' Association  International MA Program in Japanese Humanities

    　詳細を見る

    Organizer of various field trips in the Kyushu area with foreign students at Kyushu University

  • 2022  Coaching of Students' Association  International MA Program in Japanese Humanities

    　詳細を見る

    Organizer of field trips in the Kyushu area with foreign students at Kyushu University

  • 2021  Coaching of Students' Association  International MA Program in Japanese Humanities

    　詳細を見る

    Organizer of field trips in the Kyushu area with foreign students at Kyushu University

  • 2021  Special Affairs  Joint online course "Religion in Manga, Anime and Popular Media" with Dr. Emily Blythe Simpson (Dartmouth College)

    　詳細を見る

    Joint online course "Religion in Manga, Anime and Popular Media" with Dr. Emily Blythe Simpson (Dartmouth College)

  • 2021  Special Affairs  Joint online course “Japan’s Modern Castles” with Ran Zwigenberg (Pennsylvania State University), et al.

    　詳細を見る

    Joint online course “Japan’s Modern Castles” with Ran Zwigenberg (Pennsylvania State University), et al.

  • 2021  Special Affairs  Joint online course “Japanese Religious Studies Behind the Scenes” with Caleb Carter (Kyushu University), et al.

    　詳細を見る

    Joint online course “Japanese Religious Studies Behind the Scenes” with Caleb Carter (Kyushu University), et al.

  • 2021  Special Affairs  Online course “Archaeology and Heritage” with Anabel Ford (UCSB), Simon Kaner (University of East Anglia), Ilona Bausch (Leiden University), et al.

    　詳細を見る

    Online course “Archaeology and Heritage” with Anabel Ford (UCSB), Simon Kaner (University of East Anglia), Ilona Bausch (Leiden University), et al.

  • 2021  Special Affairs  Online course “Historians at Work” with Morten Oxenboell (University of Indiana), Paula Curtis (Yale University), Yumi Kim (Johns Hopkins University), et al.

    　詳細を見る

    Online course “Historians at Work” with Morten Oxenboell (University of Indiana), Paula Curtis (Yale University), Yumi Kim (Johns Hopkins University), et al.

  • 2020  Special Affairs  Online course on Japanese Literature, Literary Translation and Rakugo for Ghent University and Kyushu University MA students in collaboration with faculty affiliated with Ghent University. Funded through a Kyushu University Webinar 100 grant.

    　詳細を見る

    Online course on Japanese Literature, Literary Translation and Rakugo for Ghent University and Kyushu University MA students in collaboration with faculty affiliated with Ghent University. Funded through a Kyushu University Webinar 100 grant.

  • 2019  Coaching of Students' Association  International MA Program in Japanese Humanities

    　詳細を見る

    Co-organizer of various field trips in the Kyushu area with foreign students at Kyushu University

  • 2018  Special Affairs  Participation in Faculty Development initiative at UCSB: "Boosting in-class participation: Active learning strategies that enliven lectures in under five minutes"

    　詳細を見る

    Participation in Faculty Development initiative at UCSB: "Boosting in-class participation: Active learning strategies that enliven lectures in under five minutes"

  • 2018  Special Affairs  Participation in Faculty Development initiative at UCSB: "Designing assignments that help students succeed (and are easy to grade)"

    　詳細を見る

    Participation in Faculty Development initiative at UCSB: "Designing assignments that help students succeed (and are easy to grade)"

  • 2018  Special Affairs  Participation in Faculty Development initiative at UCSB: "Working with diverse student populations"

    　詳細を見る

    Participation in Faculty Development initiative at UCSB: "Working with diverse student populations"

  • 2018  Special Affairs  2018-19 Digital Image Lab Series: How to make maps. Organized by the Department of History of Art and Architecture, UCSB

    　詳細を見る

    2018-19 Digital Image Lab Series: How to make maps. Organized by the Department of History of Art and Architecture, UCSB

  • 2018  Special Affairs  Remixing Research Assignments: Digital Tools for Engaging Learning. Organized by CITRAL (Center for Innovative Teaching, Research, and Learning, UCSB

    　詳細を見る

    Remixing Research Assignments: Digital Tools for Engaging Learning. Organized by CITRAL (Center for Innovative Teaching, Research, and Learning, UCSB

  • 2018  Special Affairs  Participation in Faculty Development initiative at UCSB: "Challenges and strategies for teaching large classes"

    　詳細を見る

    Participation in Faculty Development initiative at UCSB: "Challenges and strategies for teaching large classes"

  • 2018  Special Affairs  Participation in Japanese Religions Pedagogy seminar; offered expertise on preceramic through Nara-era Japan (course instructor: Fabio Rambelli; other participants: Ori Porath, Emm Simpson, Peter Romaskiewicz, Diamante Waters, Kaitlyn Ugoretz, and Daigengna Duoer)

    　詳細を見る

    Participation in Japanese Religions Pedagogy seminar; offered expertise on preceramic through Nara-era Japan (course instructor: Fabio Rambelli; other participants: Ori Porath, Emm Simpson, Peter Romaskiewicz, Diamante Waters, Kaitlyn Ugoretz, and Daigengna Duoer)

  • 2018  Special Affairs  Participation in Faculty Development initiative at UCSB: "Effective uses of presentation technologies"

    　詳細を見る

    Participation in Faculty Development initiative at UCSB: "Effective uses of presentation technologies"

  • 2018  Special Affairs  Participation in Faculty Development initiative at UCSB: "Leveraging UCSB’s instructional video Infrastructure"

    　詳細を見る

    Participation in Faculty Development initiative at UCSB: "Leveraging UCSB’s instructional video Infrastructure"

  • 2018  Special Affairs  Participation in Faculty Development initiative at UCSB: "Stage presence"

    　詳細を見る

    Participation in Faculty Development initiative at UCSB: "Stage presence"

  • 2017  Coaching of Students' Association  International MA Program in Japanese Humanities

    　詳細を見る

    Co-organizer of various field trips in the Kyushu area with foreign students at Kyushu University

  • 2016  Coaching of Students' Association  International MA Program in Japanese Humanities

    　詳細を見る

    Co-organizer of various field trips in the Kyushu area with foreign students at Kyushu University

  • 2015  Coaching of Students' Association  International MA Program in Japanese Humanities

    　詳細を見る

    Organizer of various field trips in the Kyushu area with foreign students at Kyushu University

  • 2015  Special Affairs  Guest lecture in EACS4A: East Asian Traditions: Pre-Modern at the University of California, Santa Barbara (Course instructors: Fabio Rambelli and Xiaorong Li, undergraduate, enrolment 244 students)

    　詳細を見る

    Guest lecture in EACS4A: East Asian Traditions: Pre-Modern at the University of California, Santa Barbara (Course instructors: Fabio Rambelli and Xiaorong Li, undergraduate, enrolment 244 students)

  • 2014  Coaching of Students' Association  International MA Program in Japanese Humanties

    　詳細を見る

    Organizer of various field trips in the Kyushu area with foreign students at Kyushu University

  • 2013  Coaching of Students' Association  International MA Program in Japanese Humanities

    　詳細を見る

    Organizer of various field trips in the Kyushu area with foreign students at Kyushu University

▼display all

Outline of Social Contribution and International Cooperation activities

  • Member of the Board of Directors, Arts Flanders, Japan

Social Activities

  • 海外の研究者から見た日本古代史の魅力

    九州大学熊本同窓会  ＡＮＡクラウンプラザホテル熊本ニュースカイ  2019.11

    　More details

    Audience：General,　Scientific,　Company,　Civic organization,　Governmental agency

    Type：Lecture

    この講演は、幕末以降おおよそ150年間の外国からの古代日本に対する関心について簡潔にまとめたものである。主に飛鳥時代に関する西洋の研究に焦点を当てつつ、奈良時代および私自身の研究についても言及していく。従って、この概要は、広範囲にわたるが、決して包括的なものではない。それは、私が重点を置くのが英語、フランス語、またはドイツ語で出版された学識であり、ヨーロッパおよび北米の学術界、そして一般大衆に対し古代日本への関心を喚起することに尽力した数多くの学者らの紹介を省くことになるためである。
    　しかしながら、西洋が日本に対する学問的興味を持ちはじめた19世紀中頃から、少数ではあっても一定数の学者らが広範囲なテーマで研究をしていたことは明らかである。この19世紀の古代日本研究の焦点はフィロロジー（文献学）に置かれている一方、近年、西洋における古代日本研究は、考古学、歴史、美術史、宗教学、都市研究、文学、そして言語学の分野にも広がり始めている。

  • Gender Equality at a Japanese University: Ellen Van Goethem

    福岡雙葉中学校  2019.7

    　More details

    Audience：Infants,　Schoolchildren,　Junior students,　High school students

    Type：Seminar, workshop

  • ベルギーから見た日本の歴史・思想史

    LE  ニューオータニ博多  2017.7

    　More details

    Audience：General,　Scientific,　Company,　Civic organization,　Governmental agency

    Type：Lecture

  • 九州大学アカデミックフェスティバル

    九州大学  九州大学　伊都キャンパス　椎木講堂  2016.10

    　More details

    Audience：General,　Scientific,　Company,　Civic organization,　Governmental agency

    Type：Lecture

    私の研究の専門分野である古代史と思想史、中でも古代都市の都市計画を、木簡の研究や史実から読み取れるものと、発掘調査による考古学的見地の2つの視点からの考察する。7世紀と8世紀に宮都が再建された経緯を中国・韓国・日本の文献から紐解く。その他、宮都の敷地選定と風水の関係性についても言及する。

  • 世界に伝えたい「飛鳥・藤原」の魅力 考古学・古代史からみた 飛鳥・藤原京の時代

    主催：明治大学日本古代学研究所・世界遺産「飛鳥・藤原」登録推進協議会 共催：読売新聞社 後援：明治大学社会連携機構  明治大学 駿河台キャンパス  2016.3

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    Audience：General,　Scientific,　Company,　Civic organization,　Governmental agency

    Type：Lecture

    海外の視点から探る飛鳥・藤原京　〜海外の研究者の研究〜

  • 中学生のためのキャリアデザイン啓発事業の講師

    城南中学校（福岡市城南区）  2016.1

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    Audience：Infants,　Schoolchildren,　Junior students,　High school students

    Type：Other

  • Advisor for Quality Assurance Netherlands Universities (QANU) - external review of the BA Japan Studies and MA Asian Studies at Leiden University, the Netherlands

    2013

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    Advisor for Quality Assurance Netherlands Universities (QANU) - external review of the BA Japan Studies and MA Asian Studies at Leiden University, the Netherlands

  • 「国際飛鳥学」講演会とフィールドワーク

    明日香村・明治大学日本古代学研究所  明日香村  2012.11

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    Audience：General,　Scientific,　Company,　Civic organization,　Governmental agency

    Type：Seminar, workshop

  • Editorial supervision of the English-language version of 「平安京を歩く」(A Stroll Through Heian-kyō), an educational DVD about the Heian capital (Kyoto) produced by and screened at the Kyoto Museum of Historical Materials (京都市歴史資料館).

    京都市歴史資料館・Dentsu Inc. / Dentsu Tec Inc.  京都市歴史資料館  2007.1

    　More details

    Audience：General,　Scientific,　Company,　Civic organization,　Governmental agency

    Type：Other

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Media Coverage

  • 世界遺産　神宿る島　禁忌の謎　のためのインタビュー Newspaper, magazine

    読売新聞  2017.8

    　More details

    世界遺産　神宿る島　禁忌の謎　のためのインタビュー

  • インタビュー Newspaper, magazine

    西日本新聞  2017.1

    　More details

    インタビュー

  • Live studio interview concerning the Great East Japan Earthquake TV or radio program

    Ter Zake (Canvas, Belgium)  2011.3

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    Live studio interview concerning the Great East Japan Earthquake

  • Brief section on a class taught at Ghent University TV or radio program

    AVS News (Ghent area, Belgium)  2011.3

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    Brief section on a class taught at Ghent University

  • Recorded interview concerning the Great East Japan Earthquake TV or radio program

    Royalty (VTM, Belgium)  2011.3

    　More details

    Recorded interview concerning the Great East Japan Earthquake

Acceptance of Foreign Researchers, etc.

  • University of California Santa Barbara

    Acceptance period： 2023.7 - 2023.8   （Period）：1 month or more

    Nationality：Belgium

    Business entity：Foreign governments, foreign research institutes, international organizations

  • Columbia University

    Acceptance period： 2023.5 - 2023.8   （Period）：1 month or more

    Nationality：United States

  • Columbia University

    Acceptance period： 2023.5 - 2023.8   （Period）：1 month or more

    Nationality：United States

  • Dartmouth College

    Acceptance period： 2022.6 - 2022.8   （Period）：1 month or more

    Nationality：United States

    Business entity：Japan Society for the Promotion of Science

  • Boston University

    Acceptance period： 2020.2   （Period）：2weeks to less than 1 month

    Nationality：United States

    Business entity：On-campus funds

  • UCLA

    Acceptance period： 2020.1   （Period）：Less than 2 weeks

    Nationality：United States

    Business entity：On-campus funds

  • Leiden University

    Acceptance period： 2020.1   （Period）：Less than 2 weeks

    Nationality：Netherlands

    Business entity：On-campus funds

  • Leiden University

    Acceptance period： 2020.1   （Period）：Less than 2 weeks

    Nationality：Germany

    Business entity：On-campus funds

  • Leiden University

    Acceptance period： 2019.11 - 2019.12   （Period）：2weeks to less than 1 month

    Nationality：Netherlands

    Business entity：On-campus funds

  • Goettingen Univestity / Max Planck Institute

    Acceptance period： 2019.10 - 2019.11   （Period）：2weeks to less than 1 month

    Business entity：Other

  • Leiden University

    Acceptance period： 2019.10   （Period）：Less than 2 weeks

    Nationality：Netherlands

    Business entity：On-campus funds

  • University of California, Santa Barbara

    Acceptance period： 2019.6 - 2019.9   （Period）：1 month or more

    Nationality：United States

    Business entity：Foreign governments, foreign research institutes, international organizations

  • Columbia University

    Acceptance period： 2017.1 - 2017.3   （Period）：1 month or more

    Nationality：United States

  • Boston University

    Acceptance period： 2016.12   （Period）：2weeks to less than 1 month

    Nationality：United States

  • Harvard University

    Acceptance period： 2016.8 - 2016.9   （Period）：2weeks to less than 1 month

    Nationality：United States

    Business entity：On-campus funds

  • Acceptance period： 2016.7 - 2018.4   （Period）：1 month or more

    Nationality：United States

    Business entity：Japan Society for the Promotion of Science

  • Leiden University

    Acceptance period： 2015.12 - 2016.3   （Period）：1 month or more

    Nationality：Netherlands

    Business entity：On-campus funds

  • University of California, Santa Barbara

    Acceptance period： 2015.12 - 2016.3   （Period）：1 month or more

    Nationality：Italy

    Business entity：On-campus funds

  • Durham University, SOAS

    Acceptance period： 2015.10 - 2016.1   （Period）：1 month or more

    Nationality：United Kingdom

    Business entity：On-campus funds

  • Ghent University

    Acceptance period： 2013.4 - 2013.9   （Period）：1 month or more

    Nationality：Belgium

  • Sydney University

    Acceptance period： 2009.1 - 2009.7   （Period）：1 month or more

    Nationality：United States

    Business entity：Other

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Travel Abroad

  • 2024.5 - 2024.6

    Staying countory name 1：Belgium   Staying institution name 1：Ghent University

    Staying countory name 2：Italy   Staying institution name 2：University of Naples

  • 2023.10 - 2023.11

    Staying countory name 1：United States   Staying institution name 1：University of California, Santa Barbara

    Staying countory name 2：Belgium   Staying institution name 2：Ghent University

    Staying countory name 3：United Kingdom   Staying institution name 3：University of London, SOAS

    Staying countory name (Other)：Austria   Staying institution name (Other)：Vienna University

  • 2018.4 - 2019.3

    Staying countory name 1：United States   Staying institution name 1：East Asia Center, UCSB

  • 2017.1 - 2017.3

    Staying countory name 1：United States   Staying institution name 1：University of California, Santa Barbara

  • 2015.3

    Staying countory name 1：Australia   Staying institution name 1：University of Sydney

  • 2011.4 - 2011.5

    Staying countory name 1：China   Staying institution name 1：University of Saint Joseph

  • 2011.3

    Staying countory name 1：Romania   Staying institution name 1：Bucharest University

  • 2011.2 - 2011.4

    Staying countory name 1：Belgium   Staying institution name 1：Ghent University

  • 2010.11 - 2011.7

    Staying countory name 1：Germany   Staying institution name 1：Humboldt University zu Berlin

  • 2010.4 - 2010.5

    Staying countory name 1：United States   Staying institution name 1：University of Oregon

  • 2007.6

    Staying countory name 1：Netherlands   Staying institution name 1：Leiden University

  • 2005.11

    Staying countory name 1：Belgium   Staying institution name 1：Ghent University

  • 2005.3

    Staying countory name 1：Romania   Staying institution name 1：University of Bucharest

  • 2004.12

    Staying countory name 1：Belgium   Staying institution name 1：Ghent University

  • 2002.5

    Staying countory name 1：Germany   Staying institution name 1：Cologne University

  • 2000.5

    Staying countory name 1：Germany   Staying institution name 1：Cologne University

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