Modern History of Japan
Fall 2025
Syllabus
2025/10/27
Ryoichi Imai
International Student Center, Kyushu University
Contents
2. Organization, Attendance, and Other
Requirements
The course is designed to provide some introductory knowledge of Japanese history. The course will cover the history of Japan's political and economic system from Edo era to the end of World War II.
Organization, Attendance, and Other Requirements
Students are expected to buy the text book.
Gordon, Andrew (2003), A Modern History of Japan. Oxford University Press.@PDF (Hopefully authorized copy)
Some lecture notes will be uploaded on this website. The course consists mainly of a series of lecture given by the instructor. Depending on the number of the students who register this course, they may present some selected reading materials in the late half of the course. Each course attendant is supposed to do at least ONE oral presentation of the reading assignments. The presenter must make a set of PowerPoint slides. If too many students take this course, individual presentations will be replaced by group ones. There is one final examination, closed-book or take-home.
None.
You can get two credits by satisfying the following three
requirements.
1. Class Attendance and
Discussion 20%
According to the government guideline,
no students are allowed to take the course final examination, if they do not
show up in more than 1/3 of the class meetings. The government has set up a
more rigorous grading standard on credits.
2. Presentation 40%
3. Final Examination 40%
Getting the course credits is not a hard task, while no negotiation is
allowed on credits or grades.
If you need to acquire three credits in accordance
with the credit transfer policy of your home university, you can get three
credits by making a second presentation in different
topics in addition to the requirements as above.
Schedule and Readings (subject to Change)
1. (10/7) Introduction 1
Concise
History of Japan Overview - Wikipedia
@@A Short History of Japan before the Showa Era
2. (10/14) Introduction 2
Religion
in Japan – Buddhism in Japan (Wikipedia)
Shinto – Ise
Shrine, Usa
Shrine, Izumo Shrine,
Itsukushima Shrine
Ancient Buddhism – Houryuji, Todaiji
Amidism – Byodo-in, Chion-in, West
Honganji, East Honganji
Zen – Tenryuji, Bairinji, Eiheiji,
Lotus Sutra – Minobusan
Kuonji
3. (10/21) Introduction 3
4. (10/28) The Tokugawa Polity
Supplement:
The Sengoku Warlords and Their Culture
Kumamoto
Castle Suizenji Seishuen
Dazaifu and Sumo@Sumo Banzuke
5. (11/4) Social Economic Transformations
6. (11/11) The Intellectual World of Late Tokugawa
7D(11/18): The Overthrow of the Tokugawa
8. (11/25) The Samurai Revolutions
9. (12/2) Participation and Protest
10. (12/9) Social Economic, and Cultural Transformations
Matsumoto Kaichi School, Video, Elementary School Moral Textbook (1934 – 1940)
Silk (movie),@The Nomugi Pass (movie)
Higher Schools, Imperial Universities
Mitsubish Nagasaki Shipyard, Yahata Steel Works
Japanfs Meiji Industrial Revolution
Reach
Beyond the Blue Sky
– The Life of Shibusawa Eiichi
Demon Slayer (Wikipedia),@Demon
Slayer – The
Infinity Train (movie)
11. (12/16) Empire and Domestic Order
`aciThe Boxer Rebelionj
ϊ{CCνiBattle of Tsushimaj
12. (12/23) Economy and Society
@@@World
War 1 (wikipedia)
Economic History of the Pre-modern
Japan
Japan and the Great Divergence, 725
to 1874@
voxeu article
Agricultural
Land Survey 1598-1872 (in Japanese)
Kyoji Fukao (2018) Historical Insights for the Long-run
Stagnation of Japanese Economy (J)
The Cambridge Economic History of the Modern
World:
Clark and Ishii (2012) Social Mobility in Japan,
1868-2012: The Surprising
Persistence of the Samurai, University of California, Davis
-----Winter Break-----
Students' Presentations: Materials are subject to change.
Each student is allowed to speak for 15 minutes at maximum. Form a
group of 5 for each assigned chapter. Make an integrated slide to summarize
that chapter.
Submit the group presentation slide set consisting of less than 40
slides to the File Sharing
System before the presentation. Your cooperation within the group will be carefully
evaluated in the final grade. A good presentation as a group may lead to a high
individual grade for each member of the group.
Convert
your file to PDF and Name it as gName1-Name2-Name3-Historyh like
Yamada-Kato-Higo-History. Use your final name in the
title.
Student Presentation 2024: Japanese History for High School (2024)
13. (1/13) Chapter 2: The
Formation of the Ritsuryo State
Oskar, Leo, Miharu, Sara, Mathias, Emiliano, Haruna
14. (1/20) Chapter 3: The
Aristocratic Rule and Native Japanese Culture
Rosie, Kydia, Isabella, Sebastian, Sophie, Kaito
15. (1/27). Chapter 4: The
Establishment of Mediaeval Society
Ada, Charlie, Ohad, Tom, Julius, Josh, Erwan
16. (2/3). Extra – hopefully no meeting – Chapter 5: The Evolution of Warrior Society
Patrick, Mattias, Zyad, Megumi, Akiha, Lauren, Shelby, Erwan
Final Exam
Final Take-home Examination (Sample January 2025)
*********************************
Previous Years
Assignment: Conrad Totman
(2005) A History of Japan, Second Edition
13. (1/14) Presentation 1
Chapter 3. Political Consolidation to 671CE: Tom,
Jake, Ben
Chapter 4:: Establishing the Ritsuryo Order (672-750): Alex O, David, Freddy
14. (1/21) Presentation 2
Chapter 5. Ritsuryo
Adaptation and Decay (759-1250): Norman, Sutjipto,
Zhang
Chapter 6: Classical Higher Culture (750-1250) Show,
Chen, Chang
15. (1/28). Presentation 3
Chapter 7: The Centuries of Disorder (1250-1550)
Larissa, Samaa, Khaled
Chapter 8: Medieval Higher Culture (1250-1550) Alex, Berkhan, Elsa, Eliksater
(2/4). Extra – Chapter 9: Eliksater, Berkhan
Kenichi
Ohno (2006) The Economic Development of Japan
Chapter 1 Modernization for Latecomers ······ 1
Jennie
Chapter 2 The Edo Period: Pre-conditions for Industrialization ······ 21
Franck
Chapter 3 Meiji (1): Key Goals of the New Government ······ 39
Eriane
Chapter 4 Meiji (2): Importing and Absorbing Technology ······ 55
Erika
Chapter 5 Meiji (3): Development of Major Industries ······ 71
Sama
Chapter 6 Meiji (4): Budget, Finance and the Macroeconomy ······ 85
Magdalena
Chapter 7 World War I and the 1920s: Export-led Boom and Recession
Friderik
Chapter 8 The Showa Financial Crisis of 1927:
Joy
Review of the History of Ancient and Mediaeval Japan
Readings:
chapters from A History of Japan, 2nd edition, by Conrad Totman
Underlines
show the leaders.
Ch.1: Geology, Climate, and Biota
Ch.2: From Erigines to Agriculture
Ch.3: Political Consolidation to 671 CE
Presenters:
Gesine, Mikaela, Melissa, Haruka
Ch.4: Establishing the Ritsuryo Order
(672-750)
Ch. 5. Ritsuryo Adaptation and Decay
(750-1250), pp. 87-113.
Presenters:
Joy, Casey, Emma, Gesine
Ch. 6. Classical Higher Culture (750-1250), pp. 114-139.
Ch. 7. The Centuries of Disorder (1250-1550), pp. 146-174.
Presenters:
Marie, Kathi, Gregoire
Ch. 8. Medieval Higher Culture (1250-1550), pp. 175-202
Ch.9: Establishing the Bakuhan Order
(1550-1700).
Presenters:
Yang, Phoenix, Mellissa, Harry
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