Graduate School of Comparative Culture
Lecture instructor

My areas of expertise are modern and contemporary Japanese literature and comparative literature and cultural studies.
In particular, my research focuses on modern Japanese literature, especially that of Ryunosuke Akutagawa, interpreting works in relation to religion, thought, and Asian contexts. In recent years, I have also become interested in re-examining Japanese literature within the broader Asian context, engaging in comparative literary research that includes issues of religiosity and East-West cultural contact. By combining close reading of literary texts with an understanding of the contemporary intellectual landscape and the dynamics of cultural exchange, I aim to present new possibilities for interpreting modern Japanese literature.
His major research achievements include "The Manifestation of 'God' in Ryunosuke Akutagawa's 'The God of Agni': From the Context of Taisho-era Asianism and Religious Transgression" (Journal of Christian Literature Studies, No. 43, April 2026) and "Ryunosuke Akutagawa: Encounter with a Different Culture" (Sobunsha Publishing, February 2013).

His specialty is generative grammar-based syntax and language acquisition theory. He mainly compares the syntactic structures (rules for constructing and generating sentences) of Japanese and English to investigate the system of intermediate language abilities that emerge during second language learning. There are mechanisms behind errors and difficult phenomena. His approach is to demonstrate a language system that includes errors with empirical data and to show that it can be theoretically predicted from the differences in syntax between the target language and the native language. His publications include Feature Transfer and Feature Learning in Universal Grammar (Kwansei Gakuin University Press, 2019).

His field of expertise is cultural geography. Using historical documents and field surveys, he studies cultural and social events and phenomena surrounding food in the region. Specifically, he is conducting research on events closely related to flour-based food in the Yellow River basin. Currently, he is considering the nature of folk tools related to food under the concept of "food landscapes." His main research achievements include "Development of Chinese Food Culture Research - An Introduction to Gyoza Food Research" (Hyogo Chiri No. 47, 2002), "The Meaning and Regional Characteristics of Gyoza Food in Shandong Province, China" (Human Geography Vol. 57 No. 4, 2005), "Ancient Chinese Food Culture as Seen in Han Dynasty Picture Stones - Case Study of Shandong Province" (Hyogo Chiri No. 55, 2010), and "Chinese Gyoza" (Vesta = Food Culture Magazine Vesta (117), 2020).

I specialize in modern Japanese history, and am particularly interested in analysing the state of modern Japanese society from the perspective of issues affecting people's lives, such as medical care, public health, and poverty relief, in the 19th century, from the end of the Edo period to the Meiji Restoration.
Recent published research works include "Nagayo Sensai: Pioneer of modernity in hygiene or inheritor of pre-modern heritage?" (original in English) (Otemae University Review, No. 17, March 2017), "Rethinking the Meiji 'Medical System'" (Otemae University Review, No. 16, March 2016), and "Reexamining the process of the introduction of Western medicine during the Meiji Restoration" (Otemae University Review, No. 13, March 2013).

My specialty is Japanese language education. Human "language" consists of "sounds" heard by the ears and "phonemes" heard by the brain. I am researching what the rules are for transcribing phonological recognition, which is necessary to understand the meaning of words, in a mental dictionary, and how Japanese language learners acquire these rules. I am also considering the need to incorporate "role language" into Japanese language education. Recently, I have been working exclusively on developing a Japanese-Japanese dictionary for Japanese language learners.
His major publications include "The Mechanism of Japanese Phonological Recognition and Writing: From the Perspective of Teaching Katakana Words to Native Korean Speakers" (Jinbunsha, 2011) and Chapter 4 of "Developments in Role Word Research" entitled "The Role of Role Words in Korean Textbooks: Virtual Reality for Teaching 'Living Japanese'" (co-author, Kuroshio Publishing, 2011).

My specialty is geography (particularly physical geography). I have conducted absolute dating of coral and shell fossils in Asia, the Indian Ocean, and the Pacific Ocean, primarily focusing on the Ryukyu Islands. Initially, my research focused on paleoenvironmental analysis and geological history, such as Quaternary sea-level changes and crustal movements, but in recent years, I have also become interested in human geography fields such as urban environments and industrial heritage, in addition to coastal environments in coral reef areas.
His major research achievements include "Space, Earth, Earthquakes and Volcanoes" (co-authored, Kokon Shoin, 2006), "Keywords for Living in Modern Society 2" (contributing author, Osaka Metropolitan University Joint Press, 2015), "Investigation Report of Kobe Steel Works Kobe Steel No. 3 Blast Furnace" (co-authored, History Research Institute, 2019), "Investigation Report of Hisa Metal Industries Head Office Building and Former Factory" (co-authored, History Research Institute, 2021), "Investigation Report of Kansai Electric Power Sakai Port Thermal Power Plant Former Steam Power Generation Facility" (co-authored, History Research Institute, 2022), and "Investigation Report of Osaka City Tsumori Sewage Treatment Plant Former Treatment Facility" (co-authored, History Research Institute, 2026).

My specialty is Japanese language, but I also cover related fields such as linguistics and Japanese language education. My main research subject is modern Japanese grammar, and I have been researching the meaning and function of grammatical forms such as "~shi te kureru/~te kuteiru," which express changes such as directionality of movement, appearance, and disappearance, "~shi too much," which expresses excess of a degree, and "~yasui yasui/~shi shi rui," which expresses the difficulty of an action.
Currently, we are working to develop new Professor methods and materials, with the aim of applying the results of our research to the field of Japanese language education.

I am conducting regional research on the Korean Peninsula, focusing on traditional performing arts and satirical dramas. Traditional masked dramas depict the conflicts between classes in feudal times in a humorous way, and express the common people's critical spirit toward the ruling class through delightful satire. While analyzing the aspects of this satire from various perspectives, I am exploring the public consciousness, ritualistic transition between the old and the new, and the world of grotesque realism that lie behind it. The satire and critical spirit embedded in traditional performing arts have been passed down not only as traditional culture in the Middle Ages and early modern times, but also in modern Korean society as social satire, and have had a significant impact on the democratization movement in modern Korean politics. Recently, I have also become interested in contemporary Korean social research, focusing on the characteristics and role of social satire and the trajectory of the democratization movement.
In graduate school classes, we will discuss "intercultural communication" in the form of case studies, focusing on the perspective of considering society from the perspective of language and the intersection of language and culture.

His specialty is early modern Japanese literature, especially haiku. He studies the Sho-style haiku advocated by Basho, focusing on the trends and works of his disciples, particularly Kikaku. In recent years, he has also become interested in haiku poets' letters, and is conducting research and studies on them. He hopes to shed light on the state of haiku appreciation by using information obtained from the "things" themselves, such as handwriting and writing paper, that are not found in printed texts. His main research achievements include "The Method of Kikaku's 'Niiyama-ke'" (Kinsei Bungei, No. 83, January 2006), "Suginagaze in his later years - An introduction and consideration of Suginagaze's letter to Oshima Minori, held in the Kakiei Bunko" (Renga Haikai Kenkyu, No. 131, September 2016), and "Buson's Letters to Hyakurou and Shofu" (Haibungakuho, No. 54, October 2020).

He specializes in developmental Psychology and educational Psychology. His main research areas are stress management, career goal achievement, and Psychology of human-animal bonds. In recent years, he has focused on the impact of keeping animals at elementary schools on children's mental development. His main publications include "Psychology of Human-Animal Bonds" (Nakanishiya Publishing) and "The Function of Control Strategies in University Entrance Exams and Job Hunting: Dealing with Stress Toward Goal Achievement" (Kazama Shobo). He has also co-authored "Career Planning: A Career Workbook for First-Year University Students" (Nakanishiya Publishing) and "Easy-to-Understand Psychology" (Minerva Shobo).

I studied theater studies at Osaka University's Faculty of Letters under Professor Masakazu Yamazaki.
I specialize in contemporary British and American theater, and have been involved in stage productions in the capacity of translator of foreign plays. Major works include "Copenhagen" and "Open the Door, Mr. Green," etc. In 2010, I received the 3rd Yushi Odajima Drama Translation Award for "Mojo Mikibo. In the rehearsal room of the play, I learned the practicalities of theater making through various experiences. With the intention of putting this to good use, I am in charge of the Film and Theater seminar at Otemae University and Faculty of Architecture & Arts and teach a graduation production with an original script every year (every December. (Please come and see the play). He is a member of the Dramatic Society of Japan, the Aesthetic Society of Japan, and the Japanese Society for Imaging Arts. His publications include "The Poetics of Futari-Shibai: An Introduction.
I will try to make the class as interesting as possible. Thank you for your cooperation.

His specialty is Japanese archaeology. He particularly focuses on the Kofun period in Japan, and is also deeply interested in ruins and artifacts from related periods in China and the Korean peninsula. He is particularly interested in bronze mirrors. In his research and investigations, he places emphasis on practical activities such as excavating ruins and sorting and analyzing excavated artifacts. Publications that are easy to obtain and read include "Symposium: Triangular-rimmed Divine Animal Mirrors" (co-authored, Gakuseisha, 2003) and "Ancient History of Kofun" (Chikuma Shobo, 2016).

His specialty is Oriental history. In particular, he is conducting research on the military history of medieval China (from the Wei, Jin, and Northern and Southern Dynasties to the Sui and Tang periods) and the Dunhuang manuscripts. In the former, he examines the causes of the "division" and "unification" of China from the military system, which continued to be divided for a long time, to the Sui and Tang period, which was the unified empire since the Qin and Han periods. In the latter, he examines the actual state of society at that time using the manuscripts from the 5th to 10th centuries discovered in the Mogao Caves in Dunhuang about 100 years ago, that is, various documents used in the daily lives of the people who lived there at that time - "raw" historical materials that were not intended to be preserved as historical materials for posterity. Recently, he has also become interested in the process by which the Dunhuang manuscripts were dispersed around the world after their discovery in modern times.

My specialization is Architecture. I primarily research spatial design theory through fieldwork methods in Architecture, including the relationship between interior and exterior spaces of Architecture. Currently, there is a growing demand in many regions for spatial design that goes beyond simply constructing new buildings. I am attempting to derive contemporary spatial design methods and concepts from the research methods necessary when interpreting regional contexts and carrying out spatial design (including renovation and conversion) from elements unique to the region. My major recent publications include "The World of Sea Folktales" (partially written, Bungei Shunju, 2025), and research achievements such as "Stone | A Material that Links Life and Place" (Architecture Institute of Japan Research Conference, 2023) and "Basic Survey on the Deemed Temporary Use of Vacant Houses in Small Fishing Villages, Part 1" (Architecture Institute of Japan Academic Conference Paper, 2023).

My specialty is Western history. I have researched the political and social impacts that the French Revolution and Napoleon's European rule, which occurred from the late 18th to the early 19th century, had on Germany (specifically the Rhineland on the west bank of the Rhine and southwestern German states such as Bavaria). From there, I have also become interested in the history of Franco-German relations in general and the Alsace region, where German and French cultures intersect.
In the future, I would like to clarify how the legacy of French rule was received in Germany during the first half of the 19th century (around 1815-1848).
His main papers are:Public OpinionundEsprit public"Public Opinion and Public Spirit in the Rhineland Under French Rule: The Case of the Roer Department (1792/94-1814), Doctoral Dissertation, University of Düsseldorf, 2018" and "The Confederation of the Rhine and German National Unity (1806-13)" (The Journal of Western History, No. 231, 2008).

His specialty is early modern Japanese history. He is particularly researching the state of town management and feudal rule in Itami-gocho, Settsu Province. He has focused on the fact that town management in feudal towns is closely related to the finances and feudal lords' finances aimed at the town's residents, and has concretely clarified the historical development of town management mainly using historical materials handed down in the homes of town officials. He will continue to investigate the state of town management in Itami-gocho, while also paying attention to its unique characteristics of having sake brewing as its core industry and being ruled by the Konoe family, one of the five regent families, and will consider the political and social functions of towns in the Kinai region. His major papers include "Finance and feudal lord finances in the management of rural towns in the mid-to-late early modern period: A case study of Itami-gocho, Kawabe County, Settsu Province" (Historia, No. 295, 2022) and "Collecting information on the Konishi Shiniemon family during the late Edo period" (Iizuka Kazuyuki, ed., Sake brewing industry and local communities during the transition to modernity: The Konishi family, sake brewers of Itami, Yoshikawa Kobunkan, 2021).

My specialty is Japanese History, with a particular focus on the political history of the transitional period from the Middle Ages to the Early Modern period.
Previous research has focused mainly on feudal lords in the Chugoku and Shikoku regions, such as the Sengoku period feudal lord Mori clan and the Tosa clan.
In addition to further developing my current research, I would also like to undertake research on the Toyotomi government, which was based in the Kansai region, including Osaka Castle and Fushimi Castle.
I also want to focus on contributing to society by utilizing the experience I gained working as a museum curator.
His major papers include "The Political Situation after Hideyoshi's Death and Otani Yoshitsugu's Return to the Toyotomi Government" (Nihon Rekishi, No. 772, 2012), "The Mori Clan's Control of Izumo and Mori Motoyasu during the Sengoku Period" (Nihon Rekishi, No. 857, 2019), and "Tosa's Falconry Grounds in the Early Modern Period" (Kainan Shigaku, No. 59, 2021).

I specialize in the history of Japanese art and crafts, and particularly in modern lacquer crafts. I have been studying the background of the creation of these works, focusing on the trends of Kyoto craftsmen and the networks between craftsmen in the production of these works. Among crafts, lacquer crafts are particularly closely linked to Japanese literature and aesthetic sense. In modern times, when Western culture has been absorbed and the characteristics of Japanese culture have been reexamined, I am also interested in how the culture of lacquer, which has preserved Japanese traditions, is perceived, and what ideas were the basis for the creation of these works. I am also interested in unraveling the personal ideas of the creators of the time. In recent years, I have been focusing on the lacquer artist Mukaida Shuetsu, and conducting research through the investigation of works in museum collections and materials in the collections of long-established furniture stores.