Employing globally-oriented multifaceted approaches to studying the Japanese language, Japanese literature, and Japanese rhetoric

Professor Hiroki Urushidani (Dean of the Department of Japanese Language and Literature)


With the advancement of globalization, schools today welcome many children and students of non-Japanese descent, and communities enjoy increasing opportunities to communicate with people from overseas in Japanese. Life in today’s multicultural communities requires understanding the Japanese language and culture and having a highly cultured knowledge. For example, interacting with people whose mother tongue is something other than Japanese, whether it be in an educational or business setting, knowledge of the linguistic properties of Japanese and Japanese language education is essential. The Department of Japanese Language and Literature aims to help students study the origin and linguistic properties of the Japanese language and also subsequently help them use what they have learned to explore Japanese literature and Japanese rhetoric. Japanese Rhetoric is a new academic discipline that aims to help Japanese language learners comprehensively study Japanese expressions used in all varieties and registers of the written and spoken language. The Department looks forward to helping more people develop a highly cultured knowledge and the ability to lead a fulfilling life in the future by helping them adopt a multifaceted approach to studying the Japanese language, Japanese literature, and Japanese rhetoric in a worldwide context.

Study the language and literature of one of the globe’s biggest economies
In the past, the world started to take notice of Japan because of its economic success and innovative technologies. Today, it is Japan’s traditional culture, pop culture, and, at a more fundamental level, its language and literature that are attracting the world’s attention. This course gives students the opportunity to learn about three different areas: classical Japanese literature, contemporary Japanese literature and Japanese linguistics. Japanese started out as the language of the Yamato people. Chinese characters were subsequently introduced and used as part of the language, which gave rise to the kana system. Japanese has also incorporated a great number of words from foreign languages. To understand why Japanese has been so linguistically permeable, students analyze and research the poetry, stories and essays from antiquity until the present day, examining their defining features and the context within which they were written. Students on the course may also branch out to other related areas, such as classes that introduce methodology for the teaching of Japanese as a foreign language, Japanese history, Chinese literature, library science and even foreign literature. Every year, the course produces open-minded schoolteachers, who specialize in the instruction of Japanese in middle schools and high schools.