13 Literature Degree Programs in Japan

The Japanese Literature program offers an all-encompassing education in the literature of Japan, from the ancient to the medieval and early modern as well as modern and contemporary. The course involves detailed readings of individual works and suggests various ways to approach different authors and the prevailing trends of different eras, resulting in significant findings. Members of the faculty include Professor Iikura Yōichi (early modern literature), Associate Professor Saitō Masao (modern and contemporary literature), and Associate Professor Seta Michio (medieval literature).

The Department of Literature at Tohoku University was born from the Tōhoku Imperial University Faculty of Law and Literature, established in Katahira-chō, Sendai in 1922. A creation of the "Taishō Democracy" period that followed the First World War (1914-1918), the Department of Law gathered professors leading the work in modernizing the liberal arts, their lectures attracting the interest of not only students of the humanities, but also students studying education, law, and economics.

This course looks at literature from Japan and around the world to provide students with a wide range of perspectives and explore the links between the internal and external (“environmental”) worlds of an artistic work through a multifaceted approach incorporating natural, human, and cultural environments in pursuit of the issues that transcend boundaries. Important components of the process include reading texts within the context of their contemporary societies, cultures, and norms; questioning media announcing their publication; and considering the relationships between texts and other genres, such as art, theater, and film.

The Department offers courses in Japanese language and literature, from classical literature (e.g., Manyoshu, the Tale of Genji, and Heike Monogatari) to contemporary literature (e.g., works of Soseki Natsume, Haruki Murakami, Shuntaro Tanikawa). The Department also provides various courses such as courses in Media, on Child literature, and on Performance.

Acquire specialized knowledge in Japanese literature, linguistics and calligraphy. Along with carrying out instruction and research that values the importance of experiencing the best works of literature, we have established a program to assist with students' path after graduation.

Graduate Program in Japanese Literature aims to enrich and develop Onomichi literature and art history and to foster people who willfully contribute to society. This program focuses on the following: (1) Japanese ways of consideration and comprehensiveness of language culture This program explores the origin of Japanese literature / culture that has created the characteristics of the Japanese language. (2) Restoration of communication with human beings, history, environment, and nature Onomichi has a traditional art culture consisting of beautiful nature and enriched historical environment. Essential research and investigation of Japanese literature and culture could be an important starting point to promote precise human nature and expressive sensitivity. (3) Realization of genuine internationalization High-level adults and/or vocational specialists with genuine global sense are prospective resources to contemporary society.

This course covers all periods and genres of Japanese literature, starting with waka poetry, Sino-Japanese poetry of the early modern period, the monogatari style of literature (e.g., The Tale of Genji )), setsuwa , and essays from ancient and medieval times. This course also includes the study of haikai poetry, ukiyo-z ōshi , yomihon , as well as the literature of the modern period, ranging from Meiji-era voices, like Higuchi Ichiyō and Natsume Sōseki, to contemporary literature. This course prioritizes students’ acquisition of basic techniques, such as bibliographical knowledge, which is required to handle literary sources such as old manuscripts, Japanese bound books, and letters.

We cover almost all eras and fields of Japanese literature, and in addition have specialists in Japanese linguistics, teaching the Japanese language, and ancient Chinese thought. More than a century has passed since our school’s founding, and during that time we have gathered a rich collection of books of which we are very proud. In the field of Japanese literature, our Yamagishi Collection and Kurokawa Collection are particularly famous, with their valuable classic books, and researchers from outside Jissen come to view both of these collections. The Japanese literature program of the graduate school does not end with a master’s degree, but goes on to a doctoral program, so for all of our students, obtaining a doctor’s degree is not a mere dream. We also have a system of official credit exchange with the graduate schools of Seikei University and Chuo University.

The remarkable progress of globalization and the advancement of the information age in recent years has created immense opportunities to communicate with people, groups, and organizations around the world who have different cultural backgrounds. As a result, the complexity and difficulty of reaching a consensus and developing mutual understanding with such people are becoming clear. Under these circumstances, it is necessary to train students not only to acquire linguistic and negotiation skills, but also to become knowledgeable about the historical, social, and economic backgrounds of various cultures, as well as to develop a deep interest and understanding of humanity. Such training is the educational goal of the Master's Program in Language, Culture, and Communication of the Graduate School of Literature.

The mission of literary research in a Liberal Arts education is to confirm the semantic richness of man and the world through textual experiences. For this to be done, we must be able to critically read the world, to accept the emotional dimension, which is not necessarily explicable through logic, and to learn how to apply an integrative and intellectual approach.

A fundamental fact must first be made clear: the Faculty of Letters is not just a place to study literature. Philosophy, religion, history, language, art, and social sciences are included among the wide range of subjects that can be studied here.

The Master’s program of the Graduate School of Letters is based on a curriculum that packages lectures and seminars, with the aim of providing guidance to graduate students to enable them to study basic specialist knowledge in their particular fields. The School offers an optimal environment for carrying out research, as it provides libraries and seminar rooms for each major, as well as highly individualized guidance for the students.

The Faculty of Letters was established in May 1949 as part of the new Faculty of Law and Letters. This faculty was then split into the Faculty of Law and the Faculty of Letters in 1979.