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Japanese Ethnogenesis: Oka Masao's Theory of Cultural Strata as a Hybrid Outcome of Scholarly Exchange between Austria and Japan

Research Project

Project/Area Number 23K12262
Research Category

Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists

Allocation TypeMulti-year Fund
Review Section Basic Section 03010:Historical studies in general-related
Research InstitutionKyushu University

Principal Investigator

Weiss David  九州大学, 人文科学研究院, 講師 (80830273)

Project Period (FY) 2023-04-01 – 2028-03-31
Project Status Granted (Fiscal Year 2024)
Budget Amount *help
¥3,900,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,000,000、Indirect Cost: ¥900,000)
Fiscal Year 2027: ¥910,000 (Direct Cost: ¥700,000、Indirect Cost: ¥210,000)
Fiscal Year 2026: ¥520,000 (Direct Cost: ¥400,000、Indirect Cost: ¥120,000)
Fiscal Year 2025: ¥1,170,000 (Direct Cost: ¥900,000、Indirect Cost: ¥270,000)
Fiscal Year 2024: ¥780,000 (Direct Cost: ¥600,000、Indirect Cost: ¥180,000)
Fiscal Year 2023: ¥520,000 (Direct Cost: ¥400,000、Indirect Cost: ¥120,000)
KeywordsVolkskunde / Wilhelm Heinrich Riehl / Torii Ryuzo / concept of "Volk" / practical ethnology / Oka Masao / Wilhelm Schmidt / Fritz Graebner / culture circle theory / ethnogenesis / Korea / Tan'gun / Vienna School / Japan / Austria
Outline of Research at the Start

This project investigates how anthropologist Oka Masao (1898-1982) combined elements from European and Japanese reasearch traditions in his theory of Japanese ethnogenesis, thereby situating the emergence of ethnology as an academic discipline in Japan in its global historical context.

Outline of Annual Research Achievements

I conducted research on the emergence and development of ethnology and folklore studies in Germany, focusing especially on changing definitions of the concept of "Volk" and changes in the methodologies and primary research objects of the disciplines. Special attention was given to Wilhelm Heinrich Riehl, sometimes considered one of the founders of German folklore studies, since he exerted major influence on Oka's methodology during the wartime period.
I also conducted preliminary research on the emergence of anthropology in Japan, paying special attention to Torii Ryuzo and his theory of Japanese ethnogenesis, which Oka encountered as a student at Tokyo Imperial University. I presented my findings in several guest lectures and at an international conference.

Current Status of Research Progress
Current Status of Research Progress

2: Research has progressed on the whole more than it was originally planned.

Reason

I was able to visit the Tokushima Prefectural Torii Ryuzo Memorial Museum and the Anthropos Institute in St. Augustin (Germany) to conduct archival research. I presented my findings at the 17th Annual International Conference on Comparative Mythology at Kokugakuin University and in guest lectures at the Austrian Academy of Sciences in Vienna and at the University of Tuebingen. I also joined another Kaken project and a research project at the National Museum of Ethnology (Minpaku) on the history of Japanese anthropology, which enabled me to become a member of a network of cultural anthropologists and obtain valuable insights about research literature and archives that are relevant for my research.

Strategy for Future Research Activity

In August 2025, I will present my findings at the 19th Convention of German-Speaking Japanologists in Frankfurt. In February 2026, I intend to conduct an international symposium on the reception of the German concept of "Volk" in various academic disciplines at Kyushu University. I have already invited researchers from multiple disciplines, including, literary studies (German literature in Japan and Japanese literature), art history, religious studies, folklore studies, and cultural anthropology to present on the development of the concept of "Volk" and its adoption in Japanese academia. I also intend to visit Meiji University for archival research on Oka Masao.

Report

(2 results)
  • 2024 Research-status Report
  • 2023 Research-status Report
  • Research Products

    (7 results)

All 2025 2024 2023

All Journal Article (2 results) (of which Int'l Joint Research: 2 results,  Peer Reviewed: 2 results,  Open Access: 2 results) Presentation (5 results) (of which Int'l Joint Research: 3 results,  Invited: 3 results)

  • [Journal Article] Korea, Japan, and the Vienna School: Political Impacts on Scholarship at the Dawn of East Asian Ethnology2024

    • Author(s)
      Juljan Biontino, Bernhard Scheid, David Weiss
    • Journal Title

      Korea Europe Review

      Volume: 6 Pages: 1-4

    • Related Report
      2024 Research-status Report
    • Peer Reviewed / Open Access / Int'l Joint Research
  • [Journal Article] Korea’s Role in Japan’s Ethnogenesis Oka Masao’s Model of Cultural Strata and Tan’gun2024

    • Author(s)
      David Weiss
    • Journal Title

      Korea Europe Review

      Volume: 6 Pages: 1-19

    • Related Report
      2024 Research-status Report
    • Peer Reviewed / Open Access / Int'l Joint Research
  • [Presentation] Auf der Suche nach den Wurzeln des japanischen Volks: Oka Masao und die Herausbildung der japanischen Ethnologie (Searching for the Origins of the Japanese Folk: Oka Masao and the Emergence of Japanese Ethnology)2025

    • Author(s)
      David Weiss
    • Organizer
      Department of Japanese Studies, University of Tuebingen, Jan 7, 2025
    • Related Report
      2024 Research-status Report
    • Invited
  • [Presentation] The Vienna School in Japan: Culture Circle Theory and Its Impact on the Study of Japanese Mythology2024

    • Author(s)
      David Weiss
    • Organizer
      17th Annual International Conference on Comparative Mythology, Kokugakuin University, Tokyo, Aug 29, 2024
    • Related Report
      2024 Research-status Report
    • Int'l Joint Research
  • [Presentation] Oka Masao und die Genese des japanischen Volks (Oka Masao and the Genesis of the Japanese Folk)2024

    • Author(s)
      David Weiss
    • Organizer
      Institute for the Cultural and Intellectual History of Asia, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Dec 16, 2024
    • Related Report
      2024 Research-status Report
    • Invited
  • [Presentation] Korea's Role in Japan's Ethnogenesis: Oka Masao and His Model of Cultural Strata2023

    • Author(s)
      David Weiss
    • Organizer
      31st Association for Korean Studies in Europe (AKSE) Conference, University of Copenhagen, Jun 24, 2023
    • Related Report
      2023 Research-status Report
    • Int'l Joint Research
  • [Presentation] Myth and Ethnicity: The Role of Mythology in Oka Masao’s Theory of Japanese Ethnogenesis2023

    • Author(s)
      David Weiss
    • Organizer
      "Japan's Imperial Mythology: De/Sacralization in the Context of Exegesis, Politics and Folklore," University of Tuebingen, Nov 24, 2023
    • Related Report
      2023 Research-status Report
    • Int'l Joint Research / Invited

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Published: 2023-04-13   Modified: 2025-12-26  

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