Japanese for Sinologists: A Reading Primer with Glossaries and Translations - Softcover

For many years it has been known that scholars of Chinese history and culture must keep abreast of scholarship in Japan, but the great majority have found that to be difficult. Japanese for Sinologists is the first textbook dedicated to helping Sinologists learn to read scholarly Japanese writing on China. It includes essays by eminent scholars, vocabulary lists with romanizations, English translations, grammar notes, and a wealth of general information not easily available anywhere. The reader will be introduced to a wide panoply of famed Sinologists and their writing styles. The first chapters introduce some basic information on dictionaries, encyclopedias, and other resources for research on China in Japanese materials, including a list of names and terms from Chinese political, historical, and cultural events. The chapters cover a range of topics and time periods and highlight authors, all well-known Japanese scholars, with an appendix of English translations of all the articles. After completing this book, the user will be able to begin his or her own reading in Japanese Sinology without the extensive apparatus this volume supplies.

"Japanese for Sinologists is an essential resource brimming with useful information for the aspiring scholar of China who seeks to read Japanese. Most of the sample texts are from the writings of giants of a former generation, which means the book has the salutary effect of introducing the reader to these important scholars in their original language. It also serves as a guide to reference materials, both on paper and online."—Tobie Meyer-Fong, Professor of History, Johns Hopkins University, and editor of Late Imperial China

"This volume fulfills a crucial need for advanced training in Chinese studies. Students and scholars alike will benefit not only from the practical guidance in reading Japanese scholarship, but also from the opportunity to familiarize (or reacquaint) themselves with the writings and ideas of seminal figures in Japanese Sinology."—Richard von Glahn, author of The Economic History of China from Antiquity to the Nineteenth Century

"Japanese scholarship is essential for the study of Chinese history and culture. Sinologists will find this reading primer immensely helpful for acquiring the reading knowledge to gain access to such scholarship."—Wai-yee Li, author of Women and National Trauma in Late Imperial Chinese Literature