Shigaku zasshi
Encyclopedia
Shigaku zasshi is the oldest academic journal of history
in Japan
. It was established in 1889 as the official publication of the Historical Society of Japan (shigakkai) in Tokyo. It is published in Japanese
with English
abstracts.
in Germany
, the Revue Historique in France
, and the English Historical Review in England
.
Shigeno Yasutsugu was also the only president of the Historical Society of Japan. He was president of the society from its founding in 1889 until his death in 1910. No successor has ever been appointed.
an and American
history also have a visible presence. Articles devoted to topics outside of East Asia, Europe, and the US are relatively uncommon.
Articles in the May issue are divided by (1) region (2) period and (3) thematic subject (such as "intellectual history" or "economic history"). While the sections for region and period are relatively stable, the sections for thematic subject often change from year to year.
As an example of the geographic and chronological distribution of articles, the 2005 May issue contained 1 article on historiographic theory, 5 articles on Japan
(divided by period), 9 articles on China
(thinly divided by period), 1 article on Korea
, 1 article on Central Asia
, 1 article on Southeast Asia
, 1 article on South Asia
, 1 article on West Asia/North Africa
, 1 article on Africa
, 17 articles on Europe
(divided by both period and country), and 2 articles on America (divided into North America
and Latin America
).
May issues of Shigaku zasshi from 1949–1985 are also collected in the volume, Nihon rekishi gakkai no kaiko to tenbō edited by the Historical Society of Japan and published in 1987 by Yamakawa Shuppansha.
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. It was established in 1889 as the official publication of the Historical Society of Japan (shigakkai) in Tokyo. It is published in Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
with English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
abstracts.
History of Shigaku zasshi and the Historical Society
The Historical Society of Japan was founded on November 1, 1889 and began publishing a historical journal entitled Shigakkai zasshi (Journal of the Historical Society) on December 15 of that same year. In 1892 the name of the journal was changed to Shigaku zasshi. Two professors of history at Tokyo Imperial University, Shigeno Yasutsugu and Ludwig Rieß were instrumental in founding the society and beginning publication of the journal. Ludwig Rieß consciously modeled the journal on contemporary European historical journals such as the Historische ZeitschriftHistorische Zeitschrift
Historische Zeitschrift, founded in 1859 by Heinrich von Sybel is considered to be the first and for a time the foremost historical journal. The creation of this journal inspired Gabriel Monod to found the French Revue historique in 1876. In 1886 the English Historical Review was founded and in...
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, the Revue Historique in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, and the English Historical Review in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Shigeno Yasutsugu was also the only president of the Historical Society of Japan. He was president of the society from its founding in 1889 until his death in 1910. No successor has ever been appointed.
Contents of the journal
The Journal consists of original research articles, reviews, and reports on academic trends in various fields. Although articles on Japanese and East Asian history are particularly well represented within the pages of this journal, articles on EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an and American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
history also have a visible presence. Articles devoted to topics outside of East Asia, Europe, and the US are relatively uncommon.
May issue
The annual May issue of Shigaku zasshi is of particular interest to historians trying to keep up with recent historiographic developments in Japan. The May issue is devoted to review articles summing up recent developments in the academic field of history within Japan. A general assessment of the work of the previous year in the field of history is summed up in the recurring section "Kaiko to tenbō" (“review and outlook”), and articles devoted to more specialized areas follow.Articles in the May issue are divided by (1) region (2) period and (3) thematic subject (such as "intellectual history" or "economic history"). While the sections for region and period are relatively stable, the sections for thematic subject often change from year to year.
As an example of the geographic and chronological distribution of articles, the 2005 May issue contained 1 article on historiographic theory, 5 articles on Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
(divided by period), 9 articles on China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
(thinly divided by period), 1 article on Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
, 1 article on Central Asia
Central Asia
Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
, 1 article on Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
, 1 article on South Asia
South Asia
South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...
, 1 article on West Asia/North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
, 1 article on Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, 17 articles on Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
(divided by both period and country), and 2 articles on America (divided into North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
and Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
).
May issues of Shigaku zasshi from 1949–1985 are also collected in the volume, Nihon rekishi gakkai no kaiko to tenbō edited by the Historical Society of Japan and published in 1987 by Yamakawa Shuppansha.