Historian and Writer in Fukuoka

I am a historian of early modern Japan and currently a doctoral candidate at Kyushu University. My research broadly explores the social and spatial history of "gate-front towns" (monzenmachi ), settlements that thrived as sites of pilgrimage and pleasure near religious institutions.

As a freelance writer and translator, I strive to create engaging and educational content that makes Japanese history, literature, and culture accessible to a wider audience. Although published anonymously, my work has been recognized for its excellence by the Japan Tourism Agency (JTA).

You are likely to find me tinkering around with digital approaches to the humanities or pondering education in the age of—rapidly advancing—generative artificial intelligence.

Current Projects

• Becoming-Dazaifu
  PhD dissertation that examines changes in the social and political space of Dazaifu between 1865 and 1867 through the lens of assemblage theory
• Hiun's Guide to Dazaifu
  Annotated translation of an eighteenth-century travel guide on Dazaifu written by a haiku poet named Gahyōbō Hiun (d. 1800)

Experience

• Special Joint Research Fellow, National Museum of Japanese History (2023–)
• Copyeditor, Journal of Religion in Japan (2022–)
• Freelance Writer, Export Japan (2020–2023)
• Research and Program Coordinator, Reischauer Center for East Asian Studies, Johns Hopkins SAIS (2016–2018)

Education

• PhD in Japanese Humanities (History), Kyushu University (2021–)
• MA in Japanese Humanities (History), Kyushu University (2019–2021)
• MSc in Economic History, London School of Economics (2014–2015)
• BBA in Economics, Villanova Univeristy (2010–2014)

Languages and Skills

• American English | Modern Japanese (JLPT N1) | Classical Japanese (bungo and kanbun)
• Chicago Manual of Style | APA Style | Ruby (Beginner)