Published in: PIAC Newsletter 2 (1967), pp. 7–9
Nobuo Yamada (Japan)
The Present Situation of Altaic Studies in Japan
I Research Institutes
1) The Institute of Inland Asian Studies (Haneda Tôru Memorial Hall), Kyoto University
Established: April, 1966
Research Departments (in the planning stage):
A. North and Central Asia
(1) History of North and Central Asia
(2) Altaic Languages
B. West Asia
Publications: Wu-t’i Ch’ing-wên-Chien, Translated and Explained, 2 volumes.
2) The Institute of Eurasian Cultural Studies, Hokkaido University
Established: July, 1964 (The predecessor – Seminars of Northern Culture Studies)
Research Departments:
(1) Archaeology, Anthropology
(2) Linguistics, Literature
(3) History, Geography
(4) Sociology, Psychology
(5) Political Science, Economics
(6) Philosophy, Psychology
Publications: Bulletin of the Institute of Eurasian Cultural Studies, No. 2, (forthcoming publication).
3) Institute for the Study of Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa (ILCAA), Tokyo University of Foreign Studies
Established: April, 1963
Research Departments: (The Institute has seven research departments, of which the following relate to Altaic Studies):
A. East Asia
(1) Northeast Asian Languages and Cultures — Korean, Tunguz, Gilyak, Ainu, etc. —
B. North and Central Asia
(1) Mongolian languages and cultures – Mongolian (literary Mongolian, Khalkha-dialect,
Buriat-dialect, etc.) –
(2) Tibetan languages and cultures – Tibetan (Modern Tibetan, Literary Tibetan, etc.)
(3) Turco-Uralic languages and cultures — Turkic and Uralic (Finnish, Hungarian, etc.) ––
II Academic Conferences
1) Junior Altaists’ Meeting in Japan (Nojiri-Lake Quriltai)
– the 3rd meeting –
Date: July 10–14, 1966
Attendance: 50 persons, including 4 foreigners
Program:
1) Confessions
2) The Situation of Altaic Studies and materials preserved in foreign countries
(a) Egami (Namio) “Report on horse-riding peoples and their culture in Ancient Iran”
(b) Tokunaga (Yasumoto) “The State of Altaic Studies in Hungary”
(c) Mori (Masao) “The State of Altaic Studies in Leningrad”
(d) Jagchid (Sechin) “The State of Altaic Studies in Taiwan”
(e) Choe (Hac-Kun) “The State of Altaic Studies in Korea”
3) Presentation of papers on subjects studied
(a) Mano (Eiji) “On the Groups of Nomadic People in Moghulistan”
(b) Wakamatsu (Hiroshi) “A historical study of the reception of Lamaism by the Kalmuck”
(c) Kawachi (Yoshihiro) “Measurement of Patriarchal Power in the Jurchen Society of the Ming dynasty”
(d) Oda (Juten) “A study of the Uighur manuscript of the Buddhist sûtra, Säkiz yükmäk“
(e) Koyama (Kôichiro) “On the Oghuz legend in ’Rashid*”
(f) Yajima (Hikoichi) “Ibn Fadlân’s book on his visit to the Volga-Bulgars”
4) Discussion on the matters presented
2) Conference of Junior Altaists on International Cooperation for Manchu and Mongol Studies in the Far East
Date: July 4–9, 1966
Attendance: 15 persons (10 Japanese, 2 Korean, 3 Chinese)
Topics:
A. Reports on the present state of Altaic Studies and materials preserved in each country.
B. Discussion of possible joint projects by international scholars.
Reports:
(1) ”The present state of Manchu and Mongol Studies in Japan –– A part of History” by Hagiwara (Junpei)
(2) “Japanese Research on Manchu-Tunguz and Mongol” by Ikegami (Jiro)
(3) “Japanese Achievements on Ethnological Studies of Altaic Peoples” by Saguchi (Toru)
(4) “Altaic Studies and the Study of the Neighboring Peoples” by Sato (Hisashi)
(5) “Report on Manchu and Mongol Studies in Korea” by Choe (Hak-kun)
(6) “Report on Manchu and Mongol Studies in the Republic of China” by Jagchid (Sechin)
Future Projects:
The East Asian Altaistic Conference established at the meeting of last July has decided to take up
the following projects which are expected to be carried out in close international Cooperation
of three countries:
A. Compilation of a select bibliography of books and articles on Altaic studies published in the three countries;
B. Compilation of an Altaistic Lexicon which contains entries pertaining to ethno-historical subjects.
3) The Society for the study of Inner Asian History
Annual Meeting: November 9-10, at Sendai
Symposium: “Characters of Kingdoms of Bordering Peoples”
4) Circle of Study in Ethnology of North Asia
Publication: Studies in Ethnology of North Asia, No. 3 (forthcoming publication).
5) The Society for the Study of Northern Languages.