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About Us
The Japan Foundation Awards / Special Prizes (2002) - Profile
- The Japan Foundation Awards
- Makoto Ooka / Gerald L. Curtis
- The Japan Foundation
Special Prizes - The Old Japan Students'
Association, Thailand (OJSAT) /
"Japanese Mothers for Foreign Students" Movement of the Tokyo YWCA /
Warsaw University, Oriental Studies Institute, Department of Japanese and Korean Studies
Warsaw University, Oriental Studies Institute, Department of Japanese and Korean
Studies (Poland)
The Japanology department of the University of Warsaw, the oldest and most
traditional of its kind in Poland, was founded in 1919. During the ensuing
83 years, it has contributed to the development of Japanese studies and Japanese-language
education in Poland.
In the days of its inception, there was a strong tendency to perceive Japanology
as a part of Sinology, but thanks to the unstinting efforts of scholars such
as Professor 
,
the department gave birth to high- quality research results and outstanding
scholars, and today, it continues to develop research in a broad range of
fields, including literature and theatre, ideology and religion, history,
and linguistics.
Under close links with the Japanese studies departments of Adam Mickiewicz
University and Jagiellonian University, which were founded at a later date,
the University of Warsaw Japanese-Korean Studies Department has made an enormous
contribution as the core Japanese studies organization not only in Poland
but in all central Europe as well.
Brief History
The rise in interest in Japan that came about through the influence
of Japonisme in Europe brought good fortune to Japanese studies at Warsaw
University, resulting in the establishment of a Japanology department as
one of the new academic faculties that were founded after the end of World
War I.
From the period of World War II to the postwar period, carved
out the foundation of Japanese studies, resulting in a gradual escape from
the influence of China, and the unique development of Japanese studies has
continued there up to the present.
A total of 12 scholars have already received their doctoral degrees in Japanese
studies there, and the department has also published translations of Japanese
literature ranging from the classics to contemporary works, and outstanding
textbooks on Japanese literature and history, as well as a specialist periodical
for the introduction of Japanese culture titled Japonica and a series of books
titled "Japanese Literature Library," maintaining throughout a position
of leadership in the field of Japanese studies in central Europe.
Major Activities
| 1919 | Opening of the first Japanese-language course in Poland |
|---|---|
| 1933 | Amalgamation of the Japanese-language course and the Chinese studies department |
| 1952 | Opening of a Master's course seminar for students majoring in Japanese studies |
| 1955 | Opening of a Japanese-language course (Master's course) |
| 1978 | Signing of an agreement on academic exchange with the University of Tokyo |
| 1991 | Amalgamation with the Korean studies department to become the Japanese-Korean Studies Department |
| 1991 | Establishment of the Poland Japanese Studies Foundation under the initiative of the Japanese-Korean Studies Department |
| 1994 | Holding of an international conference in celebration of the 75th anniversary of Japanese-language education at Warsaw University |
| 2002 | Reorganization of the curriculum to offer a major in Japanese studies (five years), including an undergraduate degree (3 years) and a Master's degree (2 years) |
| 2003 | Sponsoring of a general meeting of the European Association of Japanese Studies (projected) |