Sinology and Oriental Studies in Keijō and Taihoku Imperial University: The Human Networks and Imperial Knowledge

Keijō Imperial University was established in 1926 and Taihoku Imperial University was established in 1928. Since then, they were at the heart of modern scholarship and continues to influence Korean and Taiwanese academe even after their liberation. This paper demonstrates the birth of Sinology in the Japanese mainland and its expansion to colonies focusing on the academic genealogy and networks of Japanese professors. Keijō Imperial University produced a continuous stream of functional intellectuals who were adapted to colonial rule. To promote studies that were helpful to the government, Keijō Imperial University invited capable Japanese professors and supported them in many aspects. For professors to work in outer lands’ imperial universities were regarded as an “opportunity” for their academic careers, and Imperial Japan gave them the “opportunity” with academic missions for the nation. The formation of academic knowledge and higher education in colonies were born under these circumstances. This paper suggests that the academic genealogy and human networks of Japanese scholars may contribute to understanding colonial knowledge and the development of modern knowledge in East Asia.