Thomas D Conlan
Biographic Data
| ID | 1246694 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Thomas D Conlan |
| GIVEN NAMES | Thomas D |
| FAMILY NAME | Conlan |
| SIGNATURE | CONLAN T D |
| AFFILIATIONS | Princeton University |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-5926-7381 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 11 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 5 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 11 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1999 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 1 |
Only Human: Occupation Censorship of ‘Imperial Myths’ In Japanese Textbooks
This paper examines Occupation-era censorship policies, focusing on the portrayal of the divinity of the emperor and the inclusion of imperial myths in Japanese textbooks. It reveals that the concept of the emperor as a ‘living god’ (akitsumikami) only appeared in textbooks starting in 1940. Beyond showing the limitations and bluntness of these censorship efforts, the analysis highlights how Occupation authorities leveraged the emperor’s image to…
The Gods Are Watching: Talismans, Oaths, and Political Allegiance in Medieval Japan
This contribution explores oaths and talismans in medieval Japan. After recounting the early use of talismans and the practice of pledging to the gods, it explains how oaths underpinned laws and alliances, even though they were only binding for a short period of time. Analysis of oaths reveals much about changing social norms and how people perceived their interactions with the gods and buddhas
The "Ōnin War" as the Fulfillment of Prophecy
Prophecies profoundly influenced historical narratives in fifteenth-century Japan. The narrative of Ōninki (The chronicle of Ōnin) was constructed so that events would better resonate with a prophecy known as Yamataishi , and the chronicle shaped later historical understandings of the epochal Ōnin War. Analysis of this prophecy, coupled with an exploration of the evolution of the chronicle, allows for a new understanding of the war and the role o…
Ema: Une Famille Samouraï
Morgan Pitelka. Spectacular Accumulation: Material Culture, Tokugawa Ieyasu, and Samurai Sociability
In Spectacular Accumulation: Material Culture, Tokugawa Ieyasu, and Samurai Sociability, Morgan Pitelka argues that the accumulation and acquisition of art in a formal, “ritual” context underpinned the social hierarchy and determined political and military dominance in Japan at the turn of the seventeenth century. This process, which Pitelka describes as “spectacular accumulation,” culminated in the hegemony of Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543–1616), founde…
The Failed Attempt to Move the Emperor to Yamaguchi and the Fall of the Ōuchi
This article seeks to explain the sudden fall of the Ōuchi in 1551. It argues that the Ōuchi, the lords of the West, were established as a powerful force in sixteenth-century Japan, and that their home city of Yamaguchi reflected their wider influence and prosperity. In 1551, however, this came to a sudden end with the suicide of Ōuchi Yoshitaka and the swift fall of the family. This development, which has never been properly explained, stems fro…
David B. Lurie. Realms of Literacy: Early Japan and the History of Writing
Journal Article David B. Lurie. Realms of Literacy: Early Japan and the History of Writing. Get access David B. Lurie. Realms of Literacy: Early Japan and the History of Writing. (East Asian Monographs, number 335.) Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press. 2011. Pp. xxiii, 497. $59.95. Thomas D. Conlan Thomas D. Conlan Bowdoin College Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar The American Historical Review, Volum…
From Sovereign to Symbol: An Age of Ritual Determinism in Fourteenth Century Japan
The fourteenth century witnessed a fundamental political and intellectual conflict about the nature of power and society that was expressed through the rituals and institutions of two rival courts. Rather than understanding the collapse of Japan↑s first warrior government, the Kamakura bakufu, and the onset of a chaotic period of civil war as the manipulation of rival courts by powerful warrior factions, this study argues that the crucial ideolog…
Heian Japan: Centers and Peripheries (review)
Reviewed by: Heian Japan: Centers and Peripheries Thomas D. Conlan (bio) Heian Japan: Centers and Peripheries. Edited by Mikael Adolphson and Edward Kamens and Stacie Matsumoto. University of Hawai‘i Press, Honolulu, 2007. xiv, 450 pages. $50.00. Scholars and students of Japanese history and culture should buy this book. Centers and Peripheries weaves together the latest scholarship in history, religion, literature, and art during the first three…
Armed Martial Arts of Japan: Swordsmanship and Archery
This history of Japanese armed martial arts focuses on traditions of swordmanship and archery from ancient times to the present. The author provides an overview of martial arts in Japanese history and culture, then closely examines the transformation of these fighting skills into sports. He discusses the influence of Western athletic tradition on the armed martial arts as well as the ways the martial arts have remained distinctly Japanese. During…
The Nature of Warfare in Fourteenth-Century Japan: The Record of Nomoto Tomoyuki
Armed Martial Arts of Japan: Swordsmanship and Archery
This history of Japanese armed martial arts focuses on traditions of swordmanship and archery from ancient times to the present. The author provides an overview of martial arts in Japanese history and culture, then closely examines the transformation of these fighting skills into sports. He discusses the influence of Western athletic tradition on the armed martial arts as well as the ways the martial arts have remained distinctly Japanese. During…
Armed Martial Arts of Japan: Swordsmanship and Archery
This history of Japanese armed martial arts focuses on traditions of swordmanship and archery from ancient times to the present. The author provides an overview of martial arts in Japanese history and culture, then closely examines the transformation of these fighting skills into sports. He discusses the influence of Western athletic tradition on the armed martial arts as well as the ways the martial arts have remained distinctly Japanese. During…
The Nature of Warfare in Fourteenth-Century Japan: The Record of Nomoto Tomoyuki
Heian Japan: Centers and Peripheries (review)
Reviewed by: Heian Japan: Centers and Peripheries Thomas D. Conlan (bio) Heian Japan: Centers and Peripheries. Edited by Mikael Adolphson and Edward Kamens and Stacie Matsumoto. University of Hawai‘i Press, Honolulu, 2007. xiv, 450 pages. $50.00. Scholars and students of Japanese history and culture should buy this book. Centers and Peripheries weaves together the latest scholarship in history, religion, literature, and art during the first three…
From Sovereign to Symbol: An Age of Ritual Determinism in Fourteenth Century Japan
The fourteenth century witnessed a fundamental political and intellectual conflict about the nature of power and society that was expressed through the rituals and institutions of two rival courts. Rather than understanding the collapse of Japan↑s first warrior government, the Kamakura bakufu, and the onset of a chaotic period of civil war as the manipulation of rival courts by powerful warrior factions, this study argues that the crucial ideolog…
David B. Lurie. Realms of Literacy: Early Japan and the History of Writing
Journal Article David B. Lurie. Realms of Literacy: Early Japan and the History of Writing. Get access David B. Lurie. Realms of Literacy: Early Japan and the History of Writing. (East Asian Monographs, number 335.) Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press. 2011. Pp. xxiii, 497. $59.95. Thomas D. Conlan Thomas D. Conlan Bowdoin College Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar The American Historical Review, Volum…
The Failed Attempt to Move the Emperor to Yamaguchi and the Fall of the Ōuchi
This article seeks to explain the sudden fall of the Ōuchi in 1551. It argues that the Ōuchi, the lords of the West, were established as a powerful force in sixteenth-century Japan, and that their home city of Yamaguchi reflected their wider influence and prosperity. In 1551, however, this came to a sudden end with the suicide of Ōuchi Yoshitaka and the swift fall of the family. This development, which has never been properly explained, stems fro…
Morgan Pitelka. Spectacular Accumulation: Material Culture, Tokugawa Ieyasu, and Samurai Sociability
In Spectacular Accumulation: Material Culture, Tokugawa Ieyasu, and Samurai Sociability, Morgan Pitelka argues that the accumulation and acquisition of art in a formal, “ritual” context underpinned the social hierarchy and determined political and military dominance in Japan at the turn of the seventeenth century. This process, which Pitelka describes as “spectacular accumulation,” culminated in the hegemony of Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543–1616), founde…
Ema: Une Famille Samouraï
The "Ōnin War" as the Fulfillment of Prophecy
Prophecies profoundly influenced historical narratives in fifteenth-century Japan. The narrative of Ōninki (The chronicle of Ōnin) was constructed so that events would better resonate with a prophecy known as Yamataishi , and the chronicle shaped later historical understandings of the epochal Ōnin War. Analysis of this prophecy, coupled with an exploration of the evolution of the chronicle, allows for a new understanding of the war and the role o…
The Gods Are Watching: Talismans, Oaths, and Political Allegiance in Medieval Japan
This contribution explores oaths and talismans in medieval Japan. After recounting the early use of talismans and the practice of pledging to the gods, it explains how oaths underpinned laws and alliances, even though they were only binding for a short period of time. Analysis of oaths reveals much about changing social norms and how people perceived their interactions with the gods and buddhas
Only Human: Occupation Censorship of ‘Imperial Myths’ In Japanese Textbooks
This paper examines Occupation-era censorship policies, focusing on the portrayal of the divinity of the emperor and the inclusion of imperial myths in Japanese textbooks. It reveals that the concept of the emperor as a ‘living god’ (akitsumikami) only appeared in textbooks starting in 1940. Beyond showing the limitations and bluntness of these censorship efforts, the analysis highlights how Occupation authorities leveraged the emperor’s image to…
History (8 works) · Japanese History and Culture (8 works) · Ancient history (6 works) · Political science (6 works) · Art (5 works) · Chinese history and philosophy (5 works) · Law (5 works) · Politics (5 works) · Sociology (4 works) · History (3 works)