New Perspectives on Early Modern Japanese history Kinseishi kara kangaeru (Reflections on Early Modern Japanese history)

This is the final volume in a seven-volume series composed of contributions by leading scholars engaged in cutting-edge research on early modern Japanese history. The aim of this series is to consolidate existing scholarship, offer a comprehensive view of the period, and present an overarching perspective on Japan's early modern era.
 
Volumes 1–3 provide a general chronological overview, while Volumes 4–6 are organized thematically to portray the broader structure of early modern society. Throughout the series, the editorial approach emphasizes readability, omitting academic annotations to make the content accessible to a wider readership.
 
This final volume brings together discussions from the entire series, offering critical examinations of related issues and exploring the challenges that remain for future research in early modern history. Four historians specializing in the field were invited to review all six preceding volumes. Their reviews form the foundation of a symposium-style dialogue that allows for a multifaceted exchange of ideas. These reviews, which are grounded in each scholar's area of expertise and informed by broader perspectives in the field, provide valuable insights. The topics addressed were wide-ranging, including debates on diplomatic history, gender perspectives, the importance of understanding popular history through the lenses of disaster and environmental history, and more (I. Reviewing New Perspectives on Early Modern Japanese History).
 
Following these four review reports, a discussion session was held with all ten editors of the series, who engaged in Q&As and responded directly to the reviews (II. Responding to the Reviews). Subsequently, a deeper symposium discussion was carried out to explore the issues raised across the entire series (III. Roundtable Discussion: Challenges in Early Modern History). This volume presents the full record of the extended symposium, in which editors and reviewers gathered in one place for an in-depth dialogue. It not only offers a summary of the scholarly accomplishments achieved through this series but also identifies unresolved questions and areas for further inquiry.
 
To conclude the volume, two series editors, Shigeyuki Makihara and Sho Ono, engaged in dialogue-style discussion to further elaborate and reorganize the key points raised throughout the project. This discussion is included at the end of the volume (IV. Dialogue: Toward the Future of Early Modern Historical Studies). While this conversation seeks to clarify certain arguments more explicitly, it also leaves several issues open, reaffirming our honest impression after completing this editorial endeavor—that is, the challenges facing early modern Japanese historiography remain far from being exhausted.
 
Finally, research on early modern Japanese history continues to produce an extraordinarily rich and diverse body of scholarship. The goal of the New Perspectives on Early Modern Japanese History series has been to bring together these research achievements and the perspectives reached thus far and to present a cohesive image of the era. We sincerely hope that, by reading all the volumes in this series, “New Perspectives on Early Modern Japanese History," you will experience the unique interestingness and abundant possibilities of this field of historical research.
 

(Written by ONO Sho, Associate Professor, Historiographical Institute / 2025)