author
Kan'ichi Asakawa
1873–1948
A pioneering historian who helped bring the study of Japan’s past to American universities, he also spent much of his life trying to build understanding between Japan and the United States. His work at Yale left a lasting mark on both scholarship and library collections.
1 Audiobook
The Russo-Japanese Conflict: Its Causes and Issues
by Kan'ichi Asakawa
About the author
Born in Nihonmatsu, Fukushima, in 1873, Kan'ichi Asakawa came from a samurai family and pursued higher education in both Japan and the United States. He studied at Tokyo Senmon Gakko, later known as Waseda University, then earned a B.A. from Dartmouth College in 1899 and a Ph.D. in history from Yale in 1902.
Asakawa became an important scholar of Japanese history at Yale, where he taught, wrote, and helped build one of North America’s strongest collections for the study of Japan. He is especially remembered for introducing Japanese premodern history to English-speaking readers and for combining the work of historian, author, curator, and librarian.
He also stood out as a peace advocate who hoped scholarship and diplomacy could improve relations between Japan and the United States. Living much of his life in New Haven, he remained deeply connected to both countries until his death in 1948.