Ancient Roman Antiquity in the Italian Landscape and the Reception of Roman History in Modern Japan (1868-1912)
Abstract
Diplomatic and cultural exchanges between Japan and the Kingdom of Italy began as soon as Japan opened its borders. The late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries were particularly fruitful for fostering cultural ties, culminating in the growth of ancient Roman history and archaeology as academic disciplines in Japan. This article examines unpublished and little-known sources, including diaries of Japanese travellers and Meiji-era (1868‑1912) writings on ancient Rome. It focuses on Japanese travellers’ impressions of Roman monuments and ruins in Italy and explores how these experiences contributed to the dissemination of ancient Roman studies in Japan.
Presentato: 11 Marzo 2025 | Accettato: 05 Maggio 2025 | Pubblicato 31 Luglio 2025 | Lingua: en
Keywords Meiji Period • Ancient Roman History • Japanese travellers • Reception of Classical Antiquity • Ancient Roman Archaeology
Copyright © 2025 Yuko Fukuyama, Myriam Pilutti Namer. This is an open-access work distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction is permitted, provided that the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. The license allows for commercial use. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
Permalink http://doi.org/10.30687/AnnOr/2385-3042/2025/01/014