Thomas Conlan
Princeton University, History and East Asian Studies, Faculty Member
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- Thomas Conlan, Professor of East Asian Studies and History, explores how processes such as warfare, or ritual perform... moreThomas Conlan, Professor of East Asian Studies and History, explores how processes such as warfare, or ritual performance, determined the politics, ideals, and social matrix of Japan from the tenth through the sixteenth centuries. Majoring in Japanese and History at the University of Michigan, he attended graduate school at Stanford University. Professor Conlan’s first published work, In Little Need of Divine Intervention: Scrolls of the Mongol Invasions of Japan, introduced new sources about the Mongol Invasions. In this work, he argued that the Japanese defenders were capable of fighting the Mongol invaders to a standstill. His next monograph, State of War: The Violent Order of Fourteenth Century Japan, based on his Ph.D. dissertation, revealed how warfare transformed the social, political, and intellectual matrix of fourteenth-century Japan. He then wrote a general history of the samurai, entitled Weapons and Fighting Techniques of the Samurai Warrior, 1200-1877. In his most recent book, From Sovereign to Symbol: An Age of Ritual Determinism in Fourteenth Century Japan, Professor Conlan analyzed the nature of political thought in medieval Japan. Currently Professor Conlan is exploring the role of religion and politics in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, and argues that the Ōuchi, a daimyo of western Japan, were the central figures of their age.edit
This chapter discusses the Korean origins of the Ōuchi as specialists in mining and explains how they emigrated to Japan and settled in the west. It shows how different lineages settled in distinct regions and relied on rituals and... more
This chapter discusses the Korean origins of the Ōuchi as specialists in mining and explains how they emigrated to Japan and settled in the west. It shows how different lineages settled in distinct regions and relied on rituals and religious patronage to assert their supremacy and also provides an overview of star worship, most specifically devoted to the deity Myōken, and explains how each competing lineage patronized distinctive cultic sites and destroyed those of their rivals. Finally, this chapter recounts the rise of the settlement in a place called Ōuchi by the weakest lineage of the three lineages and shows how their prospects were damaged by political turmoil in the 1330s.
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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... more
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. This article has been published by Medieval Worlds at https://doi.org/10.1553/medievalworlds_no19_2023s40.
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An overview of medieval Japanese warfare (in Japanese)
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Briefly introduces a superlative collection of medieval documents housed at Myōkōji and explains how they are a great resource for teaching.
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Overview of the transformations of Japanese warfare, covering the Kamakura, Muromachi and the onset of the Warring States (Sengoku era) 1200-1550.
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Ōuchi Yoshitaka's attempted to move Japan's capital to Yamaguchi in 1551. These efforts failed and resulted in his destruction and the death of many courtiers. This hitherto unknown event profoundly influenced the politics of... more
Ōuchi Yoshitaka's attempted to move Japan's capital to Yamaguchi in 1551. These efforts failed and resulted in his destruction and the death of many courtiers. This hitherto unknown event profoundly influenced the politics of sixteenth-century Japan.
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Prophecies profoundly influenced historical narratives in fifteenth century Japan. The narrative of Oninki (The chronicle of Onin) was constructed so that events would better resonate with a prophecy known as Yamataishi, and the chronicle... more
Prophecies profoundly influenced historical narratives in fifteenth century Japan. The narrative of Oninki (The chronicle of Onin) was constructed so that events would better resonate with a prophecy known as Yamataishi, and the chronicle shaped later historical understandings of the epochal Onin 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 of prophecies in shaping historical narratives of medieval Japan.
Reveals the 1486 apotheosis of Ōuchi Norihiro which became the template for the apotheosis of later leaders of Japan such as Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
Provides evidence of a hitherto unknown attempt by Ōuchi Yoshitaka to move the court, and emperor, to Yamaguchi in 1551.
Layered Sovereignties and Contested Seas: Recent Histories of Maritime Japan. Maiden Voyage: The Senzaimaru and the Creation of Modern Sino-Japanese Relations. By Joshua Fogel. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2014. 301 pp. ISBN: 9780520283305 (cloth, also available as e-book). Empires o...more
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Introduction to the text BAISHŌRON. For the complete translation of this and other valuable warrior tales by Royall Tyler, explore the Fourteenth-Century Voices series available at Amazon
The terms "civil" bun (文) and "military" bu (武) reflect changing views of governance in Japan. Initially, only members of the court could possess both skills. Even after the rise of the Kamakura bakufu, Japan's first warrior government in... more
The terms "civil" bun (文) and "military" bu (武) reflect changing views of
governance in Japan. Initially, only members of the court could possess both skills. Even after the rise of the Kamakura bakufu, Japan's first warrior
government in 1185, scribes or chamberlains, rather than warriors, were thought to master both bun and bu. During the fourteenth century, a competing concepts of "public authority" came to describe Kamakura's successor state, the Ashikaga bakufu, while the notions of civil and military came to refer to specialized knowledge of military texts. Ultimately, the seventeenth century witnessed the resurgence of the bun and bu ideal as a metaphor for governance, albeit one where expertise in civilian and military arts became redefined as the prerogative of Tokugawa warriors.
governance in Japan. Initially, only members of the court could possess both skills. Even after the rise of the Kamakura bakufu, Japan's first warrior
government in 1185, scribes or chamberlains, rather than warriors, were thought to master both bun and bu. During the fourteenth century, a competing concepts of "public authority" came to describe Kamakura's successor state, the Ashikaga bakufu, while the notions of civil and military came to refer to specialized knowledge of military texts. Ultimately, the seventeenth century witnessed the resurgence of the bun and bu ideal as a metaphor for governance, albeit one where expertise in civilian and military arts became redefined as the prerogative of Tokugawa warriors.
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Argues that more than innovation, the effective adaption of weapons proved decisive and argues that "technology" is best understood as a process or technique, rather than an object
Japanese introduction, transcription and photograph of an Ōuchi genealogy discovered by the author.
Analysis of the Ema, a warrior family who controlled a crossroads in a mountainous area of central Japan
Articles on the role of women in Kamakura society, the Mongol Invasions of Japan, and a brief overview of important statuses and institutions in medieval Japan.
Review of Kuroda Hideo's study about three portraits of Ashikaga shoguns which are held at Jingoji. These portraits are famous, but have been misidentified. One in particular, long thought to have been the image of Minamoto Yoritomo, was... more
Review of Kuroda Hideo's study about three portraits of Ashikaga shoguns which are held at Jingoji. These portraits are famous, but have been misidentified. One in particular, long thought to have been the image of Minamoto Yoritomo, was in fact not the first shogun of the Kamakura regime but rather the image of Ashikaga Tadayoshi.
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Reprinted and revised edition of the 2008 Weapons and the Fighting Techniques of the Samurai Warrior, 1200-1877
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In addition to providing excerpts from classic tales of Japan’s warrior past, this volume draws on a wide range of lesser-known but revealing sources--including sword inscriptions, edicts, orders, petitions, and letters—to expand and... more
In addition to providing excerpts from classic tales of Japan’s warrior past, this volume draws on a wide range of lesser-known but revealing sources--including sword inscriptions, edicts, orders, petitions, and letters—to expand and deepen our understanding of the samurai, from the order’s origins in the fifth century to its abolition in the nineteenth. Taken together with Thomas Donald Conlan’s contextualizing introductions and notes, these sources provide a rare window into the experiences, ideals, and daily lives of these now-sentimentalized warriors.
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In the sixteenth century, members of the Ouchi family were kings in all but name in much of Japan. Immensely wealthy, they controled sea lanes stretching to Korea and China, as well as the Japanese city of Yamaguchi, which functioned as... more
In the sixteenth century, members of the Ouchi family were kings in all but name in much of Japan. Immensely wealthy, they controled sea lanes stretching to Korea and China, as well as the Japanese city of Yamaguchi, which functioned as an important regional port with a growing population and a host of temples and shrines. The family was unique in claiming ethnic descent from Korean kings, and-remarkably for this time-such claims were recognized in both Korea and Japan. Their position, coupled with dominance over strategic ports and mines, allowed them to facilitate trade throughout East and Southeast Asia. They also played a key cultural role in disseminating Confucian texts, Buddhist sutras, ink paintings, and pottery, and in creating a distinctive, hybrid culture that fused Japanese, Korean, and Chinese beliefs, objects, and customs.
Kings in All but Name illustrates how Japan was an ethnically diverse state from the fourteenth through the sixteenth centuries, closely bound by trading ties to Korea and China. It reveals new archaeological and textual evidence proving that East Asia had integrated trading networks long before the arrival of European explorers and includes an analysis of ores and slag that shows how mining techniques improved and propelled East Asian trade. The story of the Ouchi rulers argues for the existence of a segmented polity, with one center located in Kyoto, and the other in the Ouchi city of Yamaguchi. It also contradicts the belief that Japan collapsed into centuries of turmoil and rather proves that Japan was a stable and prosperous trading state where rituals, policies, politics, and economics were interwoven and diverse.
Kings in All but Name illustrates how Japan was an ethnically diverse state from the fourteenth through the sixteenth centuries, closely bound by trading ties to Korea and China. It reveals new archaeological and textual evidence proving that East Asia had integrated trading networks long before the arrival of European explorers and includes an analysis of ores and slag that shows how mining techniques improved and propelled East Asian trade. The story of the Ouchi rulers argues for the existence of a segmented polity, with one center located in Kyoto, and the other in the Ouchi city of Yamaguchi. It also contradicts the belief that Japan collapsed into centuries of turmoil and rather proves that Japan was a stable and prosperous trading state where rituals, policies, politics, and economics were interwoven and diverse.
Research Interests: Economic History, Japanese Language And Culture, Maritime History, Korean Studies, Medieval urban history, and 11 moreRace and Ethnicity, Japanese History, Early Modern (Japanese History), Medieval Japanese History, Mining, East Asian History, Medieval Coinage, Coinage, Japanese Religion, Japanese Ancient History, and medieval Japanese religion
Translation and images of a scroll of fourteen documents, dating from the fourteenth through the sixteenth centuries, housed at Kyoto University.
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Meiji Japan (1868-1912) experienced profound social, institutional, and political changes. Five translated documents reveal how people adopted a range of professions, assumed new roles, and were governed by new institutional frameworks... more
Meiji Japan (1868-1912) experienced profound social, institutional, and political changes. Five translated documents reveal how people adopted a range of professions, assumed new roles, and were governed by new institutional frameworks during its tumultuous years.
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A translation of 56 documents of the Suruga Date collection, which is held by Kyoto University. The documents cover the years 1350 through 1467. You can look at the records either chronologically or the order in which they are preserved... more
A translation of 56 documents of the Suruga Date collection, which is held by Kyoto University. The documents cover the years 1350 through 1467. You can look at the records either chronologically or the order in which they are preserved at Kyoto. We also have a thematic section, where we explain the following topics: how one document by Ashikaga Takauji changed the fortunes of the Date; an explanation of the process of recommending and rewarding warriors; a study of wills and inheritance, revealing among other things, enduring spousal rights even for confiscated lands; records pertaining to the hanzei or half tax which became the basis for local (shugo) lordship; and how debt relief was adjudicated in the fifteenth century. One of our more surprising discoveries was that Tarui in Mino was briefly considered to be the Capital of the Northern Court in 1353. Finally an animated map reveals the geographic range of the battles of the 1350s, and allows one to understand how medieval Japanese mountain castles could be attacked.
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Translations and annotations are embedded throughout the scroll images.
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Interactive scroll of the Mongol Invasions, including interactive maps and a guided view.
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Digitized version of the Heiji scrolls with explanation and guided tour.
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Website containing images and translations of Japanese medieval documents.
Kyoto University and Princeton University have initiated a joint project in March 2020 in order to deepen the knowledge and awareness of Japanese history and culture throughout the world. The goal is to disseminate images, transcriptions,... more
Kyoto University and Princeton University have initiated a joint project in March 2020 in order to deepen the knowledge and awareness of Japanese history and culture throughout the world. The goal is to disseminate images, transcriptions, translations, and research about Japanese documents owned by the Kyoto University Museum.
The first set of documents that are translated are 53 records of the Tannowa collection
The first set of documents that are translated are 53 records of the Tannowa collection
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Animated history of the Ōnin War