Teacher Profiles

Research topic

My research focuses primarily on political systems related to transportation and the ancient history of the Tohoku region, aiming to examine the characteristics of ancient Japanese societies and states from the perspective of transportation and exchange.

Research Topics

Understanding ancient Tohoku history through regional relationships

The present-day Tohoku region overlaps with the area known as "Ou" (Mutsu and Dewa) in the pre-modern era. While Ou is often considered a single, distinct region separate from the Kanto region and westward, it was actually a collection of diverse areas with unique characteristics, a framework unified by the ancient state for political reasons. The people known as "Emishi" by the state, as well as those who migrated from regions such as Bando and Hokuriku, each built their own unique cultures while simultaneously maintaining contact with various regions to the north and south. This study examines the characteristics of ancient Tohoku/Ou, a place where such diverse cultures blended and clashed, from the perspective of inter-regional transportation and exchange.

Wakuya Town Kogane-yama Shrine (Japan's first gold-producing site)

Examples of graduation thesis titles from the Nagata Seminar

• "On the significance of the Kamo Saiin (Imperial Princess serving at the Kamo Shrine)"
• "The Control and Management of Time in Ancient Japan: Based on a Study of the Timekeeping System Using Water Clocks and the Recording of Time"

Recent works

• "The Establishment of the Three Passes - The Eastern Regions Adjacent to the Kinai Area and Royal Power," *Lectures on Ancient Studies of the Kinai Region IV: Military Affairs and Foreign Relations*, Yuzankaku, 2022.
• "Grain, Rice, and Textiles in Ancient Mutsu and Dewa Provinces: From the Perspective of Distribution and Economics," *History and Culture*, combined issues 65 and 66, 2022.
• "The Thirty-Eight Years' War and Iji Castle," in *Regional Images and Fortifications of Ancient Tohoku*, Koshi Shoin, 2019.