Seisen University

What you'll study

Coursework is organised around three interlinked strands:

• Classical Japanese Literature – study of major works written from the 8th century through the mid-19th century, with focused reading of canonical texts such as The Tale of Genji; students read the Genji in the original Japanese to develop historical, cultural and literary insight.
• Modern Japanese Literature – literature from the mid-19th century to the present, including material from the Taisho/Showa/Heisei periods; representative authors examined include Yasunari Kawabata, Yukio Mishima, Kenzaburo Oe and Haruki Murakami, with attention to political, economic and social contexts and use of visual references like film.
• Japanese Linguistics – historical development of Japanese, grammar, phonetics, accent, writing systems and typological classification; comparative modules examine structural differences between Japanese and languages such as English, Spanish, Chinese and Korean.

Additional offerings include Comparative Literature (contrasting Japanese literature with literatures from Christian cultural traditions) and a Practice of Japanese Literature course that grants credits for student-led research activities — museum visits, film and theatre viewings and experiential reports.

Entry requirements

The published page does not specify formal admission criteria. Courses are taught in Japanese and most require a solid command of the language, though the department encourages non-native speakers to improve their proficiency through the programme.

Career prospects

The source does not list explicit career paths. The programme’s strengths—textual analysis, language proficiency, comparative perspective and research practice—are applicable to careers in teaching, translation, cultural institutions, publishing, research and roles requiring advanced Japanese language skills.

Scholarships & funding angle (general)

No funding details are provided on the page. Prospective applicants should check the university’s admissions and financial aid pages for scholarships, exchange support and other funding opportunities relevant to international and domestic students.