On August 28, 2025, the “Public Reading and Review Session of the Reading Group on the History of East Asian Thought, S Semester 2025” was held at Room 11, Building 101, Komaba Campus, University of Tokyo. The event invited Dr. Mizuno Hirota (National Defense Academy of Japan), author of The Birth of ‘Shina Philosophy’ (University of Tokyo Press, 2024), to engage in discussion with students and colleagues.
The session began with an introduction by the moderator, Mr. Zhang Ziyi (Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, the University of Tokyo), who explained the aims and background of the Reading Group on the History of East Asian Thought. Established in 2025 by doctoral students who had previously served as research assistants at the East Asian Academy for Cultural Exchange (EAA), the group is designed as a new intellectual “experiment.” Its basic principle is to devote an entire semester to carefully reading one recently published monograph, usually based on a doctoral dissertation in the field of East Asian thought or intellectual history. At the end of each semester, the author is invited to participate in a public review session. The project seeks to achieve three goals: to familiarize participants with the current academic frontier of the field; to help doctoral students learn the craft of dissertation writing; and to provide authors with feedback from younger scholars in a setting that encourages intellectual exchange.
This semester’s chosen text, Dr. Mizuno’s monograph, is a major contribution that challenges the conventional narrative of the “decline of Sinology（漢学）.” By focusing on the institutional and intellectual contexts of the University of Tokyo, it examines how the disciplines of Sinology and philosophy were restructured under the influence of Western learning and modern education, with special attention to figures such as Inoue Tetsujirō（井上哲次郎）, Shimada Chorei(島田重礼), and Hattori Unokichi（服部宇之吉）.
Four commentators, all regular participants in the reading group, offered critical reflections. Ms. Niimoto Konomi (Graduate School of Humanities and Sociology, the University of Tokyo) emphasized the book’s importance in showing that the shift from “Sinology” to “Shina Philosophy（支那哲学）” was not a single linear process, but one filled with multiple possibilities. She also raised issues concerning the concept of “Shina（支那）,” the limits of ignoring contemporary China, and the mixed legacy of “Shina experts（支那通）” and reformist agendas.
Mr. Kaito Mizuki (Graduate School of Humanities and Sociology, the University of Tokyo) evaluated the book from the perspective of historiographical method. He noted its distinctive “detective story” style, which depicts scholarly discourse as necessary developments rather than mere ideological expressions, and raised questions about how to incorporate personal character and political attitudes into academic history.
Mr. Ikegami Kōsuke (Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, the University of Tokyo) praised the book’s broad scope and recovery of overlooked practices, while also pointing out the need for deeper contextualization. He critiqued the ambiguous use of concepts such as “center” and “periphery” and suggested that Inoue’s philosophical project should not be dismissed as a failure, but explored in its connection to later thought.
Finally, Ms. Ran Lifan (Department of History, Peking University) drew attention to the comparative analysis of Nakae Chōmin（中江兆民） and Inoue Tetsujirō, framing it as an example of a “global circulation of knowledge.” She stressed that while Nakae pursued a universalist “science of principle” against Western arrogance, Inoue sought to articulate a “Japanese philosophy” beyond domestic constraints. Together, their comparison reveals the tension between universality and particularity.
In his reply, Dr. Mizuno addressed each commentator carefully and also shared the intellectual journey from the dissertation stage to publication. He offered valuable advice for younger researchers, explaining, among other points, why the title deliberately retained the historically charged term “Shina Philosophy,” how to balance “history” and “philosophy” in the research about the history of thought, and how to situate questions of universality in East Asian and Japanese philosophy. During the general discussion, he further reflected on the social impact of “Sinology” and “Shina Philosophy” at the University of Tokyo, and their relationship to contemporary Chinese academia and society.
The event concluded with an informal TEA time, where the author, commentators, and participants continued their exchange in a lively atmosphere. Overall, the session proved to be an intellectually rich occasion that not only deepened understanding of Mizuno’s work but also fostered dialogue on the broader future of the History of East Asian Thought.
Report by: Zhang Ziyi (Doctoral Student, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, the University of Tokyo)
Photos by: Zhang Ziyi, Niimoto Konomi (Doctoral Student, Graduate School of Humanities and Sociology, the University of Tokyo)