Main research interests

• Cultural history and history of ideas of the early modern period
• Pre-modern literature of Japan (Focus: narrative literature of the Middle Ages and early modern period)
• Book science and manuscripts

Dissertation project

• „Populäre Geschichtsschreibung des frühen 19. Jahrhunderts am Beispiel von Takai Ranzan“ [“Takai Ranzan and Popular Historical Writing in Early 19th Century Japan”]

• 2024: Dissertation at the Ruhr University Bochum on the topic „Populäre Geschichtsschreibung im frühneuzeitlichen Japan: Historiographische Elemente und historische Sinnbildung in der Erzählung Atsumori gaiden – Kidan Aoba no fue [Zusätzliche Biographie des Atsumori – Die ungewöhnliche Geschichte der Grünblattflöte] (1813) von Takai Ranzan“
• 2021–2022: Research stay at Hitotsubashi University in Tōkyō funded by a one-year scholarship from the Japan Foundation
• 2019: Two-month research stay at the University of Tsukuba funded by a scholarship from the Japanese Student Services Organization (JASSO)
• Since November 2017: Research assistant at the Chair of Japanese History at Ruhr University Bochum
• June – October 2017: Research assistant at the Department of Japanese Studies Frankfurt
• Since 2016: Research member at the Institute for Japanese Studies at Rikkyō University Tōkyō
• 2015–2016: Research and study stay at Rikkyō University in Tōkyō funded by a one-year scholarship from the German Academic Exchange Service
• 2014: M.A. in Japanese Studies at the Goethe University Frankfurt
• 2013: Three-month study visist to Tōkyō funded by a scholarship from the German Academic Exchange Service Tomo no kai
• 2011: B.A. in Japanese Studies (Specialising in literature, cultural history and history of ideas) and German Studies at Goethe University Frankfurt

Editorships

• (2023) Themenschwerpunkt: Historisches Erzählen im Vormodernen Japan [Thematic Focus: Historical Narration in Pre-modern Japan]. In: Bochumer Jahrbuch für Ostasienwissenschaften (BJOAF) 45/2022, 4–173. (together with Daniel Schley)

Publications

• (probably 2024): „Takai Ranzan’s “Pilgrimage to Tsukuba” (1813) and the Publishing of Textbooks on Pilgrimages to Shrines and Temples in Edo“
• (2023): „Historisches Erzählen – ein vielfältiger Begriff. Vorwort zum Themenschwerpunkt" [“Historical Narration – A Multifaceted Concept. Foreword to the Thematic Focus”] In: Bochumer Jahrbuch für Ostasienwissenschaften (BJOAF) 45, 5–11.
• (2023): „Shīboruto-hitsu no 1828 nen 9 gatsu 27 nichi hizuke no gyōmu hikitsugi no bunsho A. Shizen kagaku – Sumitomo Tomohiro kara nyūshu shita dō-hyōhon –“ [A Handover Report written by Siebold in September 27, 1828 (A. Natural Science) Bronze Specimen Received from Sumitomo Tomohiro], In: Narutaki kiyō 32, 35–51. (together with Tagai Tokuhei)

Lectures

• 14 January 2023: „Takai Ranzan’s Tsukuba mōde and the Publishing of Textbooks on Pilgrimages to Shrines and Temples (sankeigata ōraimono) in Edo“, The Commercialization of Knowledge in Edo Period Japan. Publishers, Editors, Print Products, and Their Impact on Pre-modern Cultural Life, University of Cologne
• 1 October 2022: „Takai Ranzan no yomihon ni okeru rekishi no tsutawarikata – Heike monogatari ni motozuku sakuhin o chūshin ni“, 153rd Symposium of the Shomotsu Working Group, shuppan to shakaihen’yō (online)
• 4 September 2021: „Neubearbeitungen des Heike monogatari im Edo-zeitlichen yomihon-Genre“ [“New Adaptations of the Heike monogatari in the Edo-period yomihon genre”], 21st Meeting of the working group on pre-modern Japanese literature „Historisches Erzählen im vormodernen Japan“ [“Historical Narration in Pre-modern Japan”], Ruhr University Bochum
• 11 October 2019: „Takai Ranzan (1762–1839) and Popular Historical Writing in Early 19th-Century Japan“, Conference „Crossing Borders: Past and Future of Japanese Studies in the Global Age“, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague
• 13 April 2019: „Cultural impacts of Hideyoshi’s invasions: Japanese early-modern literary depictions of the Imjin War - With a focus on Chōsen gunkimonogatari“, 29th AKSE Conference, Sapienza University of Rome
• 31 January 2019: „Zwischen Historiographie und unterhaltender Prosa: Überlegungen zum frühneuzeitlichen Geschichtsbild Japans am Beispiel von Takai Ranzans Werken“ [Between Historiography and Entertaining Prose: Reflections of Japan’s Early Modern View of History using the Example of Takai Ranzan’s Works], Ostasienwissenschaftliches Mittagsforum [East Asian Studies Lunchtime Forum], Ruhr University Bochum
• 31 August 2018: „Takai Ranzan und sein Werk Atsumori gaiden. Aoba no fue“ [“Takai Ranzan and his Work Atsumori gaiden. Aoba no fue”], 17th German-speaking Japanology Day, FU Berlin.
• 30 June 2018: „Körperdarstellungen und Grenzüberschreitungen bei der Figur des Taira no Atsumori in der Literatur des frühen 19. Jahrhunderts“ [“Body Representations and Transgressions in the Figure of Taira no Atsumori in the Literature of the Early 19th Century”], 18th Meeting of the working group on pre-modern Japanese literature "Körper als Grenze und Welt" [Bodies as Boundary and World] LMU Munich
• 23 July 2016: „Problems and challenges of working with kuzushiji primary literature. Takai Ranzan’s Atsumori gaiden. Aoba no fue“, International Symposium on the kuzushiji workshop of the Department of Japanese Studies at Goethe University Frankfurt
• 11 July 2015: „Kinsei bungaku no Taira no Atsumori-zō. Takai Ranzan no Atsumori gaiden. Aoba no fue“, 54th Symposium of the Institute of Japanese Literature at Rikkyō University Tōkyō

Conferences/Symposia/Workshops

• 3–5 September 2021: 21st Meeting of the Working Group on Pre-modern Japanese Literature — „Historisches Erzählen im vormodernen Japan“ [“Historical Narration in Pre-modern Japan”] (together with Gordian Schreiber), Ruhr University Bochum

Exhibitions

• 23 April – 15 December 2024: „Philipp Franz von Siebold (1796-1866) Naturforscher & Arzt im alten Japan“ [“Philipp Franz von Siebold (1796-1866) Naturalist & Physician in old Japan”], a joint project of RUB’s scientific collections (Botanic Garden, Medical History Collection, Mineralogical Collection, Siebold Archive)

Activities aimed at the General Public / Miscellaneous

• 05 June 2024: „Nagasaki Tea Party mit Takano Chōei: Der Japanforscher Siebold und seine Informanten“ [“Nagasaki Tea Party with Takano Chōei: The Japan Scholar Siebold and his Informants”] Talk with Christian Hebenbrock in the lecture series „Wahres über Rares – Objekte aus den Bochumer wissenschaftlichen Sammlungen“ [“Truth about Rarities – Objects from the Bochum Scientific Collections”], Ruhr University Bochum
• 29 June 2023: „Traumjob Wissenschaft? Über Frust und Freude eines Werdegangs in der Japanologie“ [“Dream Job Science? On the Frustration and Joy of a Career in Japanese Studies”], lecture in the series „Wissenschaftliche Wege, Wissenschaftliche Praxis“ [“Scientific Paths, Scientific Practice”],  Goethe University Frankfurt a. M.
• 2016-2020: Cooperation with the Dieterich’schen Verlagsbuchhandlung Mainz: Provision of digitized illustrations from the collections of the Frankfurt Edo bunko and the Bochum Altjaponica