Kyushu in East Asian history : a regional crossroads of people, trade, knowledge, and skills

Kyushu in East Asian History

This collective volume seeks to decentre Japanese history along two complementary axes : by situating it within broader global and transnational frameworks, and by foregrounding local and regional contexts. It focuses on Kyushu, the westernmost region of the Japanese archipelago, which since ancient times has been home to key contact points connecting Japan to other parts of East Asia. Although Kyushu's role as a « gateway » has often been highlighted in earlier scholarship, its history has rarely been narrated independently of Japan's central authorities.

By contrast, this volume adopts the perspective of « wider Kyushu, » encompassing the frontier zones surrounding the island, and examines its significance as a regional hub in East Asian medieval and early modern history from the tenth to the nineteenth century. It offers insights into the political, social, economic, and cultural landscapes of Kyushu, shaped by centuries of interaction with China, Korea, the Ryukyu Islands, and Southeast Asia. The volume also explores Kyushu's historical memory, marked by warfare, piracy, and violence, as well as by dense and multifaceted forms of human exchange. In doing so, it sheds light on the important role this region has continuously played in the making of a modern and global Japan.