PMJS Publication Announcement: August 2026
Abigail MacBain
Dear colleagues,
Once again, getting this out a bit late! For any submissions received after the beginning of August, these are being saved for the September issue. Below please find our monthly bulletin compiling information on publications by and recommendations from PMJS members. All details below were submitted through the PMJS Publication Announcements online form.
Publication type: Article
Title: Only Human: Occupation Censorship of “Imperial Myths” in Japanese Textbooks
Author: Thomas Conlan
Affiliation: Princeton University, Professor
Citation: Japanese Studies vol. 46.1 (July 2026), pp. 1-28.
Summary: This paper examines Occupation-era censorship policies, focusing on the portrayal of the divinity of the emperor and the inclusion of imperial myths in Japanese textbooks. It reveals that the concept of the emperor as a ‘living god’ (akitsumikami) only appeared in textbooks starting in 1940. Beyond showing the limitations and bluntness of these censorship efforts, the analysis highlights how Occupation authorities leveraged the emperor’s image to justify their reforms. It also explores how longstanding debates regarding the use of ‘myths’ as historical sources hindered these censorship efforts, and explains how a more ‘scientific’ historical analysis of Japanese antiquity came into favor.
Release Date: July 2, 2026
Website: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10371397.2026.2671350
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10371397.2026.2671350
Contact: Thomas Conlan tco...@princeton.edu
Publication type: Book
Title: Kyushu in East Asian History : A Regional Crossroads of People, Trade, Knowledge, and Skills
Author: Annick Horiuchi & Pierre-Emmanuel Roux
Affiliation: Université Paris Cité, Professor Emeritus and Associate Professor
Summary: This collective volume seeks to decentre Japanese history by adopting the perspective of “wider Kyushu,” encompassing the frontier zones surrounding the island, and examining its significance as a regional hub in East Asian medieval and early modern history. 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 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.
Release Date: 2026
Website:https://www.lcdpu.fr/books/0508C2B2-0DBC-4539-A723-49120EF3F1AC
Contact: Annick Horiuchi, annickh...@gmail.com
Publication type: ebook
Title: Emperors Monmu, Genmei, Genshō: Shoku Nihongi 697-724
Author: Ross Bender
Summary: This Kindle Edition comprises my introductions to and translations of the Shoku Nihongi accounts from 697-724. It includes the texts and translations, a kanji reference list, an introduction to Shoku Nihongi itself, and a selected bibliography. These volumes were originally published as paperback books in 2023.
Release Date: July 29, 2026
Website:https://a.co/d/0eyeuVep
Contact: Ross Bender rosslyn...@gmail.com
Publication type:
Title: Emperor Shōmu: Early Years and Peregrination, 724-748
Author: Ross Bender
Summary: The first fourteen years of Shōmu’s reign were marked by a number of dramatic incidents, including the death of a male heir, the Prince Nagaya incident of 729, and the great smallpox epidemic of 735-770. Then in 740 he began a period of travel which caused him to be characterized as “the wandering Emperor.” The period saw the sovereign undertake a months-long trek from the capital in Nara to the east and northeast, culminating at the site of his new capital, Kuni, at the end of 740. Then in the fall of 742 he set out for Shigaraki in Ōmi Province, where another city was begun, until a series of forest fires and earthquakes forced its abandonment in 745.
Release Date: July 29, 2026
Website: https://a.co/d/0eAhqBvc
Contact: Ross Bender rosslyn...@gmail.com
To recommend a title for next month’s announcement, please fill out the online form. Submissions can be submitted by authors themselves or by PMJS members who are eager to share other scholars’ recent publications.
For any questions or comments on the submission format, please contact Abigail MacBain (abigail...@ed.ac.uk). Note: Please do not email requesting a publication to be posted; only those submitted through the above form will be listed.