Global Histories, Local Resources: Exploring Tōhoku’s International Pasts from within Akita Prefecture

Abstract

Scholars often overlook the history of the Tōhoku region when researching Japanese modernization during the prewar period. However, natives from the Tōhoku region contributed significantly to multiple forms of mobility that shaped the development of modern Japan: the settlement of Hokkaidō, international migrations around the Pacific, and colonization of Greater Japan. Akita prefecture is home to a host of resources that chronicle international linkages between Japan’s northeast and the wider world in all three of these instances. Seeking to investigate these relatively untapped resources, I spent two weeks in Japan during the summer of 2018 to augment my single-authored book manuscript tentatively titled Tōhoku Unbounded. The following article outlines the archival collections, library resources, and rare materials I encountered during my visit to Akita City. Ultimately, these resources will augment my manuscript and help place Akita at the heart of an intricate web of national and international mobility that challenges stereotypes of Tōhoku provincialism.