In his Theory of Literature, Sōseki Natsume classifies the “internal psychological processes” that constitute the content of literature as fear, anger, sympathy, self-concept and sexual instincts, among others. This classification is based on Théodule-Armand Ribot’s The Psychology of the Emotions. In this category, the term “sympathy” literally means “sym=together, pathy=feeling,” and Natsume defines it as “sharing feelings with others.” “Sympathy” in this sense is a central theme in Natsume’s literature, as he frequently describes people suffering from an inability to share their feelings with others. This paper first examines the concept of sympathy and the theories of sympathy of Natsume and Ribot, and then analyzes Walter Savage Landor’s prose “Leofric and Godiva” and Alfred Tennyson’s poem “Godiva,” which Natsume chose as examples of “sympathy.” The former is scrutinized from a prosopopoeia perspective and the latter from a personification perspective. The paper elaborates on how these rhetorical devices evoke sympathy, and discusses the meaning of “fiction” and its connection to Natsume’s criticism and works.

This study analyzes the frequency and content of references to the Danish anatomist Nicolaus Steno (1638–1686) in three journals, all founded in the late 17th century — Journal des Sçavans (French), Philosophical Transactions (English), and Miscellanea curiosa (Latin), in order to clarify how he was perceived during that period. The period under consideration extends from 1665 to 1686, the year of Steno’s death and the number of citations reveals that Steno’s reports concerning the secretory glands and lymph, as well as the heart and muscles, rapidly gained attention in widespread academic journals after their initial publication. However, reports on pathological cases attributed to Steno, such as hydrocephalus and cardiac malformations, were not often discussed in these three journals until the year of his death. By examining the frequency and content of references to Steno within these diverse reports, this study reevaluates Steno’s standing with the academic intellectual community (“Republic of Letters”) of his time.

This article examines visual discourses surrounding the “New Woman” in the 1920s and 1930s through an analysis of political cartoons reprinted from various countries in the British periodical The Review of Reviews. Figures such as the flapper, the garçonne, and the modern girl emerged alongside the expansion of consumer culture and women’s increased participation in the workforce during and after the First World War. While these women gained new forms of economic and social autonomy, they were simultaneously represented as symbols of disruption to the male–centered social order. Focusing on representations of romantic choice, marriage, family roles, and divorce, this study explores how women’s growing agency was visualized as a fear of reversed gender hierarchy. This article pays particular attention to the role of The Review of Reviews as a transnational medium in which cartoons from different national contexts resonate with one another, collectively constructing an imagined vision of a female–dominated society. By analyzing these shared visual tropes, the article demonstrates how anxieties over social change were reframed as humorous yet threatening narratives of female dominance. Ultimately, this study highlights the international circulation of visual representations that functioned as a cultural backlash against women’s emancipation in the interwar period.

This paper provides a comprehensive review of recent government policies and academic research concerning Japan's changing demographic trends and the increase in immigrants within the country. While cross-border population movements are a historically recurring phenomenon, recent advances in transportation and information technology have invigorated global mobility and transformed migration patterns. By the end of 2025, Japan's immigrant population is projected to reach approximately 3.95 million, accounting for 3.2% of the total population. Its steady annual increase signifies a significant demographic shift with important social and policy implications. In Japan, where the population is aging and birth rates are declining, businesses and local governments are increasingly relying on foreign workers. However, issues of coexistence and cultural friction remain significant challenges. Responding to this change, the Japanese government has introduced and revised various immigration-related policies, and researchers across multiple fields have examined their impacts and limitations. This paper summarizes these policy trends and addresses the challenges of social cohesion and cultural diversity within Japanese society. Furthermore, by synthesizing findings from previous research, it provides an overview of how Japan balances acceptance and resistance toward immigrants. It also explores the potential for future research integrating policy trends with academic discourse.

This thesis explores the transformation of the representation of “autumn” in the poetry of Bai Juyi (772–846), tracing his spiritual journey from early-career anxiety to the eventual attainment of xianshi (leisurely contentment) in his later years in Luoyang. Traditionally, autumn has been depicted as a season of sorrow, symbolizing decay and political failure. In his early years in Chang’an and during his exile in Jiangzhou, Bai Juyi adhered to this tradition, viewing the cold winds and aging as external threats to his ambitions.However, during his final years, Bai Juyi redefined autumn as a space for spiritual purification.This study highlights the poet’s unique focus on the objects of daily life items—such as bamboo mats, clothing, and household utensils—to argue that his philosophy of xianshi was deeply rooted in tactile, physical experiences rather than mere abstract contemplation. By analyzing his later works, the thesis demonstrates that Bai Juyi did not eliminate sorrow but managed it through “profound familiarity”, integrating the melancholy of autumn into a sophisticated aesthetic of life. Ultimately, Bai Juyi’s autumnal poetry represents a profound reconciliation with aging.

Lafcadio Hearn was a British writer and folklorist who came to Japan during the Meiji era and later became a naturalized Japanese citizen under the name Yakumo Koizumi. He primarily resided in Matsue, Kumamoto, Kobe, and Tokyo, though he traveled extensively throughout the country. Although much scholarship has focused on Hearn’s life and works, his visit to Himeji has received little attention. This paper examines Hearn’s stay in Himeji in August 1890, during his journey to assume a teaching post in Matsue. While there, he met Edwin Baker through an introduction by Ichizō Hattori. Baker, along with his Japanese wife Tori Oka, shared with Hearn the local ghost story “Banshū Sarayashiki,” which Hearn later incorporated into a passage of his essay “In a Japanese Garden,” published in Glimpses of Unfamiliar Japan (1894). This suggests that Hearn’s experience in Himeji served as a significant catalyst for his later retellings of Japanese ghost stories and may have influenced his eventual marriage to Setsu Koizumi.

Jesmyn Ward is a preeminent voice in 21st-century American literature, celebrated for her profound depictions of African American life and the persistent legacy of the Deep South. Her body of work demonstrates an acute awareness of historical injustices inflicted upon both human communities and the natural environment, framing their relationship through non-hierarchical networks rather than traditional binary oppositions. While much has been written on Ward’s major novels, her story Mother Swamp (2022) remains largely unexplored within the field of environmental criticism. This paper addresses this scholarly gap by situating the text alongside Salvage the Bones (2011) within the evolving context of Southern environmental literature. Although both narratives navigate the complex intersections of slavery-rooted racism and ecological degradation, they diverge significantly in their conceptualization of resilience. Specifically, the paper argues that in Mother Swamp, Ward reimagines the swamp as a site for the “anarchive”—a concept proposed by anthropologist Tim Ingold to describe the generative and unrecorded potential of lived history. By reclaiming the past as a vital source of resilience rather than mere ruin, Ward offers a new phase for the field, effectively transforming historical trauma into a creative foundation for the future.

Many European tourists have been attracted to Tana Toraja as an International tourist spot following Bali in Indonesia. However, Japanese tourists have not selected Tana Toraja as a favored International sightseeing spot as Bali. Tana Toraja is located in the remote mountainous area in Sulawesi and Japanese tourists may regard exotic traditional ethnic culture of Tana Toraja less attractive. Some Japanese only acknowledge Toraja having a tasty Arabica coffee brand. What is the charm point of Tana Toraja as a tourist spot? Following my experience of several visit and some research achievement of the area, I wish to present ethnic culture of Toraja as an important tourism resource and the origin of their ethnic identity.