JP

Organization

Research Division

Practical Research and Collaboration Division
Local Community History Lab
Professor
Ph.D.（Literature）
Concurrent: Center for Northeast Asian Studies
Research Subject(s)
We have examined Japan from the 17th to the 19th centuries by analyzing historical records, and clarified the realities of its political, economic, and social conditions. Recently, focusing on the intersection of history and the present, we are engaged in research on topics such as food supply, water use, and waste management—all of which are essential to our daily lives.
Key Words
History / Local Community History / Disaster History / Environmental History / Historical Document
Website
Research Activities

Throughout Japan, there are many historical documents known as "komonjo" that have been preserved. While materials designated as National Treasures or Important Cultural Properties are well known, when you venture into local communities, you sometimes discover historical materials that were previously little known. We have been working to uncover the facts revealed by these ancient documents.

We are currently conducting research, primarily in the Tohoku region, into the politics, economy, and daily lives of people during the Edo period, based on documents left behind by samurai, peasants, and merchants of that era. For example, we focus on the history of the work of the samurai and actual government expenditures, as well as urban planning and the installation of waterworks that underpinned the social environment.

Selected Works

ARATAKE, K.,and NOMOTO, T.(2025). The Organization and Policy of the Sendai Domain.Iwata Shoin.(in Japanese)

ARATAKE, K.,NOMOTO, T.,and FUJIKATA,H.(2020).Michinoku History Course: The Tohoku Region during the Edo Period as Depicted in Contemporary Documents.Yoshikawa kobunkan.(in Japanese) 

ARATAKE, K. (2019).Samurai and Peasants in the Civil Administration of Early Modern Japan, Public Goods Provision in the Early Modern economy, University of California Press, 2019, pp38-56.

ARATAKE, K.(2019).Poverty and Medicine in Early Modern Japan.Kokon Shoin.(in Japanese) 

ARATAKE, K.(2015).Circulation of human waste manure in the early modern Japan : the farm villages and city of the Osaka area.Seibundo.(in Japanese) 

Selected Memberships
  • The Japanese Society for Historical Studies
  • The Socio-Economic History Society
  • The Political Economy and Economic History Society
Selected Awards
  • JCAS Award, Social Collaboration Award 2017, Japan Consortium for Area Studies
  • The seventh Tohoku culture prize for encouragement, Intelligent Cosmos Academic Foundation