MEMBER

 

CENTER STAFF

Director
Ippei SHIMAMURA

National Museum of Ethnology,
Professor

Field of Research: 
Cultural Anthropology, Mongolian Studies
Research Interest: 
Shamanism, ethnicity, nationalism and sub-culture (Hip Hop etc.) in Mongolia and Inland Asia
URL: 
https://researchmap.jp/IppeiShimamura

Masashi NARA

National Museum of Ethnology,
Associate Professor

Field of Research: 
Cultural Anthropology, Chinese Area Studies, Islam Area Studies
Research Interest: 
Generation of religiosity through migration
URL: 
https://researchmap.jp/naramasashi/

Kaoru SUEMORI

National Museum of Ethnology,
Associate Professor

Field of Research: 
Conservation Science, Scientific Studies on Cultural Properties, Buddhist Art History
Research Interest: 
Cultural heritage, Buddhist murals, Optical surveys
URL: 
https://researchmap.jp/k_suemori

Mitsuharu AKAO

National Museum of Ethnology,
Assistant Professor

Field of Research: 
Jewish Cultural Studies, Area Studies
Research Interest: 
Jewish society and its culture in Eastern Europe, Russia and Palestine / Israel, Laughter and politics in contemporary Ukraine
URL: 
https://researchmap.jp/akaom

RESEARCH CONTRIBUTOR

Katsuhiko TAKIZAWA

School of Global Humanities and Social Sciences, Nagasaki University,
Professor

Field of Research: 
Sociology of Religion
Research Interest: 
Religion in Mongolia, Religion of Mongolian immigrant communities, Disasters and local community religion
URL: 
https://researchmap.jp/read0145754

Liulan WANG

Faculty of Global and Regional Studies, Doshisha University,
Associate Professor

Field of Research: 
Cultural Anthropology
Research Interest: 
Migration, Area studies of greater China
URL: 
https://wliulan.wixsite.com/website-1

Yujin KIM

Tokyo University of Foreign Studies,
Lecturer

Field of Research: 
Indonesian Area Studies
Research Interest: 
Popular Music
URL: 
https://researchmap.jp/yujinkim

Mizuki SAKURAMA

Faculty of Liberal Arts, Chuo Gakuin University,
Lecturer

Field of Research: 
Sociolinguistics, Tatar Culture Studies
Research Interest: 
Language inheritance (particularly problems concerning the succession, maintenance and revival of the mother tongue in Tatar society), memory and ethnicity (particularly ethnography concerning the memory of Tatars living abroad)
URL: 
https://researchmap.jp/mizuki_sakurama

Yukio NAKANO

Faculty of Global and Regional Studies, Doshisha University,
Associate Professor

Field of Research: 
Russian Literature in Exile, Translingual literature
Research Interest: 
Contemporary Russian Culture, Russian Hip Hop
URL: 
https://researchmap.jp/w3612008

RESEARCH COLLABORATOR

HUNGER (GAGLE)

Rapper

An MC from hip hop unit “GAGLE”, HUNGER was born and raised in the snow country of northern Japan. His tracks include Yuki no kakumei (Snow revolution), Shikabane wo koete (Beyond a corpse) and Ubukoe (Baby’s first cry). He has contributed to the spread of hip hop culture through a wide range of activities in different roles, such as radio MC, judge and commentator. He currently heads up Show Tiku Bai Records as a project to unearth new artists in his hometown of Sendai, produce sounds, and collaborate with overseas artists. He has released over 150 works. He has also released two solo albums: one themed around travel and sessions entitled SUGOROKU, and another themed around Japanese taiko drums and rap entitled Shitatsuzumi. In 2023, “Wadou DJ Mitsu the Beats Remix”, which featured on Shitatsuzumi X, was used in the Hollywood movie John Wick 4, starring Keanu Reeves.

Sun Paul NUMABARA

Shakuhachi Player

Born in Kyoto.
Numabara started rapping at the age of 21 and became interested in the instrument known as the Koukin (Jew’s harp) while working with a group called BRAIN PUMP, comprised of 2 MCs and 1 DJ. Since then, he has collected Jew’s harps from around the world and taught himself techniques for performing with it.
Through the Jew’s harp he became interested in hip hop from the Republic of Sakha and has begun reaching out to local trackmakers and rappers, and collecting recordings.
He also became interested in Central Asian culture, including throat singing (khoomei), and in 2015 participated in the Tuva Republic Tour planned by Koichi Makigami.
In the same year his interest turned towards his own country’s culture, and he began learning to play the shakuhachi in the Tozan style.
He now runs his own shakuhachi class as a master of the Tozan school and holds sessions with various artists.
Numabara also has an interest in Japanese performing arts and masks, and makes his own masks.
In 2020, a black okinamen (Noh mask of an old man’s face) he made was used in the music video for Marihiko Hara’s “Passion”.
In 2021 he exhibited an okinamen he created based on an antique mask at the Ikeda Town Noh Mask Public Contest. He received the Special Jury Award from the Okura-style kyogen performer, Shime Shigeyama.

ＫＡ

Mongolian Rapper

Hironao ANBO

Faculty of Law, Ritsumei University,
Professor

Field of Research: 
Latin American Literature
Research Interest: 
Cuban Literature, Cultural Anthropology
URL: 
https://researchmap.jp/Hironao

Hisashi OGAWA

Department of International Relations, Asia University,
Associate University

Field of Research: 
Cultural Anthropology, Thailand Studies
Research Interest: 
Islam in Thailand, Relationship between disaster and society/culture
URL: 
https://gyoseki.asia-u.ac.jp/aauhp/KgApp?kyoinId=ymdkyogiggy

Kaoru YAMAMOTO

Faculty of Policy Management, Keio University,
Lecturer

Field of Research: 
Arabian Literature
Research Interest: 
Arab Literature from Classical to Contemporary, Culture(Music, Art, Cinema etc.) in Arab Area
URL: 
https://researchmap.jp/kaoruyama

Hiroya NOGUCHI

Hokkaido Museum of Northern Peoples,
Curator

Field of Research: 
Cultural Anthropology (Aboriginal North Americans, Ainu People)
Research Interest: 
The relationship between prestige goods and inequality in the hunter gatherer societies of the North Pacific Rim, indigenous rights movement of the Ainu people over salmon
URL: 
https://researchmap.jp/hnoguchi

Kenichi TANI

School of Global and Area Studies, Oxford University, Research Fellow / Asia Center for Research and Human Development, Sophia University,
Research Fellow

Field of Research: 
Cultural Anthropology, Iranian Area Studies
Research Interest: 
Religious rituals of Islamic Shia, Popular culture, Religion and Politics
URL: 
https://researchmap.jp/tkstpauli

Bonpei CULCUTTA

Indian music blogger, Writer

Field of Research: 
Independent Music in Contemporary India
Research Interest: 
Hip Hop, Rock, Electro music etc. in contemporary India
URL: 
http://achhaindia.blog.jp/

Gouyu SATOU

Independent Researcher

Field of Research: 
Study on Tibetan Himalayan sky burials. Narrative practice focused on food and scenery in Japanese language education. Development of new materialism cultural anthropology and applied linguistics to language education practice
Research Interest: 
Development of new materialism cultural anthropology and applied linguistics to language education practice
URL: 
https://researchmap.jp/satogoyu

Masatoshi TOKUOKA

Aterier THiRD, Game Journalist

Akane MURAMOTO

Kagoshima University, Graduate Student,
Lecturer of Japanese

Field of Research: 
Cultural Anthropology, Migration Studies, Education of Japanese
Research Interest: 
Latin American Music, Ethnic Dance

Sakura KUDO

National Museum of Ethnology,
Research Fellow

Field of Research: 
Religious Anthropology
Research Interest: 
Ritual Culture in Nepal, Newar Buddhism, Interreligious appeasement, Changes in traditional knowledge (food culture etc.)
URL: 
https://researchmap.jp/_sakura-01