About:

I study the dynamics between sociopolitical power structures, religion, and narratives throughout Japanese history. My research interests include onmyōdō (yin yang divination), regional legends, and intellectual history in late medieval-early modern Japan.

Advisors

Fabio Rambelli (Chair), Katherine Saltzman-Li, William Fleming

Academic History

2025  M.A. in Asian Studies, University of California Santa Barbara
2016  B.A. in History and East Asian Languages & Civilizations, University of Chicago

Academic Awards and Grants

2026-2027  Kokugakuin University Visiting Fellowship
2026-2027  Japan Foundation Japanese Studies Fellowship, Tohoku University (Declined)
2023  Ogawa Fund [Graduate Division Research Grant], UC Santa Barbara
2022  Chancellor’s Doctoral Scholars Fellowship, UC Santa Barbara

Research and Teaching Experience

2025-2026
Instructor, JAPAN 183: Readings in Premodern Japanese Texts
TA, EACS 4A: East Asian Traditions Premodern, JAPAN 80: Masterpieces in Japanese Literature

2023-2024
TA, RGST 73: Introduction to Japanese Religions, JAPAN 2: First Year Japanese 2/3
Intern, Center of the Tokyo Raids and War Damage
Organizer, Film screening and discussion panel for Onmyōji [2001], UCSB Shinto Studies Group

Translations

Yamada Junpei. “The Adoption of Gagaku by the Samurai in the Mid-Edo Period”. In Gagaku: The Cultural Impact of Japanese Ceremonial Music (Religion and Society #90), edited by Fabio Rambelli, p. 123-144. de Gruyter, 2025. With Mariangela Carpinteri.