Direction of Classical Chinese Education in Japan since 2010 and the Current Status of Classical Chinese Education Research

This study examines how the social status of <i>Hanja</i> 漢字 “Sino-Korean characters” and <i>Hanmun</i> 漢文 “<i>Literary Sinitic</i>” has changed within the history of knowledge formation in Korea, focusing on three interrelated layers: shifts in episteme, the reconfiguration of knowledge baselines, and transformations in curriculum discourse. <i>Hanja</i> and <i>Hanmun</i> were marginalized in the context of modern nation-state language policy and the establishment of disciplinary academic systems, but this did not immediately entail the disappearance of their educational value. Rather, <i>Hanja</i> education came to be assigned new goals, such as deepening vocabulary and literacy, facilitating access to historical texts, and cultivating an understanding of the shared written culture of East Asia. At the same time, the ways in which each country and region evaluated and authorized “valuable” knowledge became a key factor in reshaping the respective status of <i>Hanja</i> and <i>Hanmun</i>. The current state of Japanese Chinese Character 漢字 (<i>kanji</i>) and Classical Chinese 漢文 (<i>kanbun</i>) culture and the surrounding school education, serves as a valuable filter and reference to reflect on Korean linguistic practices and to explore the future direction of Korean Classical Chinese漢文 (<i>hanmun</i>) education. In 2010, for the first time in 29 years, Japan established the “<i>Shin Jōyō Kanji</i>” 新常用漢字 (new regular-use <i>kanji</i>) and revised large-scale educational reforms alongside the Course of Study reforms, bringing significant changes to linguistic practices and written life, as well as Classical Chinese education. This paper follows the author’s work from 2011 that examined the achievements and trends of Classical Chinese education research in Japan from 1945 to 2010. This paper examines the direction of Classical Chinese education and the current state of Chinese Character education research over roughly ten years since 2010.The framework of this research conducted in this paper is as follows. ① The social, cultural, and educational background of the implementation of the “<i>Shin Jōyō Kanji</i>” which has not been covered or sufficiently addressed in previous research, and the content of the 2017-2018 revised Course of Study are analyzed. ② Focusing on high school Classical Chinese, the direction, purpose, and characteristics of Classical Chinese education under the new curriculum are examined, and the trends, content, and questions of recent university admission Classical Chinse examinations are also examined. ③ The achievements related to Classical Chinese education published in the leading specialized journal on Classical Chinese education <i>Atarashii Kanji Kanbun Kyōiku</i> 新しい漢字漢文教育 (Journal of New <i>Kanji</i> and <i>Kanbun</i> Education) are organized by area and topic, and the current status and characteristics of recent research and teaching examples in Japanese Classical Chinese education are reviewed.The world of Classical Chinese in East Asia is not homogeneous. It is important to keep this in mind and apply this point in Classical Chinese education and its research. The differences from Korea allow for a clearer understanding of the diversity of the East Asian world of Classical Chinese, as well as Korea's unique characteristics and position. Meanwhile the similarities or shared aspects with Korea can serve as direct reference for reflecting on and improving Korean policies and practices. The author intends to continue reporting the status of Japanese Classical Chinese education and its research to the academic community roughly every ten years, while further examining the specific topics section described in this paper as necessary.