Sophia Magazine vol.4 / WINTER 2016

8/32

sortiums of academic journals subscribed to by more than 7,000 libraries and institutions worldwide.Now published twice a year, Monumenta Nipponica is made possible thanks to the university’s financial support and its editors’ dedication. Beginning with Professor Kraus, the editors have played a fundamental role in expanding the journal’s audience and preserving its quality. Apart from Mi-chael Cooper, who as full-time editor singlehandedly oversaw the journal’s development from 1971 to 1996, all editors have served part-time, combining editorial duties with teaching and administrative responsibilities in one of the university faculties. Another early editor who left a lasting imprint on the journal was Joseph Pittau, S.J. (1928–2014). Professor Pit-tau is remembered for his contributions to Sophia as university president from 1975 to 1981, but prior to that, he served as Monumenta Nipponica’s editor from 1964 to 1968. It was during his tenure that the journal adopted its current dis-tinctive cover design. Every year Monumenta Nipponica receives a large num-ber of submissions, most from scholars based abroad. Each submission undergoes a rigorous review procedure that be-gins with an initial screening by Professor Gramlich-Oka and Editor Sven Saaler (Professor at the Faculty of Liberal Arts) and members of the journal’s advisory board. Submissions considered to have potential as articles are sent out for “double-blind” refereeing by specialists in the subject area (to maximize impartiality and frank, objective evaluation, the author’s identity is concealed from the ref-eree and vice versa). Many of the articles appearing in the journal have gone through a process of “revision and resub-mission” in which the author is asked to refine the argument or substantiate it with further evidence in light of the com-ments received from the referees. The ultimate acceptance rate is about one out of ten submissions. Once an article has been accepted, the editors scrutinize it yet again, working with the author to enhance its readability and effectiveness.As was true from the journal’s earliest days, the articles ap-pearing in Monumenta Nipponica continue to cover a wide range of topics. Articles in the most recent issue, volume 71, number 1, take up medieval poetic theory, a play by the Tokugawa period dramatist Chikamatsu Monzaemon, and late nineteenth-century financial policy. Reflecting one of Monumenta Nipponica’s most notable features, the articles on poetic theory and Chikamatsu also incorporate transla-tions of the works on which they focus. Monumenta Nip-ponica stands out among English-language Asian studies journals for its commitment to publishing such translations. As of 2016, more than 300 translations of literary works, historical documents, and other sources have appeared in the journal. These translations are invaluable resources for the field because they make diverse firsthand materials about Japan accessible in English.“The aim is not simply to make an interesting text avail-able in English, but to bring out its implications and signifi-cance. (Of course, it is also hoped that it will be an enjoyable read!) The translator is expected to contextualize the work through annotation and an introduction that draws on rel-evant background materials and previous research,” says Professor Nakai.Professor Gramlich-Oka adds, “The translations make wonderful course material and are used extensively by pro-fessors teaching classes in Japanese literature and history. Students who do not have the language skills to read materi-als in Japanese can nevertheless engage directly with a broad array of primary sources through the translations. Research-ers also frequently make use of them in their own work.”Monumenta Nipponica is known also for its book reviews, with each issue carrying an average of 25 or so reviews of re-cent publications on Japan in English, French, and German. In the reviews, which run from 1,500 to 3,000 words and are solicited from leading experts within Japan and overseas, the journal tries to cast a wide net over different disciplines and subject areas. As the Japanese studies field continues to ex-pand in scope, many readers look to Monumenta Nipponica’s reviews to keep up with developments in the field as a whole as well as within their own specialty. A Longstanding Tradition of Quality and DiversityKate Wildman NakaiFormer Chief Editor and Professor EmeritaJohannes B. Kraus, S.J.Founder and rst EditorThe most recent issue, Monumenta Nipponica 71:18Approach

※このページを正しく表示するにはFlashPlayer10.2以上が必要です