Researcher Database

（Last updated : 2024-05-21 06:27:48）　

ISHIKAWA Ryota

Department / Course College of Business Administration Department of Business Administration

Title / Position Professor

Other Affiliations
1.	Graduate School of Business Administration
2.	Kinugasa Research Organization Center for Korean Studies

Academic background
1.	～2003/03	Doctoral Program (2nd Semester) │ Division of Studies on Cultural Forms │ Graduate School, Division of Letters │ Osaka University │ Completed Ph.D. in Letters
2.	～1997/03	Asian History Major, Department of History │ Faculty of Literature │ Osaka University │ Graduated

Research activities
1.		The History Research Laboratory of Pukyong (South Korea)
2.		Association for the Study of Korean Culture and Society
3.		Korean History Research Society (South Korea)
4.		Economic History Society (South Korea)
5.		The Historical Society of Japan
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Subject of research
1.	Colonial economy and finance of Korea
2.	International commerce of modern East Asia

Research summary
The process for the formation of a wide-area commercial and finance network focused around modern Korea Korea faced its “opening of its ports” with the Japan-Korea Treaty of 1876. This incident is often understood as a step towards colonization in 1910, but this captures only one aspect of the matter. At the time in East Asia, through the expansion of open port trading based on commercial treaties, a dense intra-regional market was being formed accompanying the rapid growth of market economy in each area. The opening of the ports in Korea was not only just for Japan, but was to open the ports widely to the East Asia Market. The advance of Overseas Chinese merchants is a representative example of this. In the end of the 19th century, trade within the Asia region was conducted by the Asian merchants that had mastered the business customs and tastes of the region, especially the Chinese who started living abroad = Overseas Chinese merchants played an important role. China town in Kobe and Yokohama, Japan was formed through the activities of the Oversea Chinese at the time. Likewise, Overseas Chinese advanced into the open ports and major cities of Korea, and was involved in trading by making contact with the Chinese merchants in China and in Japan. The theme of my study is to clarify the positioning of Korea in the modern East Asia Market by rebuilding this wide area commercial and finance network that was formed by the Overseas Chinese merchants. Specifically, by analysis of management literature (letters, ledgers, etc.) left behind by the Overseas Chinese at the time, I plan to clarify the actual state of their commercial activities. The activities of these Overseas Chinese merchants itself is quite interesting, but it also provides a log of important hints in Japan’s colonization process of Korea. In the rapid process of colonization after the Russo-Japan War, Korean economy becomes deeply embedded as a part of the colonial empire of Japan. At the same time, this entirely restructured the relationship of the East Asian market formed by the Overseas Chinese merchants. The business persons, civil servants, and politicians of Japan were aware of this, and they structured the economy of the Empire, some by confrontation and some by compromise with the Overseas Chinese merchants. Another of my study theme is how the existence of Overseas Chinese merchants influenced the colonial empire of Japan. Specifically, study is progressing to re-study the process of currency and finance reforms, etc. after the Russo-Japan War, keeping in mind its relations with China and other regions.

Present specialized field
Japanese history, History of the Orient, Economic History (Keyword：Korean History, Korea-Japan Relationship, Asian History, Economic History, Business History)

Books
1.	2014/12	Merchant Communities in Asia, 1600-1980 │ ,pp.95-108 (Co-authored)

Papers
1.	2015/04	Commercial Activities of Chinese Merchants in Korean Inland Areas after the Opening of its Ports │ Chosen Gakuho (Journal of the Academic Association of Koreanology in Japan) │ (235),pp.(39-80) (Sole-authored)
2.	2014	The Question of Foreign Residents in Pusan's Japanese Enclave during the 1880s: The Clash between Traditional Diplomatic Institutions and Freedom of Movement within Open Ports │ Memories of the Research Department of the Toyo Bunko │ (72),pp.(57-97) (Sole-authored)
3.	2009/03	Commercial Activities of Chinese Merchants in the Late Nineteenth Century Korea: with a focus on the documents of Tong Shun Tai archived at Seoul National University, South Korea │ International Journal of Korean History │ 13,pp.(75-97) (Sole-authored)

Academic conference presentation
1.	2022/07/28	Activities of Chinese merchants on the Korean Peninsula at the end of the 19th century (in PA.125 - Resource Distribution in the Mega-states with Small Governments: A Comparison between China and India, 1750-1950) (XIX World Economic History Congress)
2.	2017/12/15	Korean merchants in treaty ports in the late nineteenth century (Multiple payment systems in globalizing economies（科研費補助金・基盤研究（B）「経済発展における重層的決済システムの役割と近代銀行史の再考」2017年度第1回研究会）)
3.	2017/05/20	Korean Merchants in Treaty ports in the Late Nineteenth Century (Korea in Global History: The Long Nineteenth Century and the Foreign Powers)
4.	2017/03/20	The interface of modern finance and traditional finance, in the late nineteenth century Korea: focusing on Kaek-ju, indigenous brokers (科研費補助金・基盤研究（B)「経済発展における重層的決済システムの役割と近代銀行史の再考」2016年度第1回研究会)
5.	2016/05/21	Pusan, Korea--1878/1903 (Workshop on Asian Trade Networks in the Long 19th Century)
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