Sinology; Chinese studies
Academic field focusing on classical Chinese literature, philosophy, and history, especially as studied in pre-modern Japan.
He is majoring in Chinese studies at university.
During the Edo period, many scholars studied Sinology.
国学 emphasizes native Japanese classics and Shinto thought, while 漢学 focuses on Chinese classics and Confucian scholarship, and the two were traditionally studied as opposing academic traditions.
Compound of 漢 (kan, 'Han dynasty; China') and 学 (gaku, 'study'). Refers to the scholarly tradition of studying Chinese classics, which was central to Japanese education from the Nara period through the Edo period.