Megumi Unoura - Appointed in AY2022

My primary research is on the Ming dynasty vernacular novel "Romance of the Three Kingdoms," but I don't quite remember when I first encountered the world of the Three Kingdoms. By the time I was old enough to understand things, we already had manga and novels about the Three Kingdoms at home. I grew up in a family where my three older brothers were all fans, and names like Kongming and Cao Cao frequently came up in conversation. Therefore, it might have been somewhat inevitable that one of the siblings would become a researcher of the Three Kingdoms. However, it was after I entered junior high school and began taking classical Chinese (Kanbun) classes that I developed the desire to "properly study 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms' as literature." I was fascinated by the depth of the world of classical Chinese literature I discovered in class, and I wanted to re-examine my beloved Three Kingdoms from a literary perspective.

Even after entering university and majoring in Chinese literature, my passion for "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" remained unchanged. However, my interest shifted from the story's content to the question of "why has 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms' continued to be read up to the present day?" For my graduation and master's theses, I therefore explored how the work was received by people of the time by investigating illustrated editions of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" published during the Edo period. From my Doctoral Programs onward, I have shifted my focus to China, researching the characteristics of character portrayals in the "Mao Zonggang edition," the most widespread of the many editions of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" from the Qing dynasty. Through this research, I hope to clarify why the "Mao Zonggang edition" established itself as the standard version and how people of that era read "Romance of the Three Kingdoms."

Although "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" is a work that has already been studied from various approaches, the more carefully I read it, the more new questions and discoveries emerge, and I am constantly amazed by its depth. Furthermore, since it is a story I have loved since childhood, when I feel a bit stuck, I can reread it as a regular novel rather than a research subject to boost my motivation, reminding myself, "This really is interesting!" This is perhaps another reason I am glad I chose it as my research theme.

Perhaps it's true that "birds of a feather flock together," as many of my friends have also turned their passions into careers. They are active in various fields—not just research, but also translation, media, beauty, engineering, and more. Even if their profession itself isn't their passion, many are skilled at finding aspects of their work that they like or find interesting, and they seem to find fulfillment even amid the challenges. Looking back, it seems that during their student years, all of them thoroughly engaged with themselves to figure out what they liked and what they found interesting. I encourage all of you to thoroughly explore what you "like" through the various aspects of university life. Within that enjoyment, you are sure to find hints for your future. Of course, university classes are also one way to approach this self-discovery. In the second foreign language courses I teach, I hope to provide opportunities not only to understand other cultures through language but also to re-examine your own culture and values.