Hiroshi Matsuda (Professor in the College of Social Sciences at Ritsumeikan University, Kyoto) recently contributed an article, "Intorno al metodo di Antonio Gramsci," to Belfagor (LV, 6 [November 2000], pp. 629-637) which concludes with the observation that "in Japan, Gramscian studies are now finally entering their mature phase." Japanese interest in Gramsci can be traced back several decades, and a quick search in John Cammett's Bibliografia gramsciana will reveal that a very large number of articles and books on Gramsci (to say nothing of editions of ramsci's writings) have been published in Japanese over the years. So, what makes the new phase of Gramscian studies in Japan different? As Matsuda makes clear in his article, there is under way in Japan today a painstaking effort by scholars and groups in different parts of the country to conduct philologically thorough analyses of Gramsci's Prison Notebooks--and thiis effort is preparing the ground for the production of an integral critical edition in Japanese of the Quaderni. Indeed, Matsuda's own aritcle is the product of his own detailed study of the trajectory of Gramsci's project--specifically, of the significance and implications of Gramsci's decision to compose the various "special" notebooks. Research groups have been formed in Kyoto, Tokyo, and Osaka to study Grasmci's notebooks in detail (using the Italian critical edition) and to start translating them into Japanese. The January 2000 issue of the Newsletter of the Kyoto Gramsci Society (no. 41-42) published articles that reflect the work being done by the research groups. It contains articles by T. Suzuki on the "social sciences working group", by H. Matsuda on the study of the critical edition of the Quaderni, and by K. Ohara on Gramsci's "ultima stesura." Furthermore, Matsuda edited a special issue of the journal "Yuibuturon Kenkyu" (Studies in Materialism), which appeared in April 2000, that is entirely dedicated to articles by diverse scholars on the critical edition of the Quaderni.
In the meantime, the Tokyo Gramsci Society remains as active as ever. In addition to holding frequent meetings, the Society also regularly publishes a bulletin, La Città Futura, with short articles and information about its past and future activities. The members of the "Prison Notebooks Study Group" of the Ttokyo Gramsci Society have, among other things, translated Notebook 27 (on folklore) into Japanese, and they published the translation in two-parts in La Cittå Futura. The contents of La Città Futura, listed below, provide some indication of the activities and the interests of the Tokyo Gramsci Society: [END PAGE 42]
#11 (February 2000): Notebook 27 on "Folklore" (Part 1); translated and edited by the "Prison
Notebooks" Study Group of the Tokyo Gramsci Society -- Book Review by H. Matsuda of Ellen
Meiksins Wood: Democracy Against Capitalism -- Readers' Columns: "Gramsci and I" by
Takahiro Tanohata -- Video-Theater: "Ladri di Biciclette" by Natu Imamura -- "Grido di guerra!"
by Eiko Nozawa
#12 (April 2000): Notebook 27 on "Folklore" (Part 2); translated and edited by the "Prison Notebooks" Study Group of the Tokyo Gramsci Society -- "Malatesta and Gramsci. Revisiting an Origin of Socialism" by Misato Toda -- "On Mr Uemura's Interpretations of A. Gramsci" by Kiyotomo Ishido -- "Reply to Mr. Ishido's Letter" by Tadao Uemura -- Readers' Columns: "Gramsci and I" by Eihaku Sugiyama -- Video-Theater: "New Cinema Paradise" by Natu Imamura -- "English Edition of Gramsci Anthology in CD-Rom" by Izumi Kawaguchi6
#13 (June 2000): "Learning from Gramscian Thought: Toward a new Era in the 21st Century" by Izumi Kawaguchi -- "A Brief Report on the Last Tokyo Gramsci Society Assembly" by Takahiro Tanohata -- Message from the Direttore S. Marchetti of the Italian Culture Institute -- Latest File of Writings & Publications on A. Gramsci in Japan -- Readers' Columns: "Gramsci and I" by Hiroshi Maeda -- Video-Theater: "La vita è bella" by Natu Imamura -- Brief News from Italy
#14 (September 2000): To the memory of Valentino Gerratana -- "Looking Back to the Activities of the 'Gramsci reader' Study Group" by Akira Ito -- "Takeo Nakamura and His Analysis of Political Party Concepts of Gramsci" by Kouji Maeda -- Book Review by Katsumi Nakamura of Tadao Uemara: Illusion of National Revolution -- Book Review by Takahiro Tanahota of "Kihoh Yuiken" No. 72 -- Video-Theater "Satyricon" by Natu Imamura -- Informations
The editor of the IGS Newsletter wishes to thank Koichi Ohara for regularly supplying information about Gramscian studies in Japan.