TOHOKU UNIVERSITY Researchers

Research History 6

2025/10 - Present

Tohoku University　Center for Integrated Japanese Studies, Tohoku University　Associate Professor
2021/11 - 2025/09

Sapienza University of Rome　Faculty of Letters and Philosophy, Department of Oriental Studies　Degree Programme Coordinator (BA and MA in Oriental Languages and Cultures)
2019/09 - 2025/09

Sapienza University of Rome　Department of Oriental Studies　Associate Professor
2020/01 - 2020/01

The University of Tokyo　Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Department of Language and Information Sciences　Project Associate Professor
2012/03 - 2019/09

Sapienza University of Rome　Department of Oriental Studies　Assistant Professor
2007/09 - 2010/09

Sapienza University of Rome　Department of Oriental Studies　Research Fellow

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Education 4

Sapienza University of Rome　PhD Program, Faculty of Oriental Studies (currently Department of Oriental Studies)　History and Civilization of East Asia (Storia e civiltà dell'Asia Orientale)

2003/09 - 2007/02
Sapienza University of Rome　Faculty of Oriental Studies (4-year single-cycle degree, equivalent to MA)　Oriental Languages and Civilizations, major in Japanese Language and Literature (Philological-Literary curriculum)

1997/09 - 2003/07
Waseda University　Center for Japanese Language (currently Center for International Education)　Intensive Japanese Language Program (Completed)

2001/09 - 2002/07
Italian Institute for Africa and the Orient (IsIAO, formerly IsMEO)　Course in Japanese Language and Culture　Diploma

1997/09 - 1999/09

Committee Memberships 11

Sapienza University of Rome, PhD in Civilizations of Asia and Africa　Member of the Scientific Board (PhD Collegio dei Docenti)

2012 - Present
Sapienza University of Rome, "Rivista degli Studi Orientali"　Editorial and Scientific Board Member

2012 - Present
Sapienza University of Rome (funded by AKS)　Member of the Scientific and Organising Committee, Int. Symposium "Images of Korea and Europe"

2024/12 -
Sapienza University of Rome (funded by Japan Foundation)　Member of the organizing committee, International Symposium "Realms of Words"

2018/02 -
Sapienza University of Rome (funded by Japan Foundation)　Member of the organizing committee, Int. Symposium "Words as Performance"

2016/03 -
Edifir Edizioni Firenze, Book Series "La Ghiandaia Celeste"　Member of the Scientific Board (Japan Section)

2020 - Present
Italian Association of Japanese Language Teaching (AIDLG)　Member of the Executive Committee

2021/03 - 2025/03
Sapienza University of Rome　Member of the scientific committee, IAS 2024 – Intensive Academic Seminar of Korean Studies Young Scholars

2024/02 -
Tohoku University, Sapienza University of Rome, University of British Columbia　Member of the scientific committee, The 8th Annual Hasekura International Japanese Studies Symposium

2024/01 -
Sapienza University of Rome　Member of the scientific committee, International Symposium "Writing in/and motion"

2023/04 -
Tohoku University, Sapienza University of Rome　Member of the organizing committee, Symposium "Yonaoshi: Envisioning a Better World"

2021/03 -

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Professional Memberships 5

EAJRS (European Association of Japanese Resource Specialists)

2025 - Present
TEI (Text Encoding Initiative)

2025 - Present
EAJS (European Association of Japanese Studies)

2025 - Present
Italian Association of Japanese Language Teaching (AIDLG)

2012 - Present
Italian Association for Japanese Studies (AISTUGIA)

2010 - 2025

Research Interests 11

Japanese Literature
Comparative Literature and Culture
Philology and Cultural Studies of Eastern Asia
Eastern Asian Linguistics
Middle Korean Philology
Japanese philology
Archival Studies
Paleography and Diplomatics
History of Euro-Japanese Cultural Relations
Book History
Global bibliography

Research Areas 4

Humanities & social sciences / History of thought / Cultural Exchanges between Japan and the World
Humanities & social sciences / Literature - Chinese / Sinitic Literacies of Eastern Asia
Humanities & social sciences / Linguistics /
Humanities & social sciences / Literature - General /

Awards 1

Sapienza Ricerca Prize for the Humanities (Researchers under forty)

2011/11　Sapienza University of Rome (under the High Patronage of the Presidency of the Italian Republic)

Papers 14

Japanese Buddhist Materiality and the Ethical Horizons of AI: Revisiting the Case of the Android Preacher Mindar in Light of Evolving Generative Artificial Intelligence Technologies Peer-reviewed

Luca Milasi

Religion and AI: Theoretical and Empirical Approaches (Eds. R. Tsuria, A. Vitullo, & N. Mansour)　2026/12
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

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[In Press / Forthcoming] Forthcoming chapter in Religion and AI: Theoretical and Empirical Approaches (Bloomsbury Publishing). This study investigates the intersection of AI and East Asian Buddhism by comparing the android preacher Mindar (Kōdaiji Temple, Kyoto) and the robot-monk Xian'er (Longquan Monastery, Beijing). It analyzes how traditional concepts like hijō jōbutsu (Buddha-nature in non-sentient beings) and upāya (skillful means) negotiate the integration of evolving Generative AI technologies.
Between Nostalgia and Emancipation: Chinese Literary Allusions and the Crisis of Authenticity in Mori Ōgai’s The Wild Goose (1911–1913) International-journal

LUCA MILASI

Journal of Asian Humanities at Kyushu University　11　49-67　2026/03
Publisher: Kyushu University, School of Letters, Graduate School of Humanities, Faculty of Humanities
DOI： 10.5109/7419035 　

ISSN： 2433-4855

eISSN： 2433-4391
Miracles of the Visible Word: Lorenzo Hervás's Palaeographical Inquiry and the Comparative Study of East Asian Syllabic Scripts International-journal Invited Peer-reviewed

Luca Milasi

Language Contact and Learning in Early Modern Polyglot Texts　2026
Publisher: Brepols Publishers

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Forthcoming. Published in the Polyglot Encounters in Early Modern Britain Series, edited by S. Celani, P. De Troia, D. Montini, I. Plescia, and F. Terrenato.
Declamando La storia di Genji: riletture contemporanee della narrativa classica, transmedialità e performance Invited Peer-reviewed

Luca Milasi

Il romanzo del nuovo millennio (a cura di G. Di Giacomo e U. Rubeo)　862-888　2021
Publisher: Mimesis

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Book chapter in "Il romanzo del nuovo millennio", edited by Giuseppe Di Giacomo and Ugo Rubeo. The essay analyzes contemporary re-readings of the "Tale of Genji", focusing on its transmediality and performance elements.
Translating Performance: Reconsidering the Dichotomy between Hon’an and Hon’yaku in Tsubouchi Shōyō’s Shakespeare Theatre Translation Peer-reviewed

Luca Milasi

Rivista Degli Studi Orientali [Review of Oriental Studies] nuova serie XCIII n.4: Spaces of Performance: Japanese Theater in the Twentieth Century　93　(3)　77-92　2020
Publisher: Fabrizio Serra Editore
DOI： 10.19272/202003803006 　

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Published in the special issue "SPACES OF PERFORMANCE" of Rivista degli studi orientali (Vol. 93, No. 3). Using Tsubouchi Shōyō's Shakespeare translations as a case study, this article theoretically redefines the boundary between "translation" (hon'yaku) and "adaptation" (hon'an) from the perspective of performance.
Quasi Lo Stesso Monogatari: Trasposizioni in Giapponese Moderno de La Storia Di Genji Nell’ultimo Decennio [Almost the Same Monogatari: Modern Japanese Transpositions of The Tale of Genji in the Last Decade] Peer-reviewed

Luca Milasi

Orizzonti Giapponesi, edited by Cristian Pallone and Corrado Molteni. Vol. IV.　4　269-281　2020
Publisher: Aracne Editrice

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Included in Orizzonti Giapponesi (Vol. IV), edited by Cristian Pallone and Corrado Molteni. This chapter examines various aspects of modern Japanese translations of The Tale of Genji in recent years and discusses their literary significance.
Ango, Mishima, War, and Nuclear Power International-journal Peer-reviewed

Luca Milasi

3.11: Disaster and Trauma in Experience, Understanding, and Imagination (edited by Christopher Craig, Enrico Fongaro, and Andreas Niehaus)　59-74　2019
Publisher: Mimesis International

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Book chapter in "3.11: Disaster and Trauma in Experience, Understanding, and Imagination (Hasekura League Series)," edited by Christopher Craig, Enrico Fongaro, and Andreas Niehaus. This essay examines the representation of war memory, nuclear power, and trauma in post-3.11 Japan through the works of Sakaguchi Ango and Mishima Yukio.
Teatralità della farsa – il ruolo dell’elemento comico nel teatro di Kōda Rohan (1867–1947) [Farce as a key element in Kōda Rohan’s theatre pièces] Peer-reviewed

Luca Milasi

Riflessioni sul Giappone antico e moderno, edited by Paolo Villani, Naomi Hayashi, and Luca Capponcelli, Vol. III.　369-386　2018
Publisher: Aracne Editrice

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Book chapter in "Riflessioni sul Giappone antico e moderno (Vol. III)", edited by Paolo Villani, Naomi Hayashi, and Luca Capponcelli. Focusing on Kōda Rohan’s plays, this essay analyzes the role of farce and comic elements, exploring the relationship between comedy and theatricality in Rohan’s literary production.
A Sun Soaked in Blood: The Symbolic Value of Colors in Natsume Sōseki’s London Diaries Invited

Luca Milasi

How to Learn;Nippon/Japan as Objec;Nippon;Japan as Method;Acts of the;Symposium of the;Hasekura League;edited;by Christopher Craig;Enrico Fongaro;Akihiro Ozaki;Hasekura league　311-319　2017
Publisher: Mimesis International

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Published in the proceedings of the 1st Symposium of the Hasekura League. This chapter analyzes the symbolic value of color descriptions in Natsume Sōseki's London Diaries, exploring Sōseki's psychological and literary transformations during his stay in London.
Crossing the Borders of the Phenomenal World: Buddhist Doctrine as a Literary Device in Kōda Rohan’s Early Works Peer-reviewed

Luca Milasi

Transcending Borders: Selected Papers in East Asian Studies (edited by Ikuko Sagiyama and Valentina Pedone)　115-132　2016

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Book chapter in Transcending Borders: Selected Papers in East Asian Studies, published by Firenze University Press. This essay discusses how Buddhist doctrine functions as a "literary device" in Kōda Rohan's early works, rather than mere philosophical background.
Recepcja Kanonu Szekspirowskiego w Japonii w XIX i XX Wieku: Przejście Od Adaptacji (Hon’an) Do Przekładu (Hon’yaku) Jako Forma Reinterpretacji Międzykulturowej [Reception of the Shakespearean Canon in Japan in the 19th and 20th Centuries: The Transition from Adaptation (Hon'an) to Translation (Hon'yaku) as a Form of Intercultural Reinterpretation] Invited

Luca Milasi

Przekładaniec, no. 31-Przekład na scenie　31　90-106　2016

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Published in the Polish translation studies journal Przekładaniec. This article analyzes the reception of the Shakespearean canon in 19th and 20th-century Japan, focusing on the transition from adaptation (hon'an) to translation (hon'yaku) as a mode of intercultural reinterpretation for the stage.
Teoria e prassi del romanzo storico giapponese fra Ottocento e Novecento [Historical fiction in Japan in mid-Meiji Japan, from theory to praxes] Invited Peer-reviewed

Luca Milasi

I dieci colori dell’eleganza: saggi in onore di Maria Teresa Orsi (edited by Andrea Maurizi)　389-406　2013
Publisher: Aracne Editrice

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Book chapter in the Festschrift for Professor Maria Teresa Orsi. This essay provides a philological analysis of the development of historical fiction in mid-Meiji Japan, examining the interplay between literary theory and creative practice.
L’identità nazionale e la letteratura giapponese della decadenza nel secondo dopoguerra [National Identity and Decadent Japanese Literature after WWII] Invited

Luca Milasi

L’identità nazionale nel 21. secolo in Cina, Giappone, Corea, Tibet e Taiwan (edited by Marina Miranda)　105-118　2012
Publisher: Orientalia

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Book chapter in "L'identità nazionale nel 21. secolo...", edited by Marina Miranda. This essay explores the correlation between the transformation of national identity in post-WWII Japan and "decadent" literature (Buraiha), with a focus on authors like Sakaguchi Ango.
History as It Is or History Ignored? The Search for a ‘New’ Historical Fiction in Meiji Japan Invited

Luca Milasi

Rivista Degli Studi Orientali, Nuova Serie, LXXXIV (Special issue 2011)　84　(1-4)　163-176　2011
Publisher: Fabrizio Serra Editore

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Published in a special issue of Rivista Degli Studi Orientali. This article briefly discusses the redefinition of historical fiction in Meiji Japan, focusing on the works of Mori Ōgai and the concepts of "shiden" (historical biography) and "rekishi sono mama" (history as it is). The article is indexed on JSTOR.

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Books and Other Publications 6

Storia e filologia della lingua coreana [History and Philology of the Korean Language]

Antonetta Bruno, Luca Milasi, Daniele Di Pasquale

Hoepli　2025/10

ISBN: 9788836019915

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A scholarly book for students and professionals exploring the evolution of the Korean language. The manuscript was reviewed by an expert and strives to incorporate recent academic debates on pre-modern Korean. This work was supported by the Korean Studies Promotion Service at the Academy of Korean Studies (grant number AKS-2023-INC-2250002).
Reading Japanese documents from the Marega Collection : an introductory manual with selected texts

Naohiro Ota (Author), Silvio Vita, Chiara Ghidini, Luca Milasi (Editors)

Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana　2021

ISBN: 9788821010767

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The first comprehensive English-language manual for reading early modern Japanese documents (komonjo), published as an outcome of the Marega Project and supported by a TIFO grant. Authored by Naohiro Ota, with S. Vita, C. Ghidini, and L. Milasi serving as co-editors. Uses primary sources from the Marega Collection at the Vatican Library. As co-editor, contributed to revisions, structural editing, and contextual adaptations for the English edition.
Spaces of Performance: Japanese Theater in the Twentieth Century

Matilde Mastrangelo, Luca Milasi, Stefano Romagnoli

Fabrizio Serra Editore　2020

ISBN: 9788833152981

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Coedited a special issue of Rivista degli studi orientali, published by Fabrizio Serra on behalf of the Department of Oriental Studies of Sapienza University of Rome: "Spaces of Performance: Japanese Theater in the Twentieth Century, eds. Matilde Mastrangelo, Luca Milasi, Stefano Romagnoli, 2020, vol XCIII, n. 3.
La Veste Di Piume [The Feather Robe] — Italian translation of the Noh play Hagoromo with artwork by Hidetoshi Nagasawa

Zeami Motokiyo (Author), Luca Milasi (Translator)

Colophonarte (Belluno; Venezia)　2013

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First and previously unpublished Italian translation of the 15th-century Noh play Hagoromo by Zeami Motokiyo. Published as a limited edition artist book (75 copies) by Edizioni Colophon, featuring original brass artwork by the world-renowned sculptor Hidetoshi Nagasawa (Venice Biennale, Documenta). Printed on handmade Amatruda cotton paper.
L’essenza del Waka. Spunti dal libro XVI del Man’yoshu [The Essence of Waka: Insights from Book XVI of the Man’yōshū] (by Tada Kazuomi)

Kazuomi Tada (Author), Luca Milasi (Translator)

FrancoAngeli　2012

ISBN: 9788820411596

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Italian translation of Professor Kazuomi Tada's essay on the essence of Waka poetry. Published in "La cultura del periodo Nara," edited by Andrea Maurizi. This academic translation introduces the expressive structure of early Japanese poetry and the specific characteristics of Book XVI of the Man'yōshū to an Italian audience.
Gli scrittori Meiji e la Cina : suggestioni letterarie nella produzione di Mori Ōgai, Natsume Sōseki e Kōda Rohan

Milasi, Luca

Libreriauniversitaria.it　2011

ISBN: 9788862921121

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Monograph analyzing the influence of Chinese literature and literary suggestions in the works of Mori Ōgai (1862-1922), Natsume Sōseki (1867-1916), and Kōda Rohan (1867-1947).

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Research Projects 3

Sapienza Bridge Project: Toward New Horizons for Korean Studies

Antonetta Lucia Bruno, Luca Milasi

Offer Organization: 韓国学中央研究院韓国学振興事業団 (한국학중앙연구원 한국학진흥사업단)

System: Seed Program for Korean Studies

Category: International Joint Research

Institution: Sapienza University of Rome

2023/06 - 2028/05
Palaeography and the Surveying Methods of Japanese Historical Documents

Luca Milasi

Offer Organization: Toshiba International Foundation (TIFO)

System: Toshiba International Foundation Grant

Category: Research Grant

Institution: Sapienza University of Rome

2020/04 - 2022/03
Organization, publication, and utilization of the Marega collection of Bungo Christian documents in the Vatican Library (Marega Project)

Kazuo Otomo, Luca Milasi

Offer Organization: National Institute of Japanese Literature (NIJL)

System: International Collaborative Project

Category: International Joint Research

Institution: Sapienza University of Rome

2018/04 - 2022/03