is a Japanese

Japanese people

The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...

 academic, editor and expert in medieval Japanese women's history.

Early life

Since the age of six, Wakita was interested in Noh

Noh

, or - derived from the Sino-Japanese word for "skill" or "talent" - is a major form of classical Japanese musical drama that has been performed since the 14th century. Many characters are masked, with men playing male and female roles. Traditionally, a Noh "performance day" lasts all day and...

 drama; and she regularly performs on stage. The insight gained from her lifelong study and practice of this medieval theatrical art informs her historical research.

She was awarded a BA in Japanese history at Kobe University

Kobe University

Shindai is one of the leading universities in Japan. It can be seen in the several rankings such as shown below.-General Rankings:The university is ranked 10th in 2010 in the ranking "Truly Strong Universities" by Toyo Keizai...

 in 1956. Further studies led to an MA in 1960 and a Ph.D. in 1969 from Kyoto University

Kyoto University

, or is a national university located in Kyoto, Japan. It is the second oldest Japanese university, and formerly one of Japan's Imperial Universities.- History :...

.

Career

Wakita is a professor of Japanese history at the Shiga University

Shiga University

is a national university in Shiga Prefecture, Japan. It has campuses at the cities of Ōtsu and Hikone. The predecessor of the school was founded in 1943, and it was chartered as a university in 1949.-External links:*...

 at Hikone

Hikone, Shiga

is a city located in Shiga, Japan. The city was incorporated on February 11, 1937.Hikone's most famous historical site is Hikone Castle. Its construction was begun in 1603, by Ii Naokatsu, son of the former lord, Ii Naomasa, but was not completed until 1622...

.

She participated in research projects with historians in France, Italy and the United States. Her work with French scholars resulted in a monograph in Japanese. Her work with colleagues at the University of Michigan produced in edited volumes and contributions in English.

Selected works

In a statistical overview derived from writings by and about Haruko Wakita, OCLC

OCLC

OCLC Online Computer Library Center, Inc. is "a nonprofit, membership, computer library service and research organization dedicated to the public purposes of furthering access to the world’s information and reducing information costs"...

/WorldCat

WorldCat

WorldCat is a union catalog which itemizes the collections of 72,000 libraries in 170 countries and territories which participate in the Online Computer Library Center global cooperative...

encompasses roughly 40+ works in 80 publications in 3 languages and 1,000+ library holdings.

• 日本中世商業発達史の研究 (1969)
• 室町時代 (1985)
• 日本女性史 (1987)
• 日本中世女性史の研究: 性別役割分担と母性・家政・性愛 (1992)
• ジェンダーの日本史 (1994)
• 中世に生きる女たち (1995)
• Women and class in Japanese history (1999) with Hitomi Tonomura and Anne Walthall
• Gender and Japanese history (1999) with Anne Bouchy and Chizuko Ueno
• 女性芸能の源流: 傀儡子・曲舞・白拍子 (2001)
• Women in medieval Japan : motherhood, household management and sexuality (2006)