Kyoko Kurita

Kyoko Kurita is a Professor of Japanese at Pomona College, where she has been a faculty member since 1990. She is currently on leave for the Fall 2025 semester.

Education

• Ph.D., Yale University
• Master of Arts, Yale University
• Bachelor of Arts, Tokyo Woman's Christian University

Kurita’s research focuses on the interactions between Japanese and Western literary traditions, particularly during the Meiji Period (1868-1912). She examines Japanese and Western concepts of time, environmental themes in Asian literatures, and the influence of Dutch-Japan relations in the 1860s on Japanese cultural production. Her work also encompasses documentary films, Japanese detective novels, and contemporary Japanese female writers.

Article Trends: Kurita’s publications highlight Meiji Period literature, futurological novels, and cross-cultural exchanges. Her analyses often explore Koda Rohan’s contributions, translations of Japanese detective fiction, and intersections of time/space concepts in literary historiography.

Scientific Awards & Honors:

• Hirch Research Initiation Grant (2005)
• Japan Foundation, Research Fellowship (1997-1998)
• National Endowment for the Humanities, Summer Research Grant (2001)
• Mellon Professional Activities Grant (2003)
• Social Science Research Council Research Fellowship (2001-02)
• Steele Fellowship (1993-1994)
• Freeman Foundation Summer Fellowship (2006)

Kurita has received multiple grants supporting her research, including awards from the Japan Foundation and the National Endowment for the Humanities. She has taught courses such as Advanced Japanese, Japanese Through Current Media, and Readings in Modern Japanese Literature.