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Haruyuki Tono

とうの はるゆき

Tono Haruyuki

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1946-12-20 （Nishinomiya, Hyogo, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Nishinomiya, Hyogo, Japan → Japan

Career

Occupations
Historian, University Professor, Researcher
Active Years
1970-
Affiliations
Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, Nara University, Osaka University, Tokyo National Museum
Memberships
Japan Academy
Influenced By
Kojiro Naoki

Education

Koyo Gakuin Junior & Senior High School
Country: Japan
Osaka City University
Faculty of Letters / Japanese History
Degree: 学士（文学）
Year of Graduation: 1969
Country: Japan
Undergraduate degree
Osaka City University Graduate School, Graduate School of Letters
Graduate School of Letters / Department of Japanese History
Degree: 修士（文学）
Year of Graduation: 1971
Country: Japan
Completed master's program
University of Tokyo
Graduate School of Humanities and Sociology / Japanese History
Degree: 博士（文学）
Year of Graduation: 1993
Country: Japan
Dissertation: 'A Study of Ancient Japanese Mokkan'

Awards

Hamada Seiryo Award
1988
Work: Research on Ancient Japanese Culture from an Asian Perspective
Organization: Hamada Seiryo Award Committee
Result: 受賞
Kadokawa Genyoshi Prize
2005
Work: A Study of Ancient Japanese Epigraphy
Organization: Kadokawa Cultural Foundation
Result: 受賞
Mainichi Publishing Culture Award (Humanities & Social Sciences)
2008
Work: The Japanese Missions to Tang China
Category: 人文・社会部門
Organization: The Mainichi Newspapers
Result: 受賞
Medal with Purple Ribbon
2010
Organization: Government of Japan
Result: 受章
Person of Cultural Merit
2017
Organization: Government of Japan
Result: 選出
Order of the Sacred Treasure (Zuihō Jūkō-shō)
2020
Organization: Government of Japan
Result: 受章

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Studies on Shōsōin Documents and Mokkan

1977 History / Source Studies

A comparative study of Shōsōin documents and excavated mokkan, discussing their nature and use as ancient historical sources.

MokkanShōsōinSource Studies

A Study of Ancient Japanese Mokkan

1983 Source Studies / Ancient History

A foundational study centered on mokkan materials that clarifies administration and social structure in the Asuka–Nara periods.

MokkanAsuka and Nara periodsAdministrative history

What Mokkan Tell About Ancient Japan

1983 Popular History

A popular introduction to ancient Japanese life and institutions based on excavated mokkan.

Source introductionAncient societyPublic education

The Japanese Missions to Tang China and the Shōsōin

1992 History

Explores aspects of East Asian exchange history through the activities of the Japanese missions to Tang China and Shōsōin materials.

Kentōshi (missions to Tang)East Asian exchangeShōsōin

A Study of Ancient Japanese Epigraphy

2004 Source Studies / Archaeology

A specialist study of inscriptions on stone and metal, examining their significance as ancient textual sources.

InscriptionsSource studiesAncient writing

Kentōshi Ships: Within East Asia

1999 History / Maritime History

Discusses ships and routes used by the Kentōshi to examine maritime exchange and technology in East Asia.

Maritime historyKentōshiEast Asia

Ganjin

2009 Biography / History

A study tracing the arrival of the monk Ganjin in Japan and its cultural significance based on sources.

GanjinBuddhist exchangeCultural history

Prince Shōtoku and Hōryū-ji

2023 History

A comprehensive examination of sources and research on Prince Shōtoku and Hōryū-ji aimed at approaching the historical figure.

Prince ShōtokuHōryū-jiSource criticism

Explorations in Source Studies

2015 Source Studies

An essay collection on methods and practice in source studies.

Source studiesMethodology

Bibliography

  • Studies on Shōsōin Documents and Mokkan (Hanawa Shobo, 1977)
  • A Study of Ancient Japanese Mokkan (Hanawa Shobo, 1983)
  • What Mokkan Tell About Ancient Japan (Iwanami Shinsho, 1983)
  • The Japanese Missions to Tang China and the Shōsōin (Iwanami Shoten, 1992)
  • The Ancient History of Writing (Iwanami Shoten, 1994)
  • A Study of the Mokkan of Prince Nagaya (Hanawa Shobo, 1996)
  • A Monetary History of Japan (Asahi Sensho, 1997)
  • Shōsōin (Iwanami Shinsho, 1998)
  • Kentōshi Ships: Within East Asia (Asahi Sensho, 1999)
  • A Study of Ancient Japanese Epigraphy (Iwanami Shoten, 2004)
  • Ancient Japanese Source Studies (Iwanami Shoten, 2005)
  • Kentōshi (Iwanami Shinsho, 2007)
  • Ganjin (Iwanami Shinsho, 2009)
  • Studies of Ancient Temples in Yamato (Hanawa Shobo, 2011)
  • Explorations in Source Studies (Iwanami Shoten, 2015)
  • Journeys in Source Studies (Yuzankaku, 2017)
  • Prince Shōtoku: Seeking the True Figure (Iwanami Junior Shinsho, 2017)
  • Prince Shōtoku and Hōryū-ji (Iwanami Shoten, 2023)
  • Strolls in Source Studies (Yuzankaku, 2023)

Adaptations

  • Osaka City Museum: 'Prince Shōtoku' Exhibition Catalogue
  • Tokyo National Museum: 'National Treasures — Yakushiji' Exhibition Catalogue
  • Nara National Museum: 'National Treasure — Ganjin' Exhibition Catalogue

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Precise, source-based academic proseInterdisciplinary approach combining archaeology and philologyAccessible explanations for general readers (e.g. Iwanami Shinsho)
Recurring Motifs
Emphasis on mokkan and epigraphic materialsKentōshi and East Asian exchangeShōsōin and ancient temples

Legacy

A scholar who built foundational work in Japanese ancient history and source studies through energetic research on mokkan and epigraphy. He contributed to public dissemination through museum catalogues and popular books, extending his impact beyond academia.

Museums

  • Osaka City Museum Osaka, Osaka Prefecture, Japan
  • Tokyo National Museum Ueno Park, Taito, Tokyo, Japan
  • Nara National Museum Nara, Nara Prefecture, Japan

Academic Societies

  • Japan Academy

Trivia

  • His father-in-law was the historian Kojiro Naoki.
  • He graduated from Koyo Gakuin Junior & Senior High School.
  • He has been honored with the Medal with Purple Ribbon, selected as a Person of Cultural Merit, and awarded the Order of the Sacred Treasure (2020).