F. M. Trautz (1877–1952) and the German-Japanese relations from the German Empire to the Nazi Regime

• Applicants: Dr. Shiro Yukawa; Professor Dr. Reinhard Zöllner
• Subject Area: Asian Studies
• Term: since 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 460185010

Friedrich Max Trautz (1877–1952) filled various roles within and for German-Japanese rela-tions during the first half of the 20th century: army officer, scholar of Japan, and director of institutes. After undertaking an examination of the Russo-Japanese War as a Japan specialist with the General Staff of the German army, he chose an academic career: In 1921 he was the first to graduate from Berlin University with a PhD thesis in Japanese studies, in 1927 he received his “Habilitation” (qualification to work as a professor) there. Afterwards, he held key positions in German-Japanese cultural exchange during the interwar period as the first German director of the Japan Institute in Berlin (1926–1930) and the first director of the German Research Institute in Kyoto (1934–1938). In spite of this track record his work for German-Japanese relations has been largely forgotten nowadays and his estate has not been sufficiently utilized in research. This project aims to shed light on Trautz’s participation in German-Japanese relations, reconstruct his activities in the fields of scholarship and cultural mediation and evaluate them in their respective historical contexts within academia and politics. The foundation for this study is laid by Trautz’s very voluminous estate, located at various places in Germany and Japan, which almost completely documents his efforts in the different phases of his life. These resources are distinguished by their medial diversity, since Trautz, unlike the mainstream of Japanese studies in his time, which was philological, strongly relied on visual and optical media. For a long time, therefore, his estate was considered a hodgepodge without any clear concept. Now, however, its diversity facilitates a novel biographical approach towards a multidimensional reconstruction of his activities as well as their historical contexts. This research focusses on three aspects of his work: as an army officer specializing in Japan, as a scholar of Japan and as the director of two cultural institutes. Thus, it becomes possible to close large gaps in the historiography of Japanese studies and the cultural and political exchange between Germany and Japan in the form of a comprehensive biography of Trautz.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants