Kuroda Akinobu
(Visiting Scholar, 2014-15) was recently awarded the 2026 Asia Book Award “Best Asian Books of the Year” for his publication 歴史のなかの貨幣 銅銭がつないだ東アジア (Money in History: East Asia Strung by Copper Coins). The book was published by Iwanami Shoten in 2025.
The awards committee writes, “In the category of “Books that offer original interpretations of changes in contemporary society and have attracted attention from both the media and readers,” Kuroda Akinobu’s Money in History: East Asia Strung by Copper Coins was selected. Written by an authority in global monetary history in a plain style without lowering the scholarly level, it vividly explains how coins minted by Chinese dynasties became, for some seven hundred years from the eleventh to the seventeenth century, a common means of payment that crossed borders and supported the daily lives of East Asian people. Although it does not extend to the concept of money in contemporary society, the “theory of plural money” of East Asia, in which trust among people rather than state guarantee sustained money, unlike the Western modern market model, offers implications for today’s readers thinking about digital and local currencies.”
The announcement of the prize, and details about Prof. Kuroda’s book, are available on the Asia Book Awards website. The Harvard-Yenching Institute congratulates Professor Kuroda on his award!