Hiroshi Wakamatsu (1937–2019) was a Japanese historian and one of Japan''s foremost scholars of Mongolian history. After completing his doctoral studies at Kyoto University, he served as Professor and Dean of the Faculty of Letters at Kyoto Prefectural University and later as Professor at Kyoto Gakuen University (now Kyoto University of Advanced Science). He also served as President of the Japan Association for Mongolian Studies. His research focused on Mongolian and Central Asian history, Tibetan Buddhism, and the history of the Dzungar Khanate, while his pioneering studies of Mongolian epic literature earned him international recognition. He was instrumental in introducing Central Asia''s great heroic epics—including "Geser," "Manas," and "Jangar"—to Japanese readers through scholarly translations and commentary. His notable works include "Nurhaci" and his translations of "The Epic of Geser," "Manas," and "Jangar."
