Frontiers of Japanese Philosophy by James W. Heisig

Mitsuru Usui, a graduate of Kanazawa University’s Department of Medicine and someone who has contributed to founding the award, celebrated the prizewinner, noting, “Mr. Heisig, he said, because of his “outstanding contribution to Japanese philosophical studies focused on Nishida, earning high evaluations across national borders.” Moreover, he noted, “He helped nurture an atmosphere for international development in that field of philosophy, contributing to the construction of an international research network and its extremely remarkable achievements.”ĭr. Heisig’s work in his comments during the ceremony. Makio Takemura, chairman of the KUI Award Committee and former president of Toyo University, applauded Dr. (Photo provided by Kanazawa University.)ĭr. “What I first read was An Inquiry into the Good,” (published in Japanese in 1911, and by Yale University Press in English in 1992), the 2021 honoree said, admitting, “It was not at first a happy experience.” At the same time, he grew intrigued with Nishida’s work, explaining: “For several years after, it was through Nishida’s disciples that I was drawn back to his writings.”įrom left foreground, Dr.

“There could hardly have been a better choice for the job of Director,” Heisig reminisced, adding “the light he brought to our pioneering efforts shines as brightly today as when he was with us.”Įngaging in the translation of Nishitani’s greatest masterpiece on religion in turn that led to an introduction to the work of Kitaro Nishida. Heisig recounted how his mentor had collaborated closely with Keiji Nishitani of the Kyoto School of philosophy (from the town of Noto in Ishikawa Prefecture) to translate Nishitani’s master work on religion into English. Jan Van Bragt, a native of Belgium, had studied under Takeuchi Yoshinori at Kyoto University after coming to Japan. Heisig noted, before describing how he had “stumbled and fumbled my way around a new language, a new culture, and a world richer in religious diversity than any I had known.”ĭr. “The first Director of the Institute, Jan Van Bragt, was my guide and my guardian angel,” Dr. He then recalled the invitation, 44 years earlier, that brought him to Japan, saying, “it was to aid in the establishment of the Nanzan Institute for Religion and Culture and help fulfill the dream of Johannes Hirschmeier, then president of Nanzan University,”

Frontiers of Japanese Philosophy by James W. Heisig