History
—Under Construction—«沿革»The Institute for Research in Humanities was established in January 1949 by merging the Institute of Humanistic Studies (人文科学研究所; established in 1939), the Institute of Oriental Studies (東方文化研究所) and the Institute of Occidental Studies (西洋文化研究所). While following on from the achievements of these three organizations, the new Institute is promoting comprehensive studies of diverse cultures and societies in the world.
1. Institute of Oriental Studies
The Institute of Oriental Studies, the oldest of the three organizations, was established in 1929 under the name of Kyoto Institute, Oriental Studies Academy. The Academy had two institutes, one in Tokyo and one in Kyoto, both founded through subsidies from Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. After its opening, the Kyoto Institute was staffed by only four researchers and four assistants, working in a space rented from Kyoto University's Faculty of Letters. It was led by Naoki Kano. In November 1930, the Institute moved to a new building, completed at 50 Kitashirakawa Ogura-cho, (now 47 Higashi-ogura-cho). This building, currently used by the Center for Informatics in East Asian Studies (CIEAS), was designed in the Spanish Romanesque style by the architect Kenzo Tohata. He designed the building based on a concept suggested by Kosaku Hamada, a councilor of the Kyoto Institute. Even today, the white building is attracting the public's attention with its unique design.
In April 1938, the Kyoto Institute became independent and was renamed the Institute of Oriental Studies. By that time, it had over 30 staff members, including researchers, deputy researchers, assistants, and contracted staff. They conducted research in six groups: Classic Confucian Writings & Literature, Religious Studies, Astronomy & Calendar Studies, History, Geography, and Archaeology. The Institute of Oriental Studies was led by Bunzaburo Matsumoto and subsequently by Toru Haneda.
2. Institute of Occidental Studies
3. The Institute of Humanistic Studies
4. Merger of the Three Organizations and Establishment of the Institute for Research in Humanities
5. Restructuring of the Institute for Research in Humanities
6. History of Facilities
7. Successive Directors of the Institute for Research in Humanities
Directors | Term of Office |
---|---|
KAIZUKA, Shigeki (貝塚 茂樹) | April 1, 1949 - March 31, 1955 |
TSUKAMOTO, Zenryu (塚本 善隆) | April 1, 1955 – March 31, 1959 |
KUWABARA, Takeo (桑原 武夫) | April 1, 1959 – March 31, 1963 |
MORI, Shikazo (森 鹿三) | April 1, 1963 – March 31, 1967 |
YABUUCHI, Kiyoshi (藪内 清) | April 1, 1967 – March 31, 1969 |
MORI, Shikazo (森 鹿三) | April 1, 1969 – March 31, 1970 |
KAWANO, Kenji (河野 健二) | April 1, 1970 – March 31, 1974 |
HAYASHIYA, Tatsusaburo (林屋 辰三郎) | April 1, 1974 - March 31, 1978 |
KAWANO, Kenji (河野 健二) | April 1, 1978 – March 31, 1980 |
FUKUNAGA, Mitsuji (福永 光司) | April 1, 1980 – March 31, 1982 |
UEYAMA, Shunpei (上山 春平) | April 1, 1982 – March 31, 1984 |
YOSHIDA, Mitsukuni (吉田 光邦) | April 1, 1984 – March 31, 1985 |
YANAGIDA, Seizan (柳田 聖山) | April 1, 1985 – March 31, 1986 |
TAKEUCHI, Minoru (竹内 實) | April 1, 1986 – March 31, 1987 |
OZAKI, Yujiro (尾崎 雄二郎) | April 1, 1987 – March 31, 1989 |
TANI, Yutaka (谷 泰) | April 1, 1989 – March 31, 1991 |
YOSHIKAWA, Tadao (吉川 忠夫) | April 1, 1991 – March 31, 1993 |
SAKAGAMI, Takashi (阪上 孝) | April 1, 1993 – March 31, 1997 |
YAMAMOTO, Yuzo (山本 有三) | April 1, 1997 – August 31, 1999 |
KUWAYAMA, Shoshin (桑山 正進) | September 1, 1999 – October 31, 2001 |
SAKAGAMI, Takashi (阪上 孝) | November 1, 2001 – March 31, 2003 |
MORI, Tokihiko (森 時彦) | April 1, 2003 – March 31, 2005 |
KIN, Bunkyo (金 文京) | April 1, 2005 – March 31, 2009 |
MIZUNO, Naoki (水野 直樹) | April 1, 2009 – March 31, 2011 |
IWAI, Shigeki (岩井 茂樹) | April 1, 2011 – March 31, 2013 |
YAMAMURO, Shinichi (山室 信一) | April 1, 2013 – March 31, 2015 |
INAMI, Ryoichi (井波 陵一) | April 1, 2015 – March 31. 2017 |
TAKAGI, Hiroshi (高木 博志) | April 1, 2017 – March 31, 2019 |
OKAMURA, Hidenori (岡村 秀典) | April 1, 2019 – March 31, 2021 |
INABA, Minoru (稲葉 穣) | April 1, 2021 – March 31, 2023 |
IWAKI, Takuji (岩城 卓二) | April 1, 2023 – |
As of April 1, 2023