Project Support Fund
Nishida Philosophy-Senmoto Fund
To prevent the precious discipline from being forgotten
In the nearly 130-year history of Kyoto University, numerous disciplines that originated in KyotoUniversity have had many accomplishments. One of these is the philosophy of the Kyoto School formed around the world-renowned philosopher Kitaro Nishida and other philosophers. The Department of Japanese Philosophy is responsible for education and research on Japanese original philosophy including Nishida’s thought and the Kyoto School’s philosophy. It is now attracting international attention as a research base of this valued discipline. The importance of philosophy is growing in these highly turbulent times, and the Kyoto School’s philosophy is one of the areas gaining attention in wider society.
However, today, such a traditional research area faces shortages of educators and researchers due to a lack of funds. Managing precious materials inherited from past researchers is also challenging, with many remaining unfiled. Amid the increased number of Japanese and foreign students and international researchers interested in this area, if the current situation persists, it will not be possible to provide students with adequate education, and valuable historical materials may be forgotten, scattered, and lost. Kyoto University, the home of Nishida and the Kyoto School’s philosophy, may lose the capacity to preserve this precious intellectual heritage.
Image source: Shizuteru Ueda. Ueda Shizuteru-shū [Collected Works of Ueda Shizuteru] Vol. 1]. Iwanami Shoten
Handwritten manuscript from Tetsugaku Ronbunshū [Collection of Philosophy Essays] II (Library of Graduate School of Letters)
The Nishida Philosophy-Senmoto Fund was established with a generous donation from Mr. Sachio Senmoto, a serial entrepreneur and graduate of Kyoto University. The Fund will provide subsidies of 300 million yen over ten years from AY2024 to the Department of Japanese Philosophy, enabling it to secure educators and researchers required to sustain and advance its research, as well as organizing the precious academic archievesinherited by the Department and making them publicly available. Furthermore, the Fund aims to attract donations from many other individuals or organizations to prevent this valuable discipline from being forgotten and to ensure that it is passed on to and developed by the next generation, thereby contributing to society.
Fund applications
Category
Content
Human resource development
Recruitment of educators and researchers who will become successors
Management of historical materials
Filing, maintaining, and publicly exhibiting historical research materials
International research partnerships and communication with society
Holding symposiums and workshops
Hosting of researchers from outside Japan
Enhancement of education and research support systems
Recruitment of lab managers to conduct clerical and accounting operations and organize historical materials
For more information, please visit
the Department of Japanese Philosophy, Graduate School of Letters / Faculty of Letters