Introduction & History

From the Director

Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia at the University of Tokyo is a global centre for scholars wishing to understand and study the Asian past, present and future through methodologies associated with the humanities and social sciences. Its members cover a broad range of academic disciplines in their research, including literature, history, archaeology, philosophy and thought, art history, anthropology, law, politics, economics and sociology. The chief task of the Institute and its staff is to disseminate a wealth of reliable and up-to-date information about the countries of Asia and its various regions by applying these disciplines broadly and employing a creative methodological style which unites often diverse approaches. Visitors to the IOC website can see some of the innovative research that has come from individual scholars, joint research projects and study teams within the Institute. I strongly urge you to visit our data base and the pages detailing the academic interests and activities of our scholars.

In order to produce good quality research, it is essential that scholars are able to have access to the books, documents and other resources necessary for reference and critical study. The Institute has one of the leading collections for the study of Asia, having amassed more than 600,000 volumes in the course of its seventy-year history. The library is used not only by members of the Institute but also by specialists and students from the University of Tokyo and other universities and research centres world-wide. The Institute has the crucial mission of carefully preserving these precious resources for future generations and ensuring that they are continually expanded in range and content.

Undoubtedly the Institute’s most important duty within the University of Tokyo is research. All the same, this is not the sole focus of its members. Most professors teach at a postgraduate level and have a responsibility for graduate students. The Institute also receives a large number of accomplished young scholars, including special researchers sponsored by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) and doctoral candidates and post-doctoral students from abroad. In this way it is working to foster the next generation of specialists on whom the future of Asian Studies depends. Thus I feel I must emphasize that we cannot ignore “education” when speaking of the Institute.

In the modern world, change is fast and dynamic. Asia is no exception. Compared with twenty years ago, when I was first appointed a member of this Institute, conditions in Japan, Asia and the world as a whole have changed dramatically. We increasingly face issues that cannot be explained by conventional ways of understanding, nor solved by existing methods. It is my hope that the Institute will be able to address these new demands head-on, while maintaining a high regard for the proud traditions built by its former members, and that it will always be able to consider its research structure and methodology flexibly. By doing so it will be able to respond to the needs of the times, and, through its innovative research, continue to take the lead in disseminating widely the type of information people need about Japan, Asia and the world.

History

Since its establishment in 1941, Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia has grown into one of the most distinguished centers of Asian studies in Japan. During its first two decades, the Institute mainly focused on the politics, economy, history, and culture of East Asia, especially China. Since the early 1960s, it has expanded the domain of its research beyond China to include South (including Southeast) and West( including Central) Asia. Today, the Institute consists of four departments; the Departments of Pan Asian Studies, East Asian Studies, South Asian Studies, and West Asian Studies. The research staff is composed of thirty-one specialists in humanities,social sciences and engineering, including such disciplines as history, literature, religious studies, art, political science, law, economics, geography, anthropology, and architecture.

The Institute has continuously emphasized interdisciplinary research combinining analyses of documentary materials and field research. Since the 1950s, it has conducted various kinds of field research. The Iran-Iraq Archaeological Expeditions the Misssion for Indian History and Archaeology, and the photographic collection of Chinese paintings are representative example of such activities. Today, virtually all Institue members have day to day academic contacts with international academic institutions and conduct field research throughout Asia. By establishing academic exchange agreements, the Institute has increased academic contacts with various research institutions in Asia, including the Center of Asian Studies at the University of Hong Kong, Fudan University in Shanghai, the Department of Arts and Social Sciences at the National University of Singapore, and the Center for Japanese Studies, University of Indonesia.

The Institute has one of the best and the largest libraries for Asian studies in Japan. Its collection of Chinese books is especially well-known internationally. In addtion to the Library, in order to facilitate the use of documentation research materials for Asian studies, the Institute established the Documentation Center for Asian Studies in 1966, which was in 1999 expanded and renamedthe Research and Information center for Asian Studies(RICAS).The new center is aimed at collecting, and facilitating the use of, various forms of research materials in addition to text-based materials.

Directors

KUWATA Yoshizo　（桑田　芳蔵）1941.11-43.03

UNO Enku （宇野　圓空）1943.04-46.10

TODA Teizo　（戸田　貞三）1946.10-47.09

TSUJI Naoshiro　（辻　直四郎）1947.10-54.03

NIIDA Noboru （仁井田　陞）1954.04-58.07

IIZUKA Koji　（飯塚　浩二）1958.07-60.07, 1964.07-65.02

YUKI Reimon　（結城　令聞）1960.07-62.07

EGAMI Namio　（江上　波夫）1962.07-64.07

OGUCHI Iichi （小口　偉一）1965.03-66.03, 1968.04-70.03

KAWANO Shigeto　（川野　重任）1966.04-68.03, 1970.11-12

IZUMI Seiichi （泉　　靖一）1970.04-11

SUZUKI Kei　（鈴木　　敬）1970.12-72.03

ARA Matsuo　（荒　　松雄）1972.04-73.03

KUBO Noritada （窪　　徳忠）1973.04-74.03

SAEKI Yuichi （佐伯　有一）1974.03-76.03

ONO Morio （大野　盛雄）1976.04-78.03, 1982.04-84.03

FUKAI Shinji （深井　晋司）1978.04-80.03

NAKANE Chie　（中根　千枝）1980.04-82.03

ONOE Kanehide （尾上　兼英）1984.04-88.03

YAMAZAKI Toshio （山崎　利男）1986.04-88.03

SHIBA Yoshinobu （斯波　義信）1988.04-90.03

IKEDA On （池田　　温）1990.04-92.03

MATSUTANI Toshio （松谷　敏雄）1992.04-94.03

GOTO Akira （後藤　　明）1994.04-96.03

HAMASHITA Takeshi （濱下　武志）1996.04-98.03

HARA Yonosuke （原　洋之介）1998.04-2002.03

TANAKA Akihiko （田中　明彦）2002.04-06.03

SEKIMOTO Teruo （関本　照夫）2006.04-2009.03

HANEDA Masashi （羽田　正）2009.04-present

Prizes and Honors

Order of Culture（conferred by the Government of Japan）

EGAMI Namio （江上　波夫）1991

NAKANE Chie （中根　千枝）2001

Persons of Cultural Merit（conferred by the Government of Japan）

TSUJI Naoshiro （辻　直四郎）1978

EGAMI Namio （江上　波夫）1983

YAMAMOTO Tatsuro （山本　達郎）1986

KAWANO Shigeto （川野　重任）1993

NAKANE Chie （中根　千枝）1993

ITAGAKI Yuzo （板垣　雄三）2003

SHIBA Yoshinobu （斯波　義信）2006

Japan Academy Prize

NIIDA Noboru （仁井田　陞）1934

UNO Enku （宇野　圓空）1942

YAMAMOTO Tatsuro （山本　達郎）1952

SUDO Yoshiyuki （周藤　吉之）1956

FUKUSHIMA Masao （福島　正夫）1963

KAMATA Shigeo （鎌田　茂雄）1976

ARA Matsuo （荒　　松雄）1978

IKEDA On （池田　　温）1983

SUZUKI Kei （鈴木　　敬）1985

TANAKA Issei （田仲　一成）1993