The Institute for the Study of Japanese Folk Culture (ISJFC) is an academic research institute attached to Kanagawa University that carries out research on the lives, cultures, and history of the Japanese people in a wide variety of domains.
　With its origins in the Attic Museum Society, founded in 1921 by Keizo Shibusawa, the grandson of Eiichi Shibusawa, the Institute for the Study of Japanese Folk Culture (ISJFC) conducted research activities relating to the lives and cultures of people in various parts of Japan, particularly on mingu (folk implements) and the history of fisheries, in the pre- and post-war period. The ISJFC was later invited to be the part of Kanagawa University, where it continues this tradition of research, and celebrated the centenary of its establishment in 2021.
　In anticipation of the next 100 years, the Institute will enhance its functions as a center for collaborative use and joint research projects. In 2023, the Institute was designated as a facility equivalent to a museum and its former Exhibition Room was reopened as the Jomin Bunka Museum.　
　Embracing Keizo Shibusawa’s perspective of “harmonious development,” ISJFC provides opportunities for research exchange among researchers from within and outside the institute alongside educational activities in relevant fields.