神奈川大学日本常民文化研究所

Research and Study

Basic Joint Research Project: A Comprehensive Study of Keizo Shibusawa

Geographical scope

Sites and Institutions Related to Keizo Shibusawa; primarily in Japan

  • Hamada-ura gahen-roku manuscript copy (owned by ISJFC)
  • “Fishing with a longline”

Purpose

Keizo Shibusawa, in addition to being the scholar who presided over the Attic Museum, the forerunner of today’s Institute for the Study of Japanese Folk Culture (ISJFC), Kanagawa University, was also a businessman who followed in the footsteps of his grandfather Eiichi, holding key positions in both politics and business.
 As a boy, the young Keizo longed to be a zoologist, but after studying the history of industry in the Faculty of Economics at university, he strove to foster industry through his involvement in the management of various banks and companies while studying history and folklore studies on the side. As Governor of the Bank of Japan and Minister of Finance, he dealt with fiscal and financial issues during and after World War II, and also contributed to the development of science, engineering, and medicine through international exchange, travel, and diplomacy.
 By researching the ideas and accomplishments of those who, like Shibusawa, straddled the realms of both academia and business, and whose scale was such that they transcended and intersected with various fields, we will discuss aspects of Japan's experience of modernity as well as searching for the guiding principles concerning the nature of knowledge and action in the era to come.
 From academic year 2022, we will conduct a joint study on the theme of “written materials,” with the objective of elucidating the holdings of the Saigyodo-Bunko collection and the publications of the Attic Museum.

Duration: 2022-