Masaharu Anesaki | |
|---|---|
 Masaharu Anesaki | |
| Born | (1873-07-25)July 25, 1873 |
| Died | July 23, 1949(1949-07-23) (aged 75) |
| Resting place |  Japan |
| Other names | Anesaki Chōfū |
| Occupation(s) | Philosopher, scholar ofComparative religion, member ofHouse of Peers |
Masaharu Anesaki (姉崎 正治,Anesaki Masaharu, born July 25, 1873 – July 23, 1949), also known under his pen name "Chōfū Anesaki" (姉崎 嘲風,Anesaki Chōfū), was a leading Japanese intellectual and scholar of theMeiji period. Anesaki is credited as being the father of religious studies in Japan, but also wrote on a variety of subjects including culture, literature, and politics.[1] He was also a member of theInternational Committee on Intellectual Cooperation of theLeague of Nations.
Masaharu Anesaki was born inKyoto. His family was theSamurai class served atKatsura-no-miya. In his younger days, he studied English at a private school "Oriental School", built by Kinzo Hirai, a Buddhist social worker. He received higher education in theThird High School, and entered theTokyo Imperial University in 1893. He majored inphilosophy, and his teacher wasTetsujirō Inoue andRaphael von Koeber. He graduated from university in 1897.
He started teachingComparative religion atTetsugaku Kan in 1897. In 1900, he went studying abroad, and spent three years in India and Europe (1900–1903). During this time he studied underDeussen,Hermann Oldenberg,Gerbe, andAlbrecht Weber in Germany, as well asThomas William Rhys Davids in England.[1]
He spent more than another year abroad in 1908–09 with partial support fromAlbert Kahn, the French Philanthropist. During that time he traveled extensively through Italy, tracing the steps of Saint Francis of Assisi. His travelogue"Hanatsumi Nikki" (Flowers of Italy) recounts that journey.
He spent 1913 to 1915 as a visiting scholar atHarvard University lecturing on Japanese literature and life. The lecture notes from this period were revised and were later the base for the book"History of Japanese Religion".[1] He was also instrumental in founding the scholarly collection that became the library of theUniversity of Tokyo.
A devoutNichiren Buddhist, he also published such titles as"How Christianity appeals to a Japanese Buddhist" (Hibbert Journal, 1905). He translated Schopenhauer's"Die Welt als Wille und Vorstellung" into Japanese and explored terms of understanding between Buddhism and Western Philosophy.[1]
