Nishida Kitaro and Suzuki Daisetz
Nishida Kitaro and Suzuki Daisetz. These two leading modern Japanese philosophers and thinkers were both from Ishikawa Prefecture, were the same age, and both attended the Fourth Higher Middle School (the predecessor to the Fourth Higher School (Shiko)), one of the predecessors of Kanazawa University. After their first meeting here, the two men continued to work in far-flung places, such as Japan and America, Kyoto and Tokyo, but they maintained a close relationship for nearly 60 years until Nishida’s death.
Nishida Kitaro (1870-1945, born in present-day Kahoku City) had three connections with Shiko. He entered the preparatory course for Ishikawa Prefectural College in 1884. Ishikawa Prefectural College was renamed the Fourth Higher Middle School, and in 1888 he entered the first year of the main course at Shiko, where he aspired to study philosophy (though the hotheaded Nishida dropped out). The second time was in 1896. He was invited by the then headmaster, Hojo Tokiyuki, to take a job as a part-time lecturer at Shiko (he was transferred to Yamaguchi Higher School a year later). The third time was in 1899. As expected, he was invited by Hojo to take up the post of professor at Shiko. For the next 10 years until he moved to Gakushuin in 1909, he spent a fulfilling time in Kanazawa, interacting with students at the Sansanjuku (official dormitory) established at Nishida’s suggestion, and conducting research that would become the basis for his major work, An Inquiry into the Good (said to be a must-read book for students in the prewar high schools). After 1910, he moved to Kyoto Imperial University and became known as the founder of the Kyoto School and one of Japan’s leading philosophers.
Nishida Kitaro (Photo courtesy of the Ishikawa Nishida Kitaro Museum of Philosophy)
Nishida Kitaro, An Inquiry into the Good (Kanazawa University Library, Akegarasu Collection)
Suzuki Daisetz (1870-1966, born in Kanazawa, real name Teitaro, known worldwide as D. T. Suzuki) entered the elementary and middle school department of Ishikawa Prefectural College in 1882, and the preparatory department of the Fourth Higher Middle School in 1887, but dropped out after one year due to financial difficulties. Later, he began his Zen training under Shaku Soen at Engakuji Temple in Kamakura, and, on Nishida’s recommendation, he entered the Imperial University to study philosophy. It was after he moved to America in 1897 that he really began to show his initiative. While working on the publishing of Oriental studies, he wrote books in English on Zen and Mahayana Buddhism, and after returning to Japan, he became a professor at Otani University and founded the Eastern Buddhist Society, continuing to promote Japanese thought and culture, especially Zen, overseas. It is no exaggeration to say that Suzuki Daisetz is the most famous Japanese scholar of Buddhism worldwide.
Suzuki Daisetz (Photo courtesy of the D. T. Suzuki Museum)
Suzuki Daisetz, Zen and Japanese Culture with preface by Nishida Kitaro (Kanazawa University Library, Shiko Collection)
Kanazawa University established the Kanazawa University International Award in the name of these two great predecessors, to honor researchers who have made outstanding international achievements in the fields of philosophy, thought, and religion.
Related Websites
- Ishikawa Nisida Kitaro Museum of Philospphy
- D.T.Suzuki Museum
- Kanazawa University International Award in commemoration of Daisetz T. Suzuki and Kitaro Nishida
The content of this page is the same as the panel exhibited in the “Shiko no Mori” at Kanazawa University Central Library.
Created in April 2025 by the Working Group on Collections, Kanazawa University Library.