25 Facts About Joseph Kitagawa

Joseph Mitsuo Kitagawa was an eminent Japanese American scholar in religious studies.

Joseph Kitagawa was professor emeritus and dean of the University of Chicago Divinity School.

Joseph Kitagawa is considered one of the founders of the field of the history of religions.

Joseph Kitagawa is known for his contributions to the study of religious traditions in Asia and intercultural understanding of the East and the West.

Joseph Kitagawa graduated from Rikkyo University in Tokyo in 1937.

Joseph Kitagawa came to the United States to study theology in 1941.

Joseph Kitagawa served as president of the American Society for the Study of Religions from 1960 to 1972 and Vice President of the International Association for the History of Religions from 1975 to 1985.

Joseph Kitagawa was a visiting professor at the University of California at Santa Barbara, the University of Tokyo, and Koyasan University.

Joseph Kitagawa's wife, Evelyn M Kitagawa, was a sociologist, and his daughter, Anne Rose Kitagawa, became a notable curator of Asian art.

On March 8,1915, Joseph Kitagawa was born to Christian Japanese parents in the city of Osaka.

Since Joseph Kitagawa grew up in the Far East during the early to mid 20th century, he was taught at a young age who Confucius was and what ideals he stood for.

Joseph Kitagawa was especially impacted by Confucius' teachings on common human nature, the educability of all men and women, ethical universalism, and the vocation of training scholars.

In 1933, Joseph Kitagawa began his studies at Tokyo's Rikkyo University, and it was here where he became intrigued by the personality and insights of the Apostle Paul.

Joseph Kitagawa was interested by how Paul maintained his vocation to spreading the gospel despite his constantly changing mood and his array of common human weaknesses.

Joseph Kitagawa claimed that he did not fully comprehend the teachings of Confucius or the Apostle Paul, but to him both of these scholars stand as a testament to how people should measure the worth of a person based on their quality of vocation as opposed to their past accomplishments.

Joseph Kitagawa was traumatized by life in the camps and noted that he had countless sleepless nights even after being released from the Idaho center in October 1945.

That said, Joseph Kitagawa did not bear resentment to the United States.

Joseph Kitagawa helped Wach develop and launch the first American branch of Religionswissenschaft, which is known as the History of Religions.

Ever since Joseph Kitagawa became the head of the History of Religions department, he devoted himself to helping his students learn when to form study groups, learn when they are prepared to take Ph.

Joseph Kitagawa began translating and publishing Wach's earlier essays which were all completely in German.

Between 1951 and 1970, Joseph Kitagawa authored and edited no less than 23 books and over 170 academic articles.

In 1970, Joseph Kitagawa had successfully developed the History of Religions discipline, and the University of Chicago asked him to take on a leadership role in the Divinity School itself.

Joseph Kitagawa became dean of the University of Chicago Divinity School in 1970 and during this time Joseph Kitagawa developed strong relations with the Lutheran School of Theology, Catholic Theological Union, and McCormick Theological Seminary.

In 1980, Joseph Kitagawa retired his position as dean and in 1984 he developed pneumonia which damaged his speech so Joseph Kitagawa withdrew himself from the public sphere.

On October 7,1992, Joseph Kitagawa died of pneumonia and health complications related to a stroke he had the preceding January.