On 26 June 2024, Kyoto University established the Nishida Philosophy - Senmoto Fund to support research on the philosopher Kitaro Nishida and the Kyoto School, which emerged from his thought. The initiative, made possible by a 300 million-yen donation from alumnus and serial entrepreneur Sachio Senmoto, was announced at a press conference held on the same day at the University's Shimogamo Kyueiso building, the former residence of Dr Hideki Yukawa.
The Department of History of Japanese Philosophy at Kyoto University's Graduate School of Letters is dedicated to the studies of Japan's original thought traditions, including Nishida's philosophy and the Kyoto School, one of the academic disciplines with origins at the University. This world-renowned center of Japanese philosophy research, however, is facing a chronic shortage of educators and researchers to work in this historically important field due to lack of funds, which is also hindering efforts to manage and organize the valuable historical materials inherited through generations.
To address these issues, the University will provide the department with 300 million yen over the next 10 years through the newly created fund.
The department will utilize this support for various purposes: train the next generation of researchers; organize and maintain historical documents; and make these resources available to the general public. Through these efforts, it ultimately aims to ensure that the knowledge born at Kyoto University will be passed on to future generations and will continue to develop for the benefit of society.
The establishment of the Nishida Philosophy - Senmoto Fund represents a new research support initiative from the University's Office of Institutional Advancement and Communications (IAC), inaugurated on 1 April 2024. IAC will continue to work on proposal-based fundraising efforts with the goal of building a stable financial base for safeguarding and enhancing the University's research environment.
