Joseph Kitagawa

Joseph Mitsuo Kitagawa (March 8, 1915 – October 7, 1992) was an eminent Japanese American scholar in religious studies. He was professor emeritus and dean of the University of Chicago Divinity School. He is considered one of the founders of the field of the history of religions. He is known for his contributions to the study of religious traditions in Asia and intercultural understanding of the East and the West.

Kitagawa was born in Osaka Prefecture. He graduated from Rikkyo University in Tokyo in 1937. He came to the United States to study theology in 1941. During World War II, Kitagawa was interned at the Minidoka War Relocation Center at Hunt, Idaho, where he remained until October 1945. He received his B.D. from Seabury-Western Theological Seminary in 1947. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago and joined the faculty of the Divinity School in 1951. He became a U.S. citizen in 1955.

Kitagawa was a founding editor of History of Religions. He 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. He was a visiting professor at the University of California at Santa Barbara, the University of Tokyo, and Koyasan University.

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

Early life and internment: 1915–1951 On March 8, 1915, Kitagawa was born to Christian Japanese parents in the city of Osaka. His father was an Episcopal priest and as a youth he grew up in a parsonage with a minority community of Christians in Japan. As a child, Kitagawa was friends with other children who were sons and daughters of people within Buddhist, Shinto, and Christian clergies. This exposure to multiple religions at a young age made Kitagawa understand the importance of religion. Following his release, Kitagawa began working with the Episcopal church to help displaced Japanese Americans resettle into society. Kitagawa went on to receive his degree and become an instructor at the University of Chicago Divinity school in 1951. Long was a distinguished scholar who specialized in Black religions and wrote a landmark piece titled Significations: Signs, Symbols, and Images in the Interpretation of Religion (1986) which explored issues relating to religion in the context of cultural misunderstandings, creation, and encounter. Kitagawa, Eliade, and Long founded the journal titled History of Religions in 1960, In 1970, 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. In The Quest for Human Unity: a Religious History, Kitagawa writes about his journey in academia and his life-long quest to create a system which recognizes humanity's continuities while simultaneously appreciating humanity's vast cultural diversity. Between 1984 and 1992, Kitagawa published five academic essays. On October 7, 1992, Kitagawa died of pneumonia and health complications related to a stroke he had the preceding January. Before his death, Kitagawa planned out his own memorial service, and on November 2, 1992 Kitagawa's memorial service was held in the Rockefeller Chapel where the liturgy of the 1928 Book of Common Prayer was played and no eulogies were given.

Books Kitagawa, J. M. (1966). Religion in Japanese history. New York, NY: Columbia University Press. Kitagawa, J. M. (1968). Religions of the East. Philadelphia, PA: Westminster Press. Kitagawa, J. M. (1987). On understanding Japanese religion. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. Kitagawa, J. M. (1987). The history of religions: Understanding human experience. Atlanta, GA: Scholars Press. Kitagawa, J. M. (1990). Spiritual liberation and human freedom in contemporary Asia. New York, NY: Peter Lang. Kitagawa, J. M. (1990). The quest for human unity: A religious history. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press. Kitagawa, J. M. (1992). Religious studies, theological studies, and the university-divinity school. Atlanta, GA: Scholars Press. Kitagawa, J. M. (1992). The Christian tradition: Beyond European captivity. Philadelphia, PA: Trinity Press International.

Edited books Kitagawa, J. M. (Ed.). (1959). Modern trends in world religions. La Salle, IL: Open Court. Kitagawa, J. M. (Ed.). (1969). Understanding modern China. Chicago, IL: Quadrangle Books. Kitagawa, J. M. (Ed.). (1984). American refugee policy: Ethical and religious reflections. Minneapolis, MN: Winston Press. Kitagawa, J. M. (Ed.). (1985). The history of religions: Retrospect and prospect. New York, NY: Macmillan. Kitagawa, J. M. (Ed.). (1989). The religious traditions of Asia. New York, NY: Macmillan. Kitagawa, J. M., & Cummings, M. D. (Eds.). (1989). Buddhism and Asian history. New York, NY: Macmillan. Kitagawa, J. M., & Long, C. H. (Eds.). (1969). Myths and symbols: Studies in honor of Mircea Eliade. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press. Eliade, M., & Kitagawa, J. M. (Eds.). (1959). The history of religions: Essays in methodology. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.