Joseph Kitagawa

Joseph Mitsuo Kitagawa (March 8, 1915–October 7, 1992) was a Japanese American professor emeritus of University of Chicago and former dean of its Divinity School, known for his work in the history of religions, particularly on those of the East.^[1]

Kitagawa was born in Osaka, Japan and came to the United States in 1941 to study theology.^[2] During World War II, Kitagawa was interned at the Minidoka War Relocation Center at Hunt, Idaho, where he remained until October 1945.^[2] Kitagawa joined the faculty of the University of Chicago after his graduation in 1951. He became a U.S. citizen in 1955.^[2]

His wife, Evelyn M. Kitagawa (1930–2007), was a notable sociologist, and his daughter Anne Rose Kitagawa became a notable curator of Asian art.

Books

• Kobo-Daishi and Shingon Buddhism, 1951
• Religions of the East, 1960
• Religions orientales, 1961
• Gibt es ein Verstehen fremder Religionen?, 1963
• Religion in Japanese history, 1966
• Myths and symbols, 1969
• The History of Religions, 1985
• On understanding Japanese religion, 1987
• Buddhism and Asian History (Religion, History, and Culture), 1989
• The quest for human unity, 1990
• Spiritual liberation and human freedom in contemporary Asia, 1990
• The Christian tradition, 1992

References