Stuart Donald Blair Picken (1942 – 5 August 2016) was a Scottish philosopher, academic and cleric. He was a noted expert on comparative ethics and Japanese thought. In 2007 he was awarded the

Order of the Sacred Treasure The is a Japanese order, established on 4 January 1888 by Emperor Meiji as the Order of Meiji. Originally awarded in eight classes (from 8th to 1st, in ascending order of importance), since 2003 it has been awarded in six classes, the lowest ...

(gold rays with neck ribbon) by the government of Japan in recognition of his work. Picken was born in Glasgow in 1942. At the age of sixteen he entered the

University of Glasgow , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

where he studied divinity and philosophy, and completed a doctorate on Christianity and the work of

Kant Immanuel Kant (, , ; 22 April 1724 – 12 February 1804) was a German Philosophy, philosopher and one of the central Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment thinkers. Born in Königsberg, Kant's comprehensive and systematic works in epistemolo ...

. After being ordained in the

Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland ( sco, The Kirk o Scotland; gd, Eaglais na h-Alba) is the national church in Scotland. The Church of Scotland was principally shaped by John Knox, in the Scottish Reformation, Reformation of 1560, when it split from t ...

in 1966, he was posted as a minister on

Orkney Orkney (; sco, Orkney; on, Orkneyjar; nrn, Orknøjar), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago in the Northern Isles of Scotland, situated off the north coast of the island of Great Britain. Orkney is 10 miles (16 km) north ...

. After visiting Japan on a

Rotary Scholarship Rotary International offers a number of scholarships worldwide for periods of 3 months, 6 months, 1 year and 2 years. Ambassadorial Mission The purpose of the Ambassadorial Scholarship was to further international understanding and friendly rela ...

, in 1972 Picken was appointed Professor of Philosophy at

International Christian University is a non-denominational private university located in Mitaka, Tokyo, Japan, commonly known as ICU. With the efforts of Prince Takamatsu, General Douglas MacArthur, and BOJ President Hisato Ichimada, ICU was established in 1949 as the first ...

in Tokyo, where he remained until 1997. While there, he specialized in ethics and Japanese thought, and in particular

shinto Shinto () is a religion from Japan. Classified as an East Asian religion by scholars of religion, its practitioners often regard it as Japan's indigenous religion and as a nature religion. Scholars sometimes call its practitioners ''Shintois ...

, on which he was a noted authority. He was also an adviser on international affairs for the High Priest of the

Tsubaki Grand Shrine is a Shinto shrine in the Yamamoto neighborhood of the city of Suzuka in Mie Prefecture, Japan. It is one of the two shrines which claim the title of ''ichinomiya'' of former Ise Province. The main festival of the shrine is held annually on Oc ...

, and was Director of the Centre for Japanese Studies and Visiting Professor of Japanese Thought at the

University of Stirling The University of Stirling (, gd, Oilthigh Shruighlea (abbreviated as Stir or Shruiglea, in post-nominals) is a public university in Stirling, Scotland, founded by royal charter in 1967. It is located in the Central Belt of Scotland, built w ...

. He published more than half a dozen books and some 130 articles and papers. From 1997 to 2004, he was the founding Dean of the Faculty of Foreign Languages and Asian Studies at

Nagoya University of Commerce & Business Nagoya University of Commerce & Business ( ja, 名古屋商科大学, ''Nagoya shōka daigaku''), also called NUCB Undergraduate School, is a non-profit Japanese private university in Nisshin, Aichi, in the Tokai region of Japan. History The ...

, and the founding Dean of the Graduate School Division of Global Business Communication from 2002 to 2004. He was the founding Chairman of the Japan Society of Scotland, and Chairman of the International Advisory Board of

The International Academic Forum The International Academic Forum (IAFOR) is an NGO research organization based in Japan. In 2017, IAFOR established a research centre at the Osaka School of International Public Policy (OSIPP), a graduate school of Osaka University, Japan. IAFO ...

(IAFOR). After retiring from academia, he came back to Scotland and re-entered the ministry as minister of Blackford in 2005 He was married to Hongwen and had two children, a son and a daughter. He died at the age of 74 on 5 August 2016.

Works

* ''The Soul of an Orkney Parish: outh Ronaldsay and Burray' (1972) * ''Shinto, Japan's Spiritual Roots'' (1980) * ''Buddhism'' (1982) introduction by

Edwin O. Reischauer Edwin Oldfather Reischauer (; October 15, 1910 – September 1, 1990) was an American diplomat, educator, and professor at Harvard University. Born in Tokyo to American educational missionaries, he became a leading scholar of the history and cul ...

* ''Christianity and Japan: Meeting, Conflict, Hope'' (1983) introduction by

* ''Essentials of Shinto: An Analytical Guide to Principal Teachings'' (1994) * ''Shinto Meditations for Revering the Earth'' (2002) * ''Sourcebook in Shinto: Selected Documents'' (2004) * ''Historical Dictionary of Japanese Business'' (2007) * ''Historical Dictionary of Shinto'' (2010) * ''Historical Dictionary of Calvinism'' (2011) *
Death in the Japanese Tradition
' (2016)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Picken, Stuart 21st-century Ministers of the Church of Scotland Scottish philosophers Scottish expatriates in Japan Academics of the University of Stirling International Christian University faculty 20th-century Ministers of the Church of Scotland Clergy from Glasgow 1942 births 2016 deaths