was a
Japanese philosopher who studied
Chinese philosophy.
Life
Imamichi taught in
Europe (Paris and Germany) as well as in Japan (he was also emeritus professor of the
University of Palermo). Beginning in 1979 he was the president of the ''
Centre International pour l'Étude Comparée de Philosophie et d'Esthétique'' and after 1997 of the
International Institute of Philosophy
International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations".
International may also refer to:
Music Albums
* ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011
* ''International'' (New Order album), 2002
* ''International'' (The T ...
. In 1976 he founded the journal ''Aesthetics''.
He translated
Aristotle's ''
Poetics
Poetics is the theory of structure, form, and discourse within literature, and, in particular, within poetry.
History
The term ''poetics'' derives from the Ancient Greek ποιητικός ''poietikos'' "pertaining to poetry"; also "creative" an ...
'' into
Japanese (in 1972) and has written numerous books in Japanese. Imamichi was a supporter of
communication between cultures. He characterizes
Western philosophy as an attempt to achieve a
God's eye view
An Archimedean point () is a hypothetical viewpoint from which certain objective truths can perfectly be perceived (also known as a God's-eye view) or a reliable starting point from which one may reason. In other words, a view from an Archimedean ...
(''das in-dem-Gott-sein''; to be in the being of God) and
Eastern philosophy
Eastern philosophy or Asian philosophy includes the various philosophies that originated in East and South Asia, including Chinese philosophy, Japanese philosophy, Korean philosophy, and Vietnamese philosophy; which are dominant in East Asia, ...
as an attempt to be in the world (''das in-der-Welt-sein''). Imamichi sees in both stances two incomplete and complementary
humanisms, and observes that since the publication of ''
The Book of Tea
''A Japanese Harmony of Art, Culture, and the Simple Life'' (1906) by Okakura Kakuzō (1906) is a long essay linking the role of ''chadō'' (''teaism'') to the aesthetic and cultural aspects of Japanese life and protesting Western caricatures of ...
'', some
Western philosophers
This is a list of philosophers from the Western tradition of philosophy.
Western philosophers
Greek philosophers
600–500 BCE
* Thales of Miletus (c. 624 – 546 BCE). Of the Milesian school. Believed that all was made of water.
* Pherecydes ...
have adopted a more Eastern stance while other
Eastern philosophers have attempted to reach
the Absolute
Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (; ; 27 August 1770 – 14 November 1831) was a German philosopher. He is one of the most important figures in German idealism and one of the founding figures of modern Western philosophy. His influence extends a ...
or
the Eternal.
Tomonobu Imamichi was the father of
guitarist
A guitarist (or a guitar player) is a person who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of guitar family instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselv ...
and
songwriter Tomotaka Imamichi
, (born October 12, 1959) is a Japanese music producer, guitarist and songwriter from Tokyo, Japan. He first got his huge break in the Japanese music circuit in 1984 as the guitarist and primary songwriter for the rock band, Barbee Boys, althou ...
,
pianist Nobuko Kawaguchi,
biologist
A biologist is a scientist who conducts research in biology. Biologists are interested in studying life on Earth, whether it is an individual cell, a multicellular organism, or a community of interacting populations. They usually specialize in ...
Yukiko Imamichi and
psychologist
A psychologist is a professional who practices psychology and studies mental states, perceptual, cognitive, emotional, and social processes and behavior. Their work often involves the experimentation, observation, and interpretation of how indi ...
Tomoaki Imamichi.
Bibliography
* ''In Search of Wisdom. One Philosopher's Journey'', Tokyo, International House of Japan, 2004
* 'Restrospectiva et Prospectiva Eco-ethics' in ''Acta Institutionis Philosophiae et Aestheticae'', 2004, 22:1-10 (an article written in English, Latin, German, French, Chinese, etc.)
*''Betrachtungen über das Eine'', Institute of Aesthetics of Tokyo, 1968
*''Aspects of Beautiful and Art'', 1968
*''Self-Development of the Identity'', 1970
*''The Localisation and the orientation of Interpretation'', 1972
*''Essay on Beauty'', 1973
*''Studia Comparata de Esthetica'', 1976
*''Aristotle'', 1980
*''Aesthetics in the Orient'', 1980
*''Philosophy in the East and in the West'', 1981
*''Contemporary Philosophy'', 1984
*''The History of the Western Philosophy'', 1986
*''Eco-Ethica'', 1990
*''Le texte comme distance de la Divinité'', in ''Archivio di filosofia'' anno LX, 1992, 1-3
*''Introduzione alla Filosofia Naturale'', 1993.
References
External links
Quick biography of Tomonobu ImamichiThe Japanese Eco-Ethics, interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Imamichi, Tomonubu
1922 births
2012 deaths
20th-century essayists
20th-century Japanese philosophers
21st-century essayists
Aristotelian philosophers
Commentators on Aristotle
Continental philosophers
Environmental philosophers
Environmental writers
Epistemologists
Historians of philosophy
History of philosophy
Humanists
Intellectual historians
Intellectual history
Interculturalism
Japanese essayists
Japanese ethicists
Japanese expatriates in France
Japanese expatriates in Germany
Japanese expatriates in Italy
21st-century Japanese philosophers
Metaphysicians
Metaphysics writers
Ontologists
People from Tokyo
Philosophers of art
Philosophers of culture
Philosophers of education
Philosophers of history
Philosophers of literature
Philosophers of mind
Philosophers of social science
Recipients of the Medal with Purple Ribbon
Social commentators
Social philosophers
Theorists on Western civilization
Academic staff of the University of Palermo