was a Japanese

academic An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

and esteemed

professor emeritus ''Emeritus/Emerita'' () is an honorary title granted to someone who retirement, retires from a position of distinction, most commonly an academic faculty position, but is allowed to continue using the previous title, as in "professor emeritus". ...

of medieval, renaissance, early modern, and Kantian philosophy at the

University of Kyoto , or , is a national research university in Kyoto, Japan. Founded in 1897, it is one of the former Imperial Universities and the second oldest university in Japan. The university has ten undergraduate faculties, eighteen graduate schools, and t ...

during the early 20th century. He was one of the leading thinkers of the Kyoto School. His son, Shinichirō Tomonaga, is also renowned for receiving the 1965

Nobel Prize in Physics The Nobel Prize in Physics () is an annual award given by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences for those who have made the most outstanding contributions to mankind in the field of physics. It is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the ...

for the development of

quantum electrodynamics In particle physics, quantum electrodynamics (QED) is the Theory of relativity, relativistic quantum field theory of electrodynamics. In essence, it describes how light and matter interact and is the first theory where full agreement between quant ...

Life

Tomonaga was born in

Nagasaki Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan, mainly located on the island of Kyūshū, although it also includes a number of islands off Kyūshū's northwest coast - including Tsushima and Iki. Nagasaki Prefecture has a population of 1,246,4 ...

the second son of Tomonaga Jinjirō, a

samurai The samurai () were members of the warrior class in Japan. They were originally provincial warriors who came from wealthy landowning families who could afford to train their men to be mounted archers. In the 8th century AD, the imperial court d ...

of the

Ōmura Domain was a Japanese Han (Japan), domain of the Edo period. It was centered around Kushima Castle in what is now the city of Ōmura, Nagasaki and was ruled by the ''tozama daimyō'' Ōmura clan for all of its history. History The lineage of the � ...

, in 1871. After graduating from Nagasaki Ōmura Junior High School (now known as Nagasaki Prefectural Omura High School) and then

First Higher School The First Higher School (第一高等学校, Daiichi ''Kōtō Gakkō'') was a university preparatory boy's boarding school in Tokyo, Japan. It is the direct predecessor of the College of Arts and Sciences of the University of Tokyo. Overview ...

, he entered the

Tokyo Imperial University The University of Tokyo (, abbreviated as in Japanese and UTokyo in English) is a public university, public research university in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. Founded in 1877 as the nation's first modern university by the merger of several Edo peri ...

. After graduating, he became the assistant professor of philosophy at

Kyoto Imperial University , or , is a national research university in Kyoto, Japan. Founded in 1897, it is one of the former Imperial Universities and the second oldest university in Japan. The university has ten undergraduate faculties, eighteen graduate schools, and t ...

in 1907 and then full professor in 1913. He mainly lectured on

Western philosophy Western philosophy refers to the Philosophy, philosophical thought, traditions and works of the Western world. Historically, the term refers to the philosophical thinking of Western culture, beginning with the ancient Greek philosophy of the Pre ...

and

history of philosophy The history of philosophy is the systematic study of the development of philosophical thought. It focuses on philosophy as rational inquiry based on argumentation, but some theorists also include myth, religious traditions, and proverbial lor ...

, and along with

Nishida Kitarō is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: *, Japanese graphic artist who designed Pikachu *, Japanese business executive *, Japanese footballer * , Japanese mathematician *, Japanese singer and actress *Jane Nishida (born 195 ...

and Tanabe Hajime, constituted the important intellectual Kyoto School movement of modern Japan. Tomonaga was well known to be an unprolific writer but left a prestigious body of work and was mentor to many renowned Japanese philosophers, including Amano Teiyū, Obara Kuniyoshi, Yamauchi Tokuryū and Kosaka Masaaki. He retired from

in 1931 and then became full professor at

Ōtani University is a private Buddhism, Buddhist university in Kita-ku, Kyoto, Japan. Ōtani University is a coeducation institution with an emphasis on Buddhist studies. A two-year private junior college is associated with the university. The university is asso ...

Works

* (1902) ''An Introduction to Philosophy'' (哲学綱要). * (1905) ''A Dictionary of Philosophy'' (哲学辞典). * (1907) ''Philosophy and Life'' (哲学と人生). * (1909) ''Philosophy of Person and Philosophy of Beyond Person'' (人格の哲学と超人格の哲学). * (1916) ''The History of Self-Consciousness in Relation to the Self of Modernity: New Idealism and Its Context'' (近世に於ける「我」の自覚史新理想主義と其背景). * (1922) ''Kant's Theory of Peace'' (カントの平和論). * (1925) ''Decartes'' (デカート). * (1936) ''Meditations of Descartes''(デカルト省察録) * (1948) ''A Short Work for the History of Philosophy: Rousseau, Kant, and Lotze'' (哲学史的小品ルソー・カント・ロッツェ). * (1949) "Philosophy From Renaissance to Kant" in Vol. 1 of the ''History of Western Philosophy'' (西洋近世哲学史第1冊ルネッサンス及び先カントの哲学). ;Collected essays * Tomonaga Sanjūrō, ''The Collected Essays of Prof. Tomonoga in Honor of His 60th Birthday'', eds. Amano Tenyū (Tokyo, Iwanami Shoten, 1931).

References

* Shibazaki Atsuchi, ''A Recognition of the International Relation in Modern Japan: Tomonaga Sanjūrō and "Kant's Theory of Peace"'' (Tokyo, Sōbunsha, 2009). {{DEFAULTSORT:Sanjuro, Tomonaga Kyoto School 20th-century Japanese philosophers 1871 births 1951 deaths People from Nagasaki Prefecture