Kato Shuichi
Encyclopedia
Shūichi Katō was a Japanese critic and author best known for his works on literature
and culture
.
, Katō trained as a medical doctor at the University of Tokyo
during World War II, specializing in haematology. The experience of living under Japan’s fascist government and American bombing of Tokyo would shape a lifelong opposition to war, especially nuclear arms, and imperialism. It was also in this period that began to write.
In the immediate postwar period, Katō joined a Japanese-American research team to assess the effects of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. He subsequently travelled to Paris for a research fellowship at the Pasteur Institute. When he returned to Japan, he turned to writing full time. After participating in a 1958 conference of writers from Asia and Africa, he gave up practicing medicine entirely.
Fluent in French, German, and English, while being deeply focused on Japanese culture and classical Chinese literature, Katō gained a reputation for examining Japan through both domestic and foreign perspectives. He served as lecturer at Yale University
, professor at the Free University of Berlin
and the University of British Columbia
, guest professor at Ritsumeikan University
(Dept. of International Relations), and curator of the Kyoto Museum for World Peace
. From 1980 until his death, he wrote a widely-read column in the evening culture pages of the Asahi Shimbun
in which he discussed society, culture, and international relations from a literate and resolutely leftist perspective.
In 2004, he formed a group with philosopher Shunsuke Tsurumi
and novelist Kenzaburō Ōe
to defend the war-renouncing Article 9
of the Constitution of Japan
.
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
and culture
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
.
Biography
Born in TokyoTokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, Katō trained as a medical doctor at the University of Tokyo
University of Tokyo
, abbreviated as , is a major research university located in Tokyo, Japan. The University has 10 faculties with a total of around 30,000 students, 2,100 of whom are foreign. Its five campuses are in Hongō, Komaba, Kashiwa, Shirokane and Nakano. It is considered to be the most prestigious university...
during World War II, specializing in haematology. The experience of living under Japan’s fascist government and American bombing of Tokyo would shape a lifelong opposition to war, especially nuclear arms, and imperialism. It was also in this period that began to write.
In the immediate postwar period, Katō joined a Japanese-American research team to assess the effects of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. He subsequently travelled to Paris for a research fellowship at the Pasteur Institute. When he returned to Japan, he turned to writing full time. After participating in a 1958 conference of writers from Asia and Africa, he gave up practicing medicine entirely.
Fluent in French, German, and English, while being deeply focused on Japanese culture and classical Chinese literature, Katō gained a reputation for examining Japan through both domestic and foreign perspectives. He served as lecturer at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, professor at the Free University of Berlin
Free University of Berlin
Freie Universität Berlin is one of the leading and most prestigious research universities in Germany and continental Europe. It distinguishes itself through its modern and international character. It is the largest of the four universities in Berlin. Research at the university is focused on the...
and the University of British Columbia
University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia is a public research university. UBC’s two main campuses are situated in Vancouver and in Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley...
, guest professor at Ritsumeikan University
Ritsumeikan University
Ritsumeikan University has a growing reputation as one of the main private universities of Japan. It is part of a group of prestigious private universities in the Kansai area, called "Kan -Kan -Dou -Ritsu "...
(Dept. of International Relations), and curator of the Kyoto Museum for World Peace
Kyoto Museum for World Peace
The is part of Ritsumeikan University in Kita-ku, Kyoto, Japan. The Museum is accessible to the public for a 400-600 Yen fee. The displays and materials are mostly in Japanese but there is a 25 page English booklet describing the exhibits...
. From 1980 until his death, he wrote a widely-read column in the evening culture pages of the Asahi Shimbun
Asahi Shimbun
The is the second most circulated out of the five national newspapers in Japan. Its circulation, which was 7.96 million for its morning edition and 3.1 million for its evening edition as of June 2010, was second behind that of Yomiuri Shimbun...
in which he discussed society, culture, and international relations from a literate and resolutely leftist perspective.
In 2004, he formed a group with philosopher Shunsuke Tsurumi
Shunsuke Tsurumi
is a Japanese historian and philosopher. Graduating from Harvard University in 1942, he taught at Kyoto University. In 1946, he started the magazine "Shiso-no Kagaku" . He was a member of the anti-Vietnam War group Beheiren....
and novelist Kenzaburō Ōe
Kenzaburo Oe
is a Japanese author and a major figure in contemporary Japanese literature. His works, strongly influenced by French and American literature and literary theory, deal with political, social and philosophical issues including nuclear weapons, social non-conformism and existentialism.Ōe was awarded...
to defend the war-renouncing Article 9
Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution
Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution is a clause in the National Constitution of Japan that prohibits an act of war by the state. The Constitution came into effect on May 3, 1947, immediately following World War II. In its text, the state formally renounces war as a sovereign right and bans...
of the Constitution of Japan
Constitution of Japan
The is the fundamental law of Japan. It was enacted on 3 May, 1947 as a new constitution for postwar Japan.-Outline:The constitution provides for a parliamentary system of government and guarantees certain fundamental rights...
.
Selected works
- Form, Style, Tradition: Reflections on Japanese Art and Society, Berkeley, University of California Press (1971)
- A History of Japanese Literature: From the Manyoshu to Modern Times, Tokyo, Kodansha International (1979)
- A Sheep's Song: A Writer's Reminiscences of Japan and the World, Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press (1999)
- The Japan-China phenomenon: Conflict or compatibility?, Kodansha America (1974)
- Six Lives/Six Deaths: Portraits from Modern Japan by Robert Jay LiftonRobert Jay LiftonRobert Jay Lifton is an American psychiatrist and author, chiefly known for his studies of the psychological causes and effects of war and political violence and for his theory of thought reform...
, Shuichi Kato, and Michael R. Reich, Yale University Press, New Haven (1979)