2025年度の活動報告

On Friday, June 20, 2025, at 16:00, the 11th regular meeting, "Christianity and East Asia: Conflicts and Fusion of Religions and Cultures in Japan and Europe," was held. There were 22 participants. A presentation titled "Pro-Japanese" Women in Korea under Japanese Rule: A Reassessment of Helen Kim's Activities was given by Ahran Ellie Bae (Musashi University full-time lecturer). After touching on the ongoing "pro-Japanese controversy issue," Bae focused on the activities of Helen Kim, a pioneer of women's education who was highly educated and served as principal of Ewha University in Korea, which was under the control of the Government-General of Korea, and pointed out that many Korean women at the time suffered not only colonial oppression by Japan but also social oppression by Korean men. Regarding Helen Kim's accusation of being "pro-Japanese" and cooperating with the Government-General of Korea, he stated that the background was that she prioritized promoting women's education over resistance movements against Japan. Helen Kim concluded that she chose the path of challenging the advancement of women in Korean society and fighting against the patriarchal oppressive traditions and practices of Japanese and Korean men. Commentator Motokazu Matsutani (Professor at Tohoku Gakuin University) stated that, from the perspective of Korean Christian history research, almost all female leaders of the time shared aspects in Helen Kim's activities, and pointed out whether she had unique characteristics, her position as a Methodist, and her status within the family. Another commentator, Yoshiyuki Okayasu (Academic Researcher, Public Archives Office, Tohoku University), pointed out from the perspective of studying Japanese study abroad studies that there were female exchange students at Tohoku University who were contemporary with Helen Kim, and that most of them were graduates of Ewha University.

 

On Saturday, September 13, 2025, at 16:00, the 12th regular meeting, "Exchange and Fusion of Knowledge and Technology: What Happened in the Asian World," was held. There were 31 participants. After the introduction of the speaker and commentator by facilitator Mr. Dongseon Lee (Associate Professor at Tokyo Metropolitan University), Mr. Ross Moncrieff (Fellow at Allsouls College, Department of History, University of Oxford) delivered "The reception of Confucianism in eighteenth-century Britain" ( The reception of Confucian thought in 18th-century England) was published. Mr. Moncrieff analyzed the reception of Confucianism in 18th-century Britain, pointing out that Confucius was understood under multiple archetypal interpretations as someone who reached truth through reason. At that time, he stated that this understanding was rooted in the intellectual context of late Ming China mediated by Jesuits, and was not mere fantasy. He concluded that in Britain, Confucianism was consistently evaluated positively as a 'symbol of natural reason' and, unlike the French Enlightenment, was not denied from the perspective of progress. Commentator Yoko Arai (Associate Professor at Daito Bunka University) pointed out in connection with Moncrieff's report that the translation and transmission of Chinese thought by Jesuits relied on internal intellectual frameworks such as Daoist Orthodoxy, historical compilation, and Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism, and that by using the Zizhi Tongjian and Zhu Xi's interpretations, they linked the genealogy of biblical ancestors with Chinese history, shaping the framework for understanding Confucianism in Europe. Furthermore, he emphasized that the religious transformation of Confucius rituals and the debates over idol worship during the Ming and Qing dynasties directly influenced the understanding of Confucianism in 18th-century Europe. Another commentator, Tsuyoshi Uemura (Associate Professor at Kwansei Gakuin University), pointed out the problems and limitations of the Western-centric "global history" trend that has become popular in recent years, and discussed the significance of this report in dealing with knowledge transmission from East to West. Based on this premise, he presented the issue of how much Confucian thought influenced the core of British Enlightenment thought, and how Confucian thought spread in Britain at the time, developing a discussion that approached the reality of East-West cultural exchange.

 

On Friday, November 28, 2025, at 16:00, the 13th regular meeting, "War and Peace East and West + Christianity and East Asia," was held. There were 19 participants. Atsuhiko Katano (lecturer at Rakuno Gakuen University, Sapporo University, etc., and Japan Mennonite Fukuzumi Center) presented "The Christian Origins of Restorative Justice: Theory and Practice." Mr. Katano outlined the historical background of the Anabaptists born during the 16th-century Reformation and the Mennonites in their lineage, affirming their consistent values of "nonviolence," "reconciliation," and "community." Next, he introduced the perspective emphasized by Chris Marshall that "God's justice is not the retribution of punishment, but the power to heal wounded relationships and lead communities to restoration," and further discussed Howard Zere's theory of restorative justice, which seeks to repair damaged relationships between victims and perpetrators through dialogue and fulfillment of responsibility, organizing the ideological foundations behind this idea. By comparing it with the modern criminal justice system, he clarified the core and practical significance of the Mennonite concept of "restorative justice." Commentator Tomoji Odori highlighted the 1957 murder of Amish farmer Paul Koblenz in Ohio, USA, introducing cases where the Amish community petitioned to stop the execution of perpetrators and the bereaved families personally conveyed words of forgiveness to the perpetrators, practicing thorough forgiveness and reconciliation. He also demonstrated that this attitude of forgiveness led to the rehabilitation of perpetrators and ultimately became a successful example of "restorative justice."

 

〈Achievement Announcement〉
In fiscal year 2025, Tomoji Odori will be the translations of books such as S. Nolt's 'The Complete History of the Amish: From the Reformation to the Present' (Akashi Shoten); Atsuhiko Katano's co-authored book (edited by Aisa Kiyosue) 'Peace Studies That Open Hokkaido' (Horitsu Bunka Sha); Taku Minagawa, 'The 'Divided' Territorial States and the Holy Roman Empire: On the Historical Significance of 'Sectarianization' in 'Ecphrasis: European Cultural Studies' No. 15 (2025); Yoshiyuki Okayasu Tohoku University and International Students," Tohoku University Historical Archives Research Report, No. 20 (2025); Lee Dong-seon, The Significance of the 1650s in English Religious History: Religion and Morality during the Interregnum, in The East Asian Journal of British History, No.9 (2025); Kenichi Nezume, "Ficino, Plotinos, Plato," Kyoto University Academic Press Monthly Bulletin, No. 17 (2026), Tomoji Odori "Why Religion Became a Religion—From the Perspective of Early Meiji Japan-Europe Relations," Musashi University Journal of the Society for Liberal Arts & Science, No. 3 (2026), etc.

 

〈Publishing Business〉
We have organized the manuscripts, charts, and other materials for 'From Moving Dolls to Thinking Robots' published by Kyoiku Hyoronsha, ensuring publication within 2026. This publication is based on one of the themes our research group was working on, 'Artificial Humans in the East and West: From Ancient Myths to Advanced Robotics,' and is a Integration of Humanities and Sciences bridge between the humanities and artificial intelligence and mechanical engineering. Therefore, the authors include experts knowledgeable about moving dolls, clocks, and music boxes at the automata stage, as well as AI scientists and on-site robot developers.

 

〈Other〉
Members have purchased materials and conducted research trips. All of these are related to the research mentioned above. The November research trip aligned with the theme of "War and Peace in East and West," conducting surveys of Mennonite communities (including farms) that uphold the principles of nonviolence and pacifism in Sapporo City and Naganuma Town. The farm owner in Naganuma Town (an American) had ancestors who were German immigrants who came to Canada via Poland and Ukraine, and through interviews, I was able to learn about their family history. The research trip at the end of March was conducted under the theme of 'Christianity and East Asia,' aimed at investigating Christian materials and historic sites in Bungo Taketa City (such as cliff Buddhas blended with Christian culture). Meetings were held with the director of the Christian Museum and the mayor of Takeda City, opening new prospects for research exchange.

Research trips by members are expected to be in Europe, America, and East Asia. Regarding the publication of research results, in addition to book publication, papers by members of the association are planned to be published in the 'Musashi University Research Institute Bulletin.' After publishing 'From Moving Dolls to Thinking Robots' (tentative title), a new publication plan centered on a different common theme was developed.