A Brief Guide to the History of Japanese Psychology

As part of a continuing effort to expand the information available through the online OSU Psychology Museum, we are proud to present A Brief History of Japanese Psychology. On this site, you will find brief biographies on many great Japanese psychologists, as well as a timeline of Japanese psychology and links to other information on Japanese psychology.

The purpose of this page is not provide a comprehensive overview of Japanese psychology, as there are many excellent books on the subject. Instead, this page should serve as an overview to the area, serving as a starting point for those who wish to explore this topic further.

Several people have contributed to the development of this site. Dr. Charles Abramson led the development of this site, while the information on the Japanese psychologists came from the devoted skills of Yoshiyuki Onuki, who spent many hours translating information into English from the original Japanese texts. Many of those texts and other information were obtained through the work and research of Dr. Tatsuya Sato of Ritsumeikan University.

Special thanks go out to Miyuki Hara, Yoko Hiraoka, and Kota Okahashi for their invaluable assistance with translations. Mr. Ayumu Arakawa also deserves thanks for all of his assistance with this project. If you have any questions about the information on this page, please do not hesitate to contact Dr. Abramson.

Timeline

1874 Establishment of Tokyo Kaisei School, which has the first classes on psychology taught in Japan
1875 Amane Nishi first used the word “shinrigaku” for translating “Mental Philosophy including Intellect, Sensibilities, and Will”; the word is generally used now to refer to "Psychology"
1892 G.T. Ladd came to Japan (he would visit again in 1900 and 1906)

GT Ladd and a monument erected in his honor

1903 Yujiro Motora founded the first psychological laboratory in Japan at Tokyo Imperial University

First psychological laboratory at Tokyo Imperial University (A: Chronometry room; B: Dark room; C: Vision room; D: Library; E: Apparatus room; F: Lecture room; G: Chronometry room; H: Sound-proof room; I: Audition room; J: work shop; K: Professor’s office)

1906 First course in Psychology at Kyoto Imperial University
1906 Matataro Matsumoto founded psychological laboratory at Kyoto Imperial University

Psychological laboratory of Kyoto Imperial University (A: Chronometry room; B: Dark room; C: Vision room; D: Professor’s office; E: Apparatus room; F: Lecture room; G: Listening room; H: Soundproof room; I: Work shop; J: Battery room)

1909 The first “Shinrigaku TuwaKodoku kai (Psychological Popular Lecture)” was given

The lecture in progress and the members of the lecture

1912 Tsuruko Haraguchi earned a Ph.D. at Columbia University, the first Japanese woman to do so
1920 Masakate Morita developed his original treatment for anxiety, Morita Therapy
1921 Sadaji Takagi initially introduced Gestalt psychology to Japan
1922 Megumi Imada founded the psychological laboratory at Kwansei Gakuin University
1923 Tanenari Chiba founded the psychological laboratory at Tohoku Imperial University Toru Watanabe founded the psychological laboratory at Nihon University
1926 Keijo Imperial University established Office for psychologyMatsuzaburo Yokoyama founded psychological laboratory at Keio University
1927 Keijo Imperial University established psychology laboratory
1927 Mantaro Kido founded psychological laboratory at Hosei University
1927 Kanae Sakuma founded psychological laboratory at Kyushu Imperial University
1927 Yahei Motomiya founded psychological laboratory at Doshisha University
1927 First Congress of Japanese Psychological Association at Tokyo Imperial University

Commemorative photo of the First Congress of Japanese Psychological Association at Tokyo Imperial University

1928 Taihoku Imperial University established an office for psychology
1929 Yoshihide Kubo founded a psychological laboratory at Hiroshima Bunrika University Kanichi Tanaka founded a psychological laboratory at Tokyo Bunrika University
1931 Establishment of the Japan Association of Applied Psychology Pouro Akamatsu founded psychological laboratory at Waseda University
1933 Establishment of the Japanese Society for Animal Psychology “Tohoku psychologia Folia” was first published
Taihoku Imperial University established a psychological laboratory
1936 E. Spranger visited Japan for one year as a participant in the exchange academic program of Germany and Japan

Mr. and Ms. Spranger at Kyoto Imperial University

1946 Establishment of Japanese Association of Criminal Psychology
1949 Establishment of the Japanese Group Dynamic Association
1950 Establishment of Japanese Association of Criminal Psychology
1951 Japan officially joined the International Union of Scientific Psychology (now the International Union of Psychological Science)
1952 Establishment of Japanese Association of Educational Psychology
1960 Establishment of Japanese Society of Social Psychology
1972 20th International Congress of Psychology was held in Japan

Opening ceremony at 20th International Congress of Psychology

1981 Establishment of the Japanese Psychonomic Society

References

Tadasu Oyama, Tatsuya Sato, Yuko Suzuki (2001). Shaping of Scientific Psychology in Japan. International Union of Psychological Science.
The Japan Association of Applied Psychology
Tatsuya SATO, Hazime Mizoguchi, (1997). Tsushi Nihon-no-shinrigaku. Kyoto: Kitaoji Shobo.
Hihonshinrigakkai 75shi (The 75 years’ history of Japanese Psychological Association)
Japanese Society for Animal Psychology
The Japanese Group Dynamics Association
The Japanese Society of Social Psychology
The Japanese Association of Educational Psychology
Japanese Association of Criminal Psychology