Matataro Matsumoto

Born: September 15, 1865 in Takasaki, Gunma prefecture
Died: December 24, 1943

Education

Doctor of Literature (1899), Tokyo Imperial University—His academic dissertation was “Research on Acoustic Space”
Ph.D (1899), Yale University—His academic dissertation was “Research on Acoustic Space”
B.A. (1893) Tokyo Imperial University—His academic dissertation was “Hume’s Doctrine of Causation”

1890 Studied of psychology under the guidance of Yujiro Motora in Tokyo
1896-187 Studied of experimental psychology under Professor Scripture at Yale University
1897-1898 Assistant at Yale University
1898 Research at Leipzig University in Germany as being dispatched by the Education Ministry
1900 -1906 Professor at Tokyo higher normal school, Tokyo women’s higher normal school
1901-1913 Instructor at Tokyo Imperial University
1906-1913 Professor at College of letters, Kyoto Imperial University
1906 President at Kyoto metropolitan Arts and Crafts School
1913-1926 Professor at College of Letters, Tokyo Imperial University
1918 Temporary employee at Ministry of the Navy
1920 Temporary employee at Aerial Research Institute
1926 Retired from Tokyo Imperial University
1926 Instructor at Nihon University, Tokyo Bunrika Daigaku (Tokyo Literature & Science University) and Aerial Research Institute
1926 General manager at Child research in Japan Women’s University

Matataro Matsumoto took effort to establish many psychology laboratories in Japan.
He was the first professor to take charge of psychology in Japan.
As president of Japanese Psychological Association, he strongly contributed to spread the knowledge of psychology in Japan.
In addition, he influenced and trained Japanese women psychologists (such as Isoko Hatano, Tomi Kora, and Tsuruko Haraguchi).
He also contributed the establishment of special department at Doshisha Jyogakko (Doshisha Women’s technical school) and suggested his typical logic for female higher education.

Hiroshi Oizumi (2003). Nihonshinrigakusha-jiten. Tokyo: Kabushiki Kaisha Kress Shuppan.
Izumi Ogino, (1983). Haraguchi Tsuruko-Jyosei- shinrigakusya- no- senku. Nagano: Kabushiki Kaisha Ginga Shobo.
Tatsuya Sato, Hazime Mizoguchi, (1997). Tsushi Nihon-no-shinrigaku. Kyoto: Kitaoji Shobo.