Yujiro Motora

Born: November 1st, 1858 in Mita, Settu, Harima country (Now Hyogo prefecture)
Died: December 13th, 1912

Education

Doctor of Literature (1891)
Ph.D. (1888) Johns Hopkins University—His academic dissertation was “Exchange: considered as the principles of social life”

1875 Entered Doshisha College
1878 Expelled from Doshisha College
1879 Teacher of Gakuno sha presided Sen Tsuda
1881 Engaged in helping the establishment of Tokyo Eiwa Gakko (Now Aoyama Gakuin University) and became professor of Tokyo Eiwa Gakko
1883 Went to U.S with his own expenses
1883 Entered Boston University to study philosophy
1885 Entered Graduate school of Johns Hopkins University (major psychology)
1888 Professor at Aoyama Gakuin University and Instructor of Tokyo Imperial University to take charge of psychophysics class
1889 Engaged in establishment of Seisoku junior high school
1889 Delivered Psychophysics on Journal of Philosophy
1890 Professor at Tokyo Imperial University
1893 Associated the first class of Psychology, Philosophy, and Logic
1894 Professor at Tokyo higher normal school, continuing the professor at Tokyo Imperial University
1903 In Japan, established the first Psychological Laboratory at Tokyo Imperial University

Yujiro Motora strongly contributed the development of Japanese psychology.
He introduced experimental psychology and establish the first psychological laboratory in Japan. His introduction of psychology influenced other scholars and Japanese society. His theory is to try to understand mental phenomenon like physical phenomenon with physical rules. He thought the source of spirit is energy. Therefore, the mental phenomenon can be understood by physical rules.
The decline of his life, he attempted to conceptualize the self.
He contributed education of physically and mentally handicapped children such as founding the institute to research about that.
He founded the first psychological laboratory at Tokyo Imperial University

Hiroshi Oizumi (2003). Nihonshinrigakusha-jiten. Tokyo: Kabushiki Kaisha Kress Shuppan.
Tatsuya Sato, Hazime Mizoguchi, (1997). Tsushi Nihon-no-shinrigaku. Kyoto: Kitaoji Shobo.