History

GOTO Koichiro and TAMARU Noriyoshi, The Fifty-Year Journey of the Japanese Association for Religious Studies.
(translated by Dylan Luers Toda, edited by Satoko Fujiwara. Originally published in 1980) [PDF]

Brief History of the Association

1930 Establishment of the Japanese Association for Religious Studies (JARS).
On May 10 and ll an academic congress is held from to commemorate the twenty-fifth anniversary of the establishment of a chair in Religious Studies at the Tokyo Imperial University. On the second day of the congress, the Japanese Society for Religious Studies is formally established and the congress is denominated the Society’s 1st annual meeting. Anesaki Masaharu is named as the first president of the Society.
1931 A special issue of Religious Studies is published on the theme “Studies in Contemporary Buddhism.”
1932 The 2nd annual meeting of the JARS is held at Taisho University.
1933 Special issue of Religious Studies 10/2: “Japanese Culture and Buddhism.”
Special issue of Religious Studies 10/2: “Religious Studies in Japan” (included with the proceedings of the 2nd annual meeting of the JARS).
1934 The 3rd annual meeting of the JARS is held at Rissho University.
Special issue of Religious Studies 11/6: “Examining Japanese-Style Religion.”
1936 The 4th annual meeting of the JARS is held at Komazawa University.
1938 The 5th annual meeting of the JARS is held at Rikkyo University.
1939 Inaugural issue of Religious Studies Periodical appears.
Special issue of Religious Studies Periodical 1/4: “Issues in Japanese Religions.”
1940 The 6th annual meeting of the JARS is held at Ryukoku University.
1941 Special issue of Religious Studies Periodical 3/4: “Culture and Religion.”
1942 The 7th annual meeting of the JARS is held at Tokyo Imperial University.
Special issue of Religious Studies Periodical 4/2?3: “Essays in Honor of Dr. Anesaki on his Seventieth Birthday.”
1943 Special issue of Religious Studies Periodical 5/4: “Religious Faith and the Life of the People.”
1948 After six years of interruption due to World War II, the 8th annual meeting of the JARS is held at Tokyo University and publication of Religious Studies resumes. The JARS participates in the Association of Academic Societies (later known as “The Council of Nine Learned Societies”).
Special issue of Religious Studies 121: “Issues in Contemporary Religion.”
Special issue of Religious Studies 122: “Religion and Humanity.”
Special issue of Religious Studies 123: “In Memorian Dr. Anesaki: Death and Religion.”
1949 The 9th annual meeting of the JARS is held at Tohoku University.
1950 The 10th annual meeting of the JARS is held at Kokugakuin University.
Kishimoto Hideo, professor of Tokyo University, is elected as the new president.
1951 The 11th annual meeting of the JARS is held at Tenri University.
The general assembly votes to establish a Committee on Religion and Education.
1952 The 12th annual meeting of the JARS is held at Rikkyo University.
The general assembly endorses a statement expressing the “desire for a systematic diffusion of religious knowledge in our educational institutions.”
1953 The 13th annual meeting of the JARS is held at Doshisha University.
1954 The 14th annual meeting of the JARS is held at Waseda University.
?hata Kiyoshi, professor at Tokyo University, is elected president.
1955 The 15th annual meeting of the JARS is held at Tokyo University.
1956 The 16th annual meeting of the JARS is held at Kyoto University.
Ishizu Teruji, professor at Tohoku University, is elected president.
1957 The 17th annual meeting of the JARS is held at Taisho University.
1958 The 9th World Congress of the International Association for the History of Religions, the first since the end of World War II, is held in Tokyo (27 August?4 September) and Kyoto (5?9 September) with nearly 500persons from Japan and abroad in attendance.
1959 The 18th annual meeting of the JARS is held at Kwansei Gakuin University.
1960 The 19th annual meeting of the JARS is held at Aoyama Gakuin University.
Kishimoto Hideo, professor of Tokyo University, is elected as the new president.
1961 The 20th annual meeting of the JARS is held at Taisho University.
1962 The 21st annual meeting of the JARS is held at Nippon University.
Ishizu Teruji, professor at Tohoku University, is elected president.
1963 The 22nd annual meeting of the JARS is held at Toyama University.
1964 The 23rd annual meeting of the JARS is held at Tokyo University.
Masutani Fumio, professor at Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, is elected president.
1965 The 24th annual meeting of the JARS is held at Hokkaido University.
The Anesaki Memorial Award, instituted at the time of the establishment of the JARS, is discontinued and in its place the Award for Academic Achievement of the Japanese Association of Religious Studies is established.
1966 The 25th annual meeting of the JARS is held at Toyo University.
Ishizu Teruji, professor at Tohoku University, is elected president.
1967 The 26th annual meeting of the JARS is held at Ryukoku University.
Special issue of Religious Studies 191: “Methods in the Study of Religion.”
1968 The 27th annual meeting of the JARS is held at Musashino Women’s University.
Hori Ichir?, professor of Tokyo University, is elected as the new president.
1969 The 28th annual meeting of the JARS is held at Osaka City University.
1970 The 29th annual meeting of the JARS is held at Waseda University.
Ishizu Teruji, professor at Tohoku University, is elected president.
1971 The 30th annual meeting of the JARS is held at Hiroshima University.
1972 The 31st annual meeting of the JARS is held at Komazawa University.
Oguchi Iichi, professor at Aichi Gakuin University, is elected president.
1973 The 32nd annual meeting of the JARS is held at Kanazawa University.
1974 The 33rd annual meeting of the JARS is held at Taisho University.
Furuno Kiyoto, professor at Komazawa University, is elected president.
1975 The 34th annual meeting of the JARS is held at Tenri University.
1976 The 35th annual meeting of the JARS is held at Sophia University.
Oguchi Iichi, professor at Aichi Gakuin University, is elected president.
1977 The 36th annual meeting of the JARS is held at Aichi Gakuin University.
1978 The 37th annual meeting of the JARS is held at Kokugakuin University.
Wakimoto Tsuneya, professor at Tokyo University, is elected president.
1979 The 38th annual meeting of the JARS is held at Tohoku University.
1980 The 39th annual meeting of the JARS is held at Tokyo University.
Yanagawa Keiichi, professor at Tokyo University, is elected president.
1981 The 40th annual meeting of the JARS is held at Tsukuba University.
1982 The 41st annual meeting of the JARS is held at Kyushu University.
Wakimoto Tsuneya, professor at Tokyo University and professor emeritus of Tokyo University, is elected president.
1983 The 18th annual meeting of the JARS is held at Taisho University.
1984 The 43rd annual meeting of the JARS is held at Kogakkan University.
Tamaru Noriyoshi, professor at Tokyo University, is elected president
1985 The 44th annual meeting of the JARS is held at Rissho University.
1986 The 45th annual meeting of the JARS is held at Kwansei Gakuin University.
Wakimoto Tsuneya, professor emeritus of Tokyo University, is elected president.
Special issue of Religious Studies 268: “Proselytizing and Civilizing.”
1987 The 46th annual meeting of the JARS is held at Rikkyo University.
1988 The 47th annual meeting of the JARS is held at Bukkyo University.
Tamaru Noriyoshi, professor at Tokyo University, is elected president.
1989 The 48th annual meeting of the JARS is held at Dokkyo University.
1990 The 49th annual meeting of the JARS is held at Otani University.
Ueda Shizuteru, visiting professor at Hanazono University and professor emeritus of Kyoto Tokyo, is elected president.
1991 The 50th annual meeting of the JARS is held at Waseda University.
1992 The 51st annual meeting of the JARS is held at Shukutoku Junior College.
1993 The 52nd annual meeting of the JARS is held at Hokkadi? University.
Tamaru Noriyoshi, professor at Tokyo University, is elected president.
1994 The 53rd annual meeting of the JARS is held at Rissho University.
Special issue of Religious Studies 300: “Scriptures, Myths, and Tales.”
1995 The 54th annual meeting of the JARS is held at Okinawa International University.
Special issue of Religious Studies 304: “Religion and Nature.”
1996 The 55th annual meeting of the JARS is held at Kokugakuin University.
Ikado Fujio, professor emeritus of Tsukuba University, is elected president.
Special issue of Religious Studies 308: “Healing and Salvation.”
1997 The 56th annual meeting of the JARS is held at Keio University.
Special issue of Religious Studies 312: “The Religions of Okinawa.”
1998 The 57th annual meeting of the JARS is held at Ryukoku University.
Special issue of Religious Studies 316: “Religion and Language.”
1999 The 58th annual meeting of the JARS is held at Nanzan University.
Miyake Jun, professor at Kokugakuin University and professor emeritus of Keio University, is elected president.
Special issue of Religious Studies 321: “Cumulative Index of Religious Studies: 1916-1999.”
2000 The 59th annual meeting of the JARS is held at Komazawa University.
Special issue of Religious Studies 325: “Popular Religion.”
2001 The 60th annual meeting of the JARS is held at Kurume University.
Special issue of Religious Studies 329: “Modernism, Postmodernism, and Religious Pluralism.”
2002 The 61st annual meeting of the JARS is held at Taisho University.
Ikado Fujio, professor of Tokyo University, is elected president.
Special issue of Religious Studies 333: “Religion in Daily Life.”
2003 The 62nd annual meeting of the JARS is held at Tenri University.
Special issue of Religious Studies 337: “Christianity as a Religion of Daily Life.”
2004 The 63rd annual meeting of the JARS is held at Tokyo University.
2005 The 64th annual meeting of the JARS is held at Kwansei University.
The 19th World Congress of the International Association for the History of Religions is held in Tokyo.