About Us

Name

Name	The International Research Institute for Zen Buddhism at Hanazono University (IRIZ)
Establishment	4 April 1988
Goals	The IRIZ was established to promote basic research on Zen Buddhism, support interdisciplinary research in related fields, train scholars in Zen studies, issue publications relating to Zen, organize research materials, and encourage international scholarly exchange.

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Location

The International Research Institute for Zen Buddhism at Hanazono University

    Hanazono University
    8-1 Tsubonouchi-cho, Nishinokyo, Nakagyo-ku,
    Kyoto, 604-8456 Japan

  Tel: 075-823-0585    Fax: 075- 811-9664

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Record of Activities

1988	April	Establishment of IRIZ by Morinaga Soko Roshi, President of Hanazono University
1989	Jan.	IRIZ Opening Ceremony; keynote address by Mr. Nakazawa Shin'ichi
	April	Dr. Yanagida Seizan donates to IRIZ his research materials and personal library (14,000 volumes)
	June	Publication of IRIZ Studies #1
	Sept.	Yanagida Seizan and Urs App visit America
	Nov.	Public lecture by Dr. Fukui Ken'ichi
1990	June	Publication of Newsletter #1
1990	Aug.	Yanagida Seizan dedicates Gabisan Ryokan shi Museum
1991	Jan.	Urs App unveils demonstration program for the Zen Knowledge Base, at the 76th Daizokai, Hanazono University
	Jan.	Publication of The Electronic Bodhidharma #1
	June	Yanagida Seizan and Urs App travel to Korea to attend the opening ceremony of the Haein-sa Sangha University
	June	Publication of Newsletter #2
	July	Release of OCR tool set for Taisho Canon
	Nov.	release of IRIZ Japanese Zen dictionary
	Nov.	Public lecture by Dr. Okada , Ph.D
1992	Feb.	Publication of The Electronic Bodhidharma #2
1992	Feb.	Organization of the Yanagida Seizan Memorial Library begins
1993	Jan.	Hoshi Masae commences cataloging of the Yanagida Seizan Memorial Library
	April	Publication of Concordance to the Record of Linji (Rinzai)
	May	Urs App lectures at the University of New Mexico's Seminar on Buddhism
	June	Yanagida Seizan's home, donated to Hanazono University, is renamed the Shimonkan and becomes an annex to the IRIZ
	July	Publication of The Electronic Bodhidharma #3
	Sept.	IRIZ relocated to the second floor of the Henshokan Building
	Oct	Publication of the digital version of the Record of Linji
	Dec.	Publication of Concordance to the Vajrasamadhi Sutra; Concordance to Huangbo's Essentials of Transmitting Mind and The Wanglin Record; Concordance to the Platform Sutra; and Concordance to the Lengjia Shiziji
1994	July	Publication of Concordance to the Jueguanlun & Baozanglun; Concordance to the Wumenguan; Concordance to A Collection of Zen Poems; and Concordance to the Records of Mazu & Nanquan
	Oct.	Yanagida Seizan and Urs App present papers at the Nichiren Buddhism Conference, held at Haein-sa in Korea.
	Oct.	Urs App presents a paper at the "Latest Developments in Buddhist Studies" Conference in Berkeley
	Dec.	Publication of IRIZ Studies #2
1995	April	Publication of IRIZ Studies #3
	June	Release of Zen Base CD 1 (CD-ROM)
		Publication of The Electronic Bodhidharma #4
		Opening of the IRIZ website
		Urs App and Christian Wittern demonstrate the Zen Base CD 1 at the conference of the Japanese Association of Indology and Buddhology (90 participants)
	Nov.	Yanagida Seizan and Michel Mohr discuss Hakuin on the NHK program "The Era of the Spirit: The Zen of Master Hakuin."
	Nov.	Michel Mohr attends the annual meeting of the American Academy of Religions
1996	Jan.	Yanagida Seizan delivers his final lecture at Hanazono University
	Jan.	Urs App appears on the NHK program, "The Mysterious World of Chinese Characters"
	Feb.	The article "The KanjiBase Approach of the Hanazono University IRIZ," by Urs App and Christian Wittern, is published in the journal Jinbungaku to Johoshori [The Humanities and Data-processing] 10
	April	Urs App and Michel Mohr attend the Taipei Electronic Buddhist Text Initiative meeting
	April	Publication of the Concordance to the Record of Zhaozhou; Concordance to the "Preface" by Zongmi; Concordance to the Changuan Cejin; Concordance to the Records of Dongshan; and Concordance to the Letters of Dahu
	June	Urs App delivers a public lecture at Zurich University, Switzerland
	Aug.	Nishimura Eshin attends and lectures at the Monastic Interreligious Dialogue Meeting at Gethsemani Monastery
	Aug.	Publication of the Concordance to the Record of Caoshan; Concordance to the Record of Yunmen; and Concordance to the idai Fabao Ji
	Nov.	Publication of IRIZ Studies #4
	Dec.	Urs App delivers a public lecture at the Rietberg Museum in Zurich, Sewitzerland
1997	Feb.	Urs App delivers the Schopenhauer Memorial Lecture at the Kunsthandwerk Museum in Frankfurt, Germany
	March	Publication of the Concordance to the Record of Xuefeng; Concordance to the Record of Xuansha; Concordance to the Record of Layman Pang; and Index Volume to the Hanazono Concordance Series
	April	Nishimura Eshin attends meeting at Dongguk University in Korea
	Sept.	Urs App delivers a lecture at the University of California at Berkeley
	Oct.	Urs App lectures at the Electronic Buddhist Text Initiative meeting at Otani University, Kyoto
1998	Jan.	Urs App lectures at the Divinity School of Zurich University, Switzerland
	March	Publication of IRIZ Studies #5
	Aug.	The Study Group for the Collection of Uncatalogued Zen Materials, led by Takenuki Gensho, microfilms materials at the Myoshin-ji subtemples of Ryosen-an and Shotaku-in
1999	Jan.	Urs App attends the Electronic Buddhist Text Initiative meeting in Taipei, Academia Sinica
	April	Urs App and Liang Xiaohong visit Shanghai regarding publication of the Mujaku Dochu dictionary
	May	IRIZ-sponsored symposium organized by Muramoto Shoji, "Zen Buddhism and Depth Psychology"
	Sept.	The Study Group for the Collection of Uncatalogued Zen Materials, led by Takenuki Gensho, microfilms materials at the Myoshin-ji subtemple of Shotaku-in
	Sept.	The study group "Zen Thought and the Modern World," led by Eshin Nishimura, hosts three lectures on "Comparative Philological Research on Jewish and Zen Thought" by Reinhard Neudecker of the Pontificio Instituto Biblico
	Nov.	Hozokan Press publishes Collected Works of Yanagida Seizan #1, Studies on Zen Buddhism, and Collected Works of Yanagida Seizan #6, Studies on Early Zen-School Historical Documents
	Dec.	Publication of IRIZ Studies #6
2000	Feb.	IRIZ Website redesigned
	March	Release of the digital text for the Gohoshu on the IRIZ website
	March	Publication of IRIZ Studies 7
	April	Release of Mochizuki Bukkyo Daijiten index data
	April	Launching of the Research Group on Zen Counseling, headed by Nishimura Eshin, with monthly meetings
	June	Release of the digital text for the Shumon kattoshu on the IRIZ website
	July	Release of the digital text for the Goke sansho yoromonon on the IRIZ website
	Aug.	Release of the digital text for the Shibunroku and Hanshan shi on the IRIZ website
	Oct.	Michel Mohr attends and presents a paper at the Meeting of the Japanese Buddhology Society
	Nov.	Release of the digital text for the Kaibaben on the IRIZ website
2001	Jan.	Release of the digital text for the Zen Dharma-lineage chart on the IRIZ website
	March	Title list of Zen materials in the Zokuzokyo released on the IRIZ website
	July	Release of the digital text for the Genko shakusho on the IRIZ website
	Nov.	Release of the digital text for the Jianghu fengyueji on the IRIZ website
2002	Feb.	Release of the digital text for the Zewngi gemonshu on the IRIZ website
2002	April	Release of the digital text for the Torei Osho nenpu on the IRIZ website

For subsequent website release, see “History.”

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Staff

Associate Member

Staff

Position at the IRIZ	Name
Director	Hosokawa Keiitsu
Associate Director	Yoshizawa Katsuhiro
Institute Fellow	Takenuki Gensho	Moro Shigeki
Institute Fellow	Noguchi Zenkei	Fukushima Tsunenori
Research staff	Thomas Kirchner	Norman Waddell
	Jan Clemens Becker (University of Tuebingen, Institute of Asian and Oriental Studies)
	Takise Shojun	Tomimasu Kentaro

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Associate Member

Position at the IRIZ	Name
Associate Researcher	Takeshita Ruggeri Anna	Yokoyama Sumio
	Nomura Hideto	Kawabata Taichi
	Senda Takuma	SEO Eun joo
	Hirota Sogen	Honda Doryu
	Marumo Toshihiro	Mori Hiroyuki
	Hashimoto Kazuo

Based upon data provided by Hanazono University (2011/04)

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Library

The IRIZ Library presently contains over 27,000 volumes, most of which were donated by the first director of the IRIZ, Yanagida Seizan, when he turned over his entire personal library to the Institute in 1995. With a primary emphasis on Zen and other Buddhist texts, the collection offers a wide range of materials on Asia, including primary and secondary sources, reference works, and rare books.

All works in the IRIZ Library have been digitally catalogued, and may be easily found using the Institute's computers. Although materials cannot be checked out from the library, they may be read in the Institute's spacious reading room. Xeroxing of materials is also possible at the library.

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Miscellaneous

The Origin of the IRIZ Symbol
The basic element of the IRIZ symbol is an ensō (circle-figure), the ensō being a graphic representation of the inexpressible Zen experience dating back to the Tang dynasty. The IRIZ ensō is of the type drawn with two brush-strokes, to represents the concept of internationality. The moving, dynamic quality of the image is intended to symbolize spiritual growth, while another meaning of the circle is universality. Human imperfection—and thus the need for continued practice and polishing—is represented by the notch in the symbol's left side. The color of the symbol is indigo, signifying the eternal.

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　Last Update: 2011/10/06