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Keiji Yamada

やまだ けいじ

Yamada Keiji

Aliases: 山田 慶兒

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1932-03-07 （Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Fukuoka Prefecture → Kyoto Prefecture

Career

Occupations
historian of science, historian, educator, translator
Active Years
1959-
Affiliations
Institute for Research in Humanities, Kyoto University, Doshisha University, International Research Center for Japanese Studies, Ryukoku University
Influenced By
Joseph Needham, Miura Baien

Education

Kyoto University, Faculty of Science
Faculty of Science / Department of Astrophysics
Degree: 学士（理学）
Period: 1951–1955
Year of Graduation: 1955
Country: Japan
Majored in astrophysics at undergraduate level
Graduate School of Letters, Kyoto University
Graduate School of Letters / Western History
Degree: 修士
Period: 1955–1959
Year of Graduation: 1959
Country: Japan
Completed master's program (specialized in Western history)

Awards

Osaragi Jirō Prize
1988
Work: The Space of Black Words
Result: winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Questions for the Future: Attempts from China

1968 nonfiction / essays

A collection of essays discussing intellectual attempts related to China, including reflections on modernization and intellectual history.

Chinese thoughtmodernizationintellectual history

To the Sea of Chaos: Structures of Chinese Thought

1975 scholarly work

Analyzes structures of Chinese thinking and examines characteristics of its philosophy and conceptions of nature.

East Asian thoughtconceptions of naturephilosophy

Zhu Xi's Natural Philosophy

1978 scholarly monograph

A study focusing on Zhu Xi's natural philosophy, clarifying his views on nature and the structure of his doctrines.

Zhu Xi studiesnatural philosophyConfucianism

The Way of the Shoushi Calendar: Science and State in Medieval China

1980 academic history

Using the Shoushi calendar as a focal point, discusses relations between astronomical calendrics and the state in medieval China.

astronomycalendar sciencescience and the state

The Space of Black Words: Miura Baien's Natural Philosophy

1988 scholarly monograph

Interprets the natural philosophy of Edo-period thinker Miura Baien using historical materials, reexamining early modern Japanese conceptions of nature. Winner of the Osaragi Jirō Prize.

materia medica studiesnatural philosophyearly modern thought

The Night-singing Bird: Medicine, Sorcery, Legends

1990 scholarly essay

A collection of essays crossing medicine, sorcery, and folklore to explore intersections between popular belief and medical knowledge.

Chinese medicinepopular beliefsorcery

The Origins of Chinese Medicine

1999 academic study

A historical study examining the formation process and intellectual background of Chinese medicine.

history of Chinese medicineintellectual historymateria medica

The Natural Image of Qi

2002 scholarly monograph

Considers the conceptual structure of 'qi' as a natural image, illustrating aspects of East Asian material conceptions.

qiEast Asian thoughtviews of life

Japan's Science: Guideposts to Modernity

2017 academic overview

An overview tracing the history of science in Japan to map pathways to modernization.

history of sciencemodernizationJapanese history

Collected Works of Keiji Yamada

2021 collected works

An eight-volume collected edition compiling research papers, lectures, and major works (Rinsen-sha, 2021–2025).

history of sciencenatural philosophyChinese medicine

Bibliography

  • Questions for the Future: Attempts from China (1968)
  • To the Sea of Chaos: Structures of Chinese Thought (1975)
  • Zhu Xi's Natural Philosophy (1978)
  • The Way of the Shoushi Calendar: Science and State in Medieval China (1980)
  • Modern Science and Technology (1982)
  • The Space of Black Words: Miura Baien's Natural Philosophy (1988)
  • The Night-singing Bird: Medicine, Sorcery, Legends (1990)
  • Technology as an Act of Making (1991)
  • Intellectual Climate of Chinese Medicine (1995)
  • Materia Medica, Dreams, and Alchemy: Phenomenology of Material Imagination (1997)
  • Western Modern Science and Eastern Methods (1999)
  • The Origins of Chinese Medicine (1999)
  • How Chinese Medicine Was Formed (Iwanami Shinsho, 1999)
  • The Natural Image of Qi (2002)
  • Japan's Science: Guideposts to Modernity (2017)
  • Collected Works of Keiji Yamada (8 vols., 2021–2025)

Translations by Author

  • Qian Xuesen, On the Theory of Technical Science (translator, 1967)
  • Galileo, 'The False Medallist' (co-translated with Tani Yasushi, Chuo Koron-sha, 1971)
  • Joseph Needham, The Scholar and Craftsmen of East and West (co-translator/editor, Kawade Shobo Shinsha, 1974–77)
  • Galileo, 'Sidereus Nuncius' (co-translation, Iwanami Bunko, 1976)
  • Reconstruction of the Hydraulic Astronomical Tower (co-ed./trans., 1997)
  • Other translations and edited translations related to Needham and works on Western and technology history

Style & Themes

Literary Style
scholarly, analytical prosecombines source criticism with intellectual-historical analysisclear and logical exposition
Recurring Motifs
East Asian conceptions of nature and material cultureChinese medicine and materia medicarelations between technology and society

Legacy

Keiji Yamada is a scholar who made significant contributions to the history of East Asian science, particularly studies of natural philosophy and the history of medicine in China and Japan. As professor and later professor emeritus at Kyoto University and the International Research Center for Japanese Studies, he produced numerous works, translations, and teaching contributions, leaving a substantial academic legacy.

Archives

  • Ryukoku University Rare Books Digital Archive Center (holds related materials)

Trivia

  • Born March 7, 1932 in Fukuoka Prefecture.
  • Graduated from Kyoto University Faculty of Science in 1955; completed master's program at Kyoto University Graduate School of Letters in 1959.
  • Served at the Institute for Research in Humanities (Kyoto University), Doshisha University, and the International Research Center for Japanese Studies; named Professor Emeritus of Kyoto University in 1995.
  • Won the Osaragi Jirō Prize in 1988 for 'The Space of Black Words'.
  • Collected Works of Keiji Yamada (8 vols.) published by Rinsen-sha (2021–2025).