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Ninzui Saito

さいとう にんずい

Saito Ninzui

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1917-05-06 （Nakatonbetsu, Esashi District, Soya Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan）
Died
1986-01-21 age 68
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Religion
Soto Zen Buddhism
Residence History
Nakatonbetsu, Hokkaido, Japan → Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan → Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan → Seijo, Tokyo, Japan

Career

Occupations
Philosopher, Classical philologist, University professor, Translator
Active Years
1944-1986
Affiliations
Faculty of Law and Letters, Hokkaido University, Faculty of Letters, University of Tokyo, Seijo University
Memberships
The Philosophical Association of Japan, Society for Classical Studies (Japan), Japan-Greece Association
Influenced By
Plato, Socrates, Arthur Schopenhauer

Education

Tokyo Imperial University (now University of Tokyo)
Faculty of Letters / Department of Philosophy
Degree: 文学士
Period: 〜1944年
Year of Graduation: 1944
Country: Japan
Graduated from Tokyo Imperial University, Faculty of Letters, Department of Philosophy
Asahikawa Middle School (old system, later Asahikawa Higashi High School)
Country: Japan
Attended under the prewar secondary education system
Second Higher School (old system)
Country: Japan
Attended the Second Higher School before entering Tokyo Imperial University

Awards

Arts Encouragement Prize (Minister of Education Award)
1972
Work: Plato
Organization: Agency for Cultural Affairs (Arts Encouragement Prize)
Result: 受賞
Medal with Purple Ribbon
1978
Organization: Government of Japan
Result: 受章

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Plato

1972 Philosophy

An accessible introduction to Plato and his thought within ancient Greek philosophy.

Plato studiesAncient Greek philosophy

Words of the Wise: Before Socrates

1976 Philosophy

A collection of essays introducing pre-Socratic philosophers and their ideas.

Pre-Socratic philosophyHistory of ideas

Plato — The Intellectual Heritage of Mankind, No.7

1983 Philosophy

A survey of Plato included in a Kodansha series on intellectual heritage; later revised and reissued in an academic paperback edition.

Plato commentaryClassical studies

Calling Socrates' Name Many Times, Vol.1 (1946–1965)

1986 Essay and paper collection

Posthumously published volume collecting essays and papers (Volume 1).

EssaysCollected papers

Calling Socrates' Name Many Times, Vol.2 (1966–1986)

1986 Essay and paper collection

Posthumously published second volume containing later essays and critiques.

Collected essaysLater studies

Apollo — A Walk Through Greek Literature

1987 Literary criticism / Guide

A popular guide introducing Greek literature in an accessible, survey-style format.

Greek literatureLiterary guide

Pre-Platonic Philosophers — Lectures on the History of Greek Philosophy

1987 History of philosophy

A book containing lectures on the history of ancient Greek philosophy.

History of philosophyPre-Socratic philosophy

Bibliography

  • Plato (Iwanami Shinsho)
  • Words of the Wise: Before Socrates (Iwanami Shinsho)
  • Plato — The Intellectual Heritage of Mankind, No.7 (Kodansha)
  • Calling Socrates' Name Many Times (2 vols., posthumous)
  • Apollo — A Walk Through Greek Literature (Iwanami Shoten)
  • Pre-Platonic Philosophers (Iwanami Shoten)

Translations by Author

  • On Reading and Two Other Essays (Schopenhauer, trans., Iwanami Bunko)
  • Charmides (Plato, Chikuma Shobo; provided translation/commentary)
  • Rhetoric for Alexander (Aristotle; co-translated, Iwanami Shoten)
  • The World as Will and Representation (Schopenhauer; co-translated, Hakusui-sha)
  • On Beauty (Plotinus; co-translated, Kodansha Academic Bunko)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Clear, scholarly expository proseArgumentation grounded in annotations and primary sources
Recurring Motifs
Dialogical structure of Socratic and Platonic thoughtContemporary relevance of ancient Greek ideas

Legacy

A leading figure in the study of Greek philosophy in Japan; his works on Plato, translations, and teaching deeply influenced subsequent generations of scholars.

Academic Societies

  • The Philosophical Association of Japan
  • Society for Classical Studies (Japan)
  • Japan-Greece Association

Trivia

  • Born into a Soto Zen temple family in Nakatonbetsu, Hokkaido.
  • Won the Arts Encouragement Prize (Minister of Education Award) in 1972 for 'Plato'.
  • Received the Medal with Purple Ribbon in 1978.
  • In January 1984 he delivered a lecture in the imperial 'Koshogihajime' ceremony (humanities division).
  • Died suddenly in 1986 after collapsing while walking in a park (aged 68).