Keizo Shibusawa

Shibusawa Keizo (Japanese渋 沢 敬 三; * 1896, † 1963), financed for decades folklore research in Japan.

Biography

Shibusawa Keizo is the grandson of Shibusawa Eiichi, a wealthy banker and philanthropist. He was known as a patron of folklore in Japan. Already in his youth, Shibusawa interested in ethnology. He studied folklore and biology. With his collection from his youth, souvenirs, newspaper articles and fossils he founded in 1921 the Art and Science Club, the Attic Museum was called. From then on, he began seriously to collect Ethnographic article and later articles were added. Later, the Attic Museum was renamed " Institute of Folklore Research". It thus became the prototype of the National Museum of Ethnology, which has established itself in Japan in 1974. From 1922-1925 he lived in London. In 1944, he was head of the Bank of Japan, then Finance Minister of Japan. At the same time he was CEO of Japanese Folklore Society and the Anthropological Association of Japan. He has driven the development of Ethnological Studies. He later got banned from working and was a member of 30 supervisory boards. He promoted the archeology and biology ( primatology ), especially Oka Masao, Nakane Chie and Amino Yoshihiko. He has lost a lot of money through the Zaibatsu and the land reforms, yet he continued to promote the training of folklorists in the Attic Museum and made the Japanese Society of Ethnoloygy money gifts.

Evidence

• Asahi jinbutsu Jiten (Asahi Biographical Dictionary ) (Asahi Shimbun)
• Zusetsu: Taisho Showa Kurashi no hakubutushi - Minzokugaku no chichi, Shibusawa Keizo on the Attic Museum ( Natural Illustrated
• History of Life in Taisho and Showa: The Father of Folklore, Keizo Shibusawa and the Attic Museum) ( Kawade Shobo Shinsha )