Stuart D. B. Picken

Stuart D. B. Picken (1942–2016) was a philosopher, academic and cleric. He was a noted expert on comparative ethics and Japanese thought. In 2007 he was awarded the Order of the Sacred Treasure (gold rays with neck ribbon) by the government of Japan in recognition of his work.

Picken was a professor of philosophy at International Christian University in Tokyo from 1972-1997, where he specialized in ethics and Japanese thought, and in particular shinto, on which he is a noted authority. He was also an adviser on international affairs for the High Priest of the Tsubaki Grand Shrine, and was formerly Director of the Centre for Japanese Studies and Visiting Professor of Japanese Thought at the University of Stirling. He published more than half a dozen books and some 130 articles and papers.^[1]

He was the founding Chairman of the Japan Society of Scotland, and Chairman of the International Advisory Board of The International Academic Forum (IAFOR).

He was Minister of Blackford with Ardoch^[2] in the Church of Scotland.

Works

• The Soul of an Orkney Parish:[South Ronaldsay and Burray] (1972)
• Shinto, Japan's Spiritual Roots (1980)
• Buddhism (1982) introduction by Edwin O. Reischauer
• Christianity and Japan: Meeting, Conflict, Hope (1983) introduction by Edwin O. Reischauer
• Essentials of Shinto: An Analytical Guide to Principal Teachings (1994)
• Shinto Meditations for Revering the Earth (2002)
• Sourcebook in Shinto: Selected Documents (2004)
• Historical Dictionary of Japanese Business (2007)
• Historical Dictionary of Shinto (2010)
• Historical Dictionary of Calvinism (2011)
• Death in the Japanese Tradition (2016) ^[3]

References