Kierkegaard Made in Japan

This is the first book dealing with the reception of Soeren Kierkegaard in Japan. When Kierkegaard lived (1813 - 1855) Japan was still isolated. As the Empire entered the modern world, Kierkegaard's conceptions of self and of identity, parts of his philosophy of religion, became important for the development of Japanese thinking in the twentieth century. This book tells the story of his influence - of its many currents within Japan, of the bridge between Japan and the West, and of the light this reception throws back on Kierkegaard himself.