FY 2025 SHIBA Ryotaro Memorial Lecture Meeting held

On Monday, January 12, the “UOsaka Shiba Ryotaro Memorial Lecture” was held at the University of Osaka Hall on the Toyonaka Campus. The Memorial Lecture Meeting is annually held in honor of Shiba Ryotaro, an author and graduate of the Osaka University of Foreign Studies (now the School of Foreign Studies, the University of Osaka), to retrace his achievements. This year's lecture was held under the theme of “Believing and Living: The Trajectory of Ryotaro Shiba's Thoughts,” attracting approximately 350 attendees.

The lecture began with a reading of a passage from Shiba's work “Kanbei and Aga Castle” (from “Needless to Say”) by facilitator Mayu Ogawa (announcer), followed by opening remarks from President Atsushi Kumanogoh.

After that, a Bibliobattle was held, in which UOsaka students competed against each other in reviewing SHIBA Ryotaro's novels. Four students who made it through the preliminary rounds of this Bibliobattle each had five minutes to introduce their favorite work of Shiba, followed by a two-minute Q&A session with the participating students, where they shared the appeal of the books they recommended. The participating students were Momoko Yoshida, Yuna Takahashi, Momo Ibata, and Taro Igarashi. After the presentations, public voting was held to choose which book piqued their interest the most.

Following the Bibliobattle, a lecture entitled "Shiba Ryotaro's Religious Sensibility" was held by religious scholar Professor Tesshu Shaku. Drawing on several of Shiba's works, he spoke about how Shiba Ryotaro held deep respect for the customs and beliefs prevailing across Japan.

Next, a discussion between Professor Shaku and Associate Professor Ryo Miyashita from the Graduate School of Humanities. Moderated by Yasushi Ogihara, a former Sankei Shimbun editorial board member, the conversation touched on the ever-growing global divide while exchanging views on the connection and tension between religion and science. It was a rich dialogue where their respective expertise intertwined, exploring how both fields can contribute to understanding humanity and societal stability.

After the discussion, the results of the Bibliobattle voting were announced. First place went to "Kaido wo yuku 3," introduced by Taro Igarashi (3rd year, School of Foreign Studies), and the second place was awarded to "Toge," introduced by Momo Yoshida (2nd year, School of Human Sciences). President Kumanogoh presented both winners with certificates.

Lastly, Yasuko Inoue, chair of the University of Osaka School of Foreign Studies/Osaka University of Foreign Studies Alumni Association “Sakuyakai,” gave a closing remark.

A recording of this academic lecture meeting will be available to view on UOsaka’s official YouTube channel for a limited period of time. Those who wish to view this recording can apply via the link below to receive the appropriate URL (only those with this URL will be able to access this recording).
・Application Deadline: Friday, March 6, 12:00PM
・Viewing Available Until: Monday, March 9
https://forms.office.com/r/ajbzLmH15Q?origin=lprLink