Courtesy visits to Humboldt University of Berlin, Berlin State Museums and Berlin State Library in Germany
From the 3rd to 5th of June, Deputy Director Takao Ito and Dr. Tetsuko Watanabe of the Ikeda Research Institute for Soka Education paid courtesy visits to Humboldt University of Berlin, the Berlin State Museums, and the Berlin State Library in Germany.
On the 3rd, they met Dr. Dietrich Benner, Professor Emeritus at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and former President of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Erziehungswissenschaft. They discussed the contents of Dr Benner's book ‘Umriss der allgemeinen Wissenschaftsdidaktik’ (translated into Japanese by Professor Shinichi Ushida, Dean of the Graduate School of Education at Soka University and a faculty member of IRISE). They discussed topics such as the current situation of applicants for admission to universities in Japan and Germany, the characteristics of attractive universities and teachers, the educational philosophy of Professor Tsunesaburo Makiguchi, education pedagogy in Germany, and the philosophies of Kant and Dewey.
On the 4th, they visited Dr. Olivia Zorn, Vice-Director of the Egyptian Museum of Berlin. Dr. Zorn kindly offered a detailed tour of the Egyptian art and artefacts from BC, including the Nefertiti Bust from ancient Egypt, on display in the Egyptian Museum of Berlin before the Museum opened. The museum is also known for its collection of finds by the German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann. In 2021, Dr. Zorn also delivered a message for the “Schliemann and Hachioji City” event organised by the Faculty of Letters of Soka University.
On the 5th, they visited Dr. Martina Rebmann, Head of the Music Department of the Berlin State Library. Prof. Ito reported on the "Beethoven and 'Ode to Joy' Exhibition," which was held at Soka University in fall 2024. The Library maintains Beethoven's writing books and the autograph score of his Ninth Symphony. Dr. Rebmann showed us around the Library, and it became a meaningful visit for future cultural exchanges between the Berlin State Library and Soka University, through the discussion on the storage and exhibition of Beethoven's materials and the prospects of music history research.
