[5] Since Kitagawa grew up in the Far East during the early to mid 20th century, he was taught at a young age who Confucius was and what ideals he stood for.
[5] Kitagawa was especially impacted by Confucius' teachings on common human nature, the educability of all men and women, ethical universalism, and the vocation of training scholars.
[5] Kitagawa was interested by how Paul maintained his vocation to spreading the gospel despite his constantly changing mood and his array of common human weaknesses.
[5] Kitagawa claimed that he did not fully comprehend the teachings of Confucius or the Apostle Paul, but to him both of these scholars stand as a testament to how people should measure the worth of a person based on their quality of vocation as opposed to their past accomplishments.
degree at the Church Divinity School of the Pacific in Berkeley, so before he was able to complete his studies he was moved to a War Relocation Center.
[4] Kitagawa was traumatized by life in the camps and noted that he had countless sleepless nights even after being released from the Idaho center in October 1945.
[7] Following his release, Kitagawa began working with the Episcopal church to help displaced Japanese Americans resettle into society.
[4] At the same time, he began working under Joachim Wach, a German religious scholar, at the University of Chicago Divinity School.
[4] After completing his dissertation, titled "Kobo-daishi and Shingon Buddhism",[8] Kitagawa went on to receive his degree and become an instructor at the University of Chicago Divinity school in 1951.
[4] After teaching at the University of Chicago Divinity School for four years, Kitagawa's mentor, Joachim Wach, died due to illness when he was visiting his family in Europe.
[11] In 1970, Kitagawa had successfully developed the History of Religions discipline, and the University of Chicago asked him to take on a leadership role in the Divinity School itself.
[4] After developing pneumonia, Kitagawa began reflecting on his own life in academic essay collections such as The Christian Tradition Beyond Its European Captivity and The Quest for Human Unity: a Religious History.