From the fifteenth to the seventeenth century, Europe underwent a remarkable intellectual transformation, often called the Scientific Revolution. Meanwhile, Japan experienced its first
direct encounter with Western culture and science.

Renaissance Culture and Japan’s Christian Century is a project that aims to explore European intellectual history during this period and its impact on Japan. Its main targets are
early modern concepts of nature and the human being, which provided the foundation
of modern Western civilization, namely:

1. the transformation of the medieval tradition,
2. the formation of a new type of knowledge and learning, and
3. their influence on Japan.