Business · Japan · 5 hrs ago
Rakusei School’s alumni include scholars Inoue Shoichi and Akira Asada
Rakusei School in Kyoto has produced prominent scholars, including architect and cultural scholar Inoue Shoichi and philosopher and critic Akira Asada.
The school is a boys-only Catholic school with a combined middle and high school, and it does not recruit students directly into high school.
Inoue studied architecture at Kyoto University and became known for research on customs and architectural history.
His 2015 book, *Kyoto-Girai*, became a bestseller, and he now leads the International Research Center for Japanese Studies.
Asada’s 1983 book *Structure and Power* sold more than 150,000 copies and helped spark a New Academism boom among young researchers.
Their careers show how Rakusei alumni have shaped research and cultural debate in Japan.
A profile of Rakusei School highlights scholars and researchers among its alumni, including Shoichi Inoue and Akira Asada.
Rakusei is a boys’ Catholic school in Kyoto and an integrated junior and senior high school that does not recruit students at the high-school level.
Inoue is an architectural scholar and director and professor at the International Research Center for Japanese Studies.
He received the Suntory Prize for Social Sciences and Humanities in 1986 and published the bestseller Kyoto Disliked in 2015.
Asada’s 1983 book Structure and Power sold more than 150,000 copies and helped spur the New Academic movement.
- Who
- Rakusei School alumni Shoichi Inoue and Akira Asada.
- What
- Toyo Keizai profiled the scholars as part of a series on notable graduates.
- When
- Published on October 21, 2026, at 21:15 UTC; the article lists October 22, 2026, as its publication date.
- Where
- Rakusei School is in Kyoto City, Japan.
- Why
- The article examines the school’s alumni and their contributions as scholars and researchers.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
At age 26, Akira Asada published Structure and Power, which became a bestseller.
Shoichi Inoue received the Suntory Prize for Social Sciences and Humanities for research in cultural history and architectural history.
Inoue published Kyoto Disliked, a bestseller.
Toyo Keizai published its profile of scholars among Rakusei School’s alumni.
- School
- Rakusei School, a boys’ Catholic school in Kyoto City
- Shoichi Inoue
- Director and professor at the International Research Center for Japanese Studies
- Akira Asada
- Philosopher and critic; left Kyoto University’s doctoral program in economics
- Structure and Power
- Published in 1983; sold more than 150,000 copies
- Kyoto Disliked
- Published in 2015 as an Asahi Shinsho book
What people are saying
Rakusei is a treasure trove of diverse talent, for both students and staff. The example of graduates who do not wish to stay in one place and continue to take on new challenges is a great inspiration to current students.