Author Guide · Kyoto School philosophy
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When Nishitani Keiji was fourteen his father died of tuberculosis, and soon afterwards he fell ill with something very like it himself. He later called his decision to study philosophy “a matter of life and death”. He studied in Kyoto under Nishida Kitarō, spent 1937 to 1939 in Freiburg with Martin Heidegger, practised Zen meditation for more than twenty years, and held the principal chair of philosophy and religion at Kyoto University from 1943. His lifelong problem, as he put it, was “the overcoming of nihilism through nihilism”: going right through the modern sense that nothing has meaning, rather than around it. He wrote in Japanese, and most of his work reached English only after his death in 1990. This guide covers his 6 key books, in order, and where to begin.
By Lisanne Swart · 6 key books · 1949–2024 · Updated October 2026
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Quick answer
Nishitani Keiji (1900–1990) wrote in Japanese; his main books in English are Religion and Nothingness (Japanese 1961, English 1982) and The Self-Overcoming of Nihilism (Japanese 1949, English 1990), followed by Nishida Kitarō (1991), On Buddhism (2006) and two volumes of Essays and Reflections (2024). Start with Religion and Nothingness; the order below shows what each book adds.
Where to Start with Nishitani Keiji
If you want his main work
→ Religion and Nothingness (1961) — nihilism, nothingness and the Buddhist response.
If you want his reading of Nietzsche and Western nihilism
→ The Self-Overcoming of Nihilism (1949).
If you want his teacher seen up close
→ Nishida Kitarō (1991) — his book on Nishida Kitarō.
If you want him on everyday life and religion
→ On Buddhism (2006) — six lectures from the early 1970s.
6 Key Nishitani Keiji Books, in Order
The Self-Overcoming of Nihilism
Based on lectures Nishitani gave in Kyoto in 1949 and published in Japanese that year as Nihilism, it includes chapters on Nietzsche and a brief section on the problem of nihilism for Japan, which John C. Maraldo called “unprecedented in the English literature”. The English translation by Graham Parkes with Setsuko Aihara was published by SUNY Press in 1990, the year Nishitani died.
Religion and Nothingness
Published in Japanese in 1961 as Shūkyō to wa nanika (“What Is Religion?”), it is his book about nihilism and his answer to it, drawing on Zen, including Dōgen’s phrase “body-and-mind dropping off”. Jan Van Bragt’s translation was published by the University of California Press in 1982 and reviewed in, among others, the Journal of the American Academy of Religion and the Journal of Asian Studies. Graham Parkes called it Nishitani’s “masterwork”.
Nishida Kitarō
Nishitani’s book on his teacher Nishida Kitarō, translated by Yamamoto Seisaku and James W. Heisig and published by the University of California Press in 1991.
On Buddhism
Six lectures, first delivered in the early 1970s, on Buddhism for the modern world: on a modernity of individualism, materialism and contractual ethics, and the decline in the importance of family and religion. They go on to conscience, genuine human existence and the transformation religion needs, and ask Buddhism to “come down from Mt. Hiei”. SUNY Press published this first English translation in 2006, with a foreword by Jan Van Bragt.
Essays and Reflections 1
A collection of Nishitani’s essays in English, edited by Sova P. K. Cerda and James W. Heisig and published in 2024 by Chisokudō Publications.
Essays and Reflections 2
The companion volume, from the same editors, published by Chisokudō in 2024 alongside the first volume.
In What Order to Read Nishitani Keiji
The order above follows first publication, so the two big books come first in their Japanese years: Nihilism (1949, in English as The Self-Overcoming of Nihilism in 1990) and What Is Religion? (1961, in English as Religion and Nothingness in 1982). The later books are English collections of essays and lectures from across his life.
Many readers go straight to Religion and Nothingness; if you want the European side first, The Self-Overcoming of Nihilism includes chapters on Nietzsche. On Buddhism and the two volumes of Essays and Reflections are shorter pieces and can be read in any order.
A reading path
1. Religion and Nothingness (1961)
2. The Self-Overcoming of Nihilism (1949)
3. On Buddhism (2006)
4. Nishida Kitarō (1991)
5. Essays and Reflections 1 (2024)
Everything Else by and on Nishitani Keiji
Beyond the 6 key books: 9 more, grouped by kind.
Open a group with the + to see every book in it.
Books in Japanese (English titles)
5
5 books · 1940–1986
- 1940Philosophy of Fundamental Subjectivityvolume 1
- 1941Worldview and Stateview
- 1948God and the Absolute Nothing
- 1949Religion, Politics and Culture
- 1986Nishitani Keiji chosakushūthe collected works, published by Sōbunsha from 1986 to 1995
More in English
1
1 book · 2012
- 2012The Philosophy of Nishitani Keiji 1900–1990: Lectures on Religion and Modernitytranslated by Jonathan Morris Augustine and Yamamoto Seisaku (Edwin Mellen Press)
Studies
3
3 books · 2001–2019
- 2001Philosophers of NothingnessJames W. Heisig on Nishida, Tanabe and Nishitani
- 2019The Religious Philosophy of Nishitani Keiji: Encounter with Emptinessedited by Taitetsu Unno
- 2019Japanese Philosophy in the Making 2: Borderline Interrogations
The years · 1900–1990
Quick facts about Nishitani Keiji
- Known for
- Bringing Zen Buddhism into dialogue with Nietzsche and Heidegger to argue that modern nihilism can only be overcome by passing through it.
- 1900
- Born in Ishikawa Prefecture
- 1924
- Doctorate in Kyoto with a thesis on Schelling and Bergson
- 1937
- Freiburg, with Heidegger, until 1939
- 1949
- Lectures in Kyoto on nihilism
- 1961
- Publishes Religion and Nothingness in Japanese
- 1990
- Dies in Kyoto, aged 90
- Born
- 27 February 1900, in a small town in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan
- Studied
- Philosophy at Kyoto Imperial University under Nishida Kitarō and Tanabe Hajime
- Abroad
- University of Freiburg, 1937–1939, under Martin Heidegger
- Posts
- Principal chair of philosophy and religion, Kyoto University, from 1943; later Ōtani University
- Practice
- Zen meditation (zazen) for more than twenty years
- Died
- 24 November 1990, Kyoto, aged 90
The red mark is 1961: the year Nishitani published What Is Religion?, known in English as Religion and Nothingness.
How Nishitani Keiji Writes: Through Nihilism, Not Around It
Nishitani writes as a reader of European philosophy as much as of Buddhism. His 1924 thesis compared Schelling and Bergson; he studied with Heidegger in Freiburg; and The Self-Overcoming of Nihilism includes chapters on Nietzsche.
His answer comes from Zen and from his own practice of zazen, which he kept up for more than two decades. He described the problem of his life as “the overcoming of nihilism through nihilism”, and Religion and Nothingness is his book on that problem. That is where he touches non-duality: the titles themselves point to nothingness and emptiness (one of his 1940s books is God and the Absolute Nothing, and a study of his thought is subtitled Encounter with Emptiness), and his later work drew on Dōgen’s zazen and his idea of “body-and-mind dropping off”.
His later work is plainer. The lectures in On Buddhism discuss family, conscience and the modern individual, and ask Buddhism to “come down from Mt. Hiei”. For the thinker who founded the Kyoto School and shaped Nishitani’s questions, see Nishida Kitarō.
Frequently asked questions about Nishitani Keiji’s books
How many books has Nishitani Keiji written?
He wrote many books and essays in Japanese, gathered in his collected works (Nishitani Keiji chosakushū, Sōbunsha, 1986–1995). Far fewer exist in English. This page lists 6 key books available in English and 9 further titles, including his Japanese books of the 1940s and studies of his work.
What are Nishitani Keiji’s books in order?
By first publication: The Self-Overcoming of Nihilism (Japanese 1949, English 1990), Religion and Nothingness (Japanese 1961, English 1982), Nishida Kitarō (1991), On Buddhism (2006), and Essays and Reflections 1 and 2 (both 2024).
Where should I start with Nishitani Keiji?
Religion and Nothingness, his main work, translated by Jan Van Bragt in 1982. If you want the European side first, read The Self-Overcoming of Nihilism, which includes chapters on Nietzsche.
What is Nishitani Keiji’s most famous book?
Religion and Nothingness (1961; English 1982), originally titled Shūkyō to wa nanika, “What Is Religion?”. Graham Parkes called it his masterwork.
What is the Kyoto School?
The circle of Japanese philosophers around Nishida Kitarō at Kyoto University. Nishitani studied there under Nishida and Tanabe Hajime, and James W. Heisig’s Philosophers of Nothingness: An Essay on the Kyoto School (2001) discusses him as one of its philosophers.
Did Nishitani study with Heidegger?
Yes. He studied under Martin Heidegger at the University of Freiburg from 1937 to 1939. He had first been awarded a scholarship to study with Henri Bergson, but Bergson’s poor health led to Freiburg instead.
What does Nishitani mean by overcoming nihilism?
He called the fundamental problem of his life “the overcoming of nihilism through nihilism”. Following Nietzsche, he held that nihilism has to be lived and experienced, not avoided. The Self-Overcoming of Nihilism includes chapters on Nietzsche; Religion and Nothingness gives his own answer, drawing on Zen.
Was Nishitani involved in wartime nationalism?
From July 1946 the US occupation authorities barred him from holding public positions. One of his wartime pieces has been translated as “My Views on ‘Overcoming Modernity’”, and how far Kyoto School philosophers collaborated with the war effort is still debated by scholars.
Was Nishitani a Zen Buddhist?
He practised zazen for more than twenty years and became interested in Zen in high school, particularly through D. T. Suzuki’s interpretation of it. His later work drew on Dōgen’s zazen.
When did Nishitani Keiji die?
He died in Kyoto on 24 November 1990, aged 90. The Self-Overcoming of Nihilism appeared in English the same year.
Footnotes
- Keiji Nishitani — Wikipedia
- Religion and Nothingness — Wikipedia
- Graham Parkes, “Nishitani Keiji: Practicing Philosophy as a Matter of Life and Death”
- Keiji Nishitani — EBSCO Research Starters
- On Buddhism — SUNY Press
- Chisokudō Publications catalogue 2026
Bibliography last verified 9 October 2026. Where sources give different first-publication years, this page uses the year in library catalogues or the publisher’s own record.
This list was not put together by a machine.
The notes are all mine,
and the books are all his.
Lisanne x
Written by Lisanne Swart, who has curated reading lists and author guides at lisanneswart.com since 2021.
See more on her personal bookshelf.
“The fundamental problem of my life … has always been, to put it simply, the overcoming of nihilism through nihilism.”
— Nishitani Keiji, quoted in James W. Heisig, Philosophers of Nothingness: An Essay on the Kyoto School (2001)
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