Family of Japanese anthropologist Hiromu Shimizu donates his books on Philippine indigenous peoples to Sentro Rizal-Tokyo

The family of the late Kyoto University anthropologist Hiromu Shimizu has donated his books on indigenous peoples of the Philippines to the Philippine Embassy in Japan for the Sentro Rizal-Tokyo collection, the embassy announced on 4 November.

The family of the late Dr. Hiromu Shimizu, a Japanese cultural anthropologist and former professor emeritus of Kyoto University, has donated copies of his works on indigenous peoples of the Philippines to the Philippine Embassy in Japan, the embassy announced on 4 November 2026. The books will form part of the collection of Sentro Rizal-Tokyo.

The embassy said the donation was made in celebration of Indigenous Peoples Month, an annual observance established under Presidential Proclamation No. 1906, s. 2009, to foster awareness, appreciation and respect for the cultures, traditions and contributions of Indigenous Peoples to nation-building. This year’s theme is “Pagkamalikhain ng Katutubong Filipino: Pinagtibay ng mga Pagsubok, Umaalab ang Bagong Pag-asa” (Creativity of Indigenous Filipinos: Strengthened by Challenges, Igniting New Hope).

The donated books

The embassy named three titles. Kyoto University’s Center for Southeast Asian Studies (CSEAS) lists the English editions as:

• Pinatubo Aytas: Continuity and Change (Ateneo de Manila University Press, 1989; reprinted in 1991)
• The Orphans of Pinatubo: Ayta Struggle for Existence (Solidaridad Publishing House, 2001)
• Grassroots Globalization: Reforestation and Cultural Revitalization in the Philippine Cordilleras (Kyoto University Press and Trans Pacific Press, 2019)

According to the embassy, the books reflect Dr. Shimizu’s decades-long academic research and his close collaboration with indigenous communities in the Philippines through a “committed anthropology” approach, in which he actively participated in the cultural and community activities of his research subjects. Philippine Ambassador to Japan Mylene J. Garcia-Albano said following the donation:

“We are grateful to Dr. Shimizu, one of Japan’s foremost scholars on the Philippines, for his contribution to strengthening academic exchanges between our two countries.”

She added that as the Philippines and Japan celebrate seventy years of friendship this year, the book donation from Dr. Shimizu’s family is a fitting tribute to the two countries’ people-to-people ties.

Who was Hiromu Shimizu

According to an obituary published by CSEAS in March 2025, Professor Shimizu passed away on 22 February 2025. After completing his master’s degree in cultural anthropology at the University of Tokyo in 1976, he studied at Ateneo de Manila University in the Philippines and conducted fieldwork there for over two years.

He was appointed a professor at CSEAS in 2006 and served as its director from 2010 to 2014. CSEAS said he was deeply involved in emergency and reconstruction support for the victims of the Mt Pinatubo eruption, and that he received the Japan Academy Award in 2017 and the Order of the Sacred Treasure, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon, in 2024.

The embassy said Dr. Shimizu’s works will join Sentro Rizal-Tokyo’s collection of resource materials and literary works on the Philippines and Philippines-Japan relations.

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