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Daniel Clarence Holtom Papers
H.Mss.0254
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Title: Daniel Clarence Holtom Papers
Dates: 1910-1962
Bulk Dates: 1910-1950
Collection number: H.Mss.0254
Creator:
Holtom, Daniel Clarence, 1884-1962
Extent:
3.4 Linear Feet
(3 records boxes, 1 document box)
Repository:
Claremont Colleges. Library. Special Collections, The Claremont
Colleges Library, Claremont, CA 91711.
Abstract: The Daniel Clarence
Holtom Papers include letters, published and unpublished articles, printed items,
photographs, clippings, and manuscript writings.
Language of Material: Languages represented in the
collection: English.
Administrative Information
Collection open for research.
All requests for permission to publish must be submitted in writing to Special
Collections.
[Identification of item], Daniel Clarence Holtom Papers, Water Resources Collection
(H.Mss.0254). Special Collections and Archives, The Claremont Colleges Library, The
Claremont Colleges Services, Claremont, California.
Provenance/Source of Acquisition
Donation, date unknown.
No additions to the collection are anticipated.
Biography / Administrative History
Daniel Clarence Holtom was among the first American scholars to study Shinto in Japan. He
was born in Michigan in 1884, earned degrees from Kalamazoo College, The University of
Chicago, and Newton Theological Seminary. He was ordained in the Baptist ministry in 1910
and went immediately to Japan as a missionary. In Japan he was professor of modern languages
at Tokyo Gakuin, professor of church history in the Tokyo Japanese Theological Seminary, and
professor of the history of religion and church history in the Kanto Gakuin of Yokohama. Dr.
Holtom was dean of theology in the Aoyama Gakuin of Tokyo from 1936-1940. When he returned
to the United States, he was Haskell Lecturer at The University of Chicago then lectured at
Colgate-Rochester Divinity School and taught Japanese language at Redlands University. He
died in 1962 in San Gabriel, California.
The thesis he submitted to The University of Chicago in 1919 was later published as The
Political Philosophy of Modern Shintō, A Study of the State Religion of Japan, by the
Asiatic Society of Japan in 1922.
Source: "Dr. Holtom, Missionary and Educator, Dies." Los Angeles Times, Aug. 18, 1962, pg.
B8
Scope and Contents of Collection
The collection consists of 3.4 linear feet of personal and scholarly papers of Daniel
Clarence Holtom, a scholar of Shinto religion in Japan in the early 20th century. Series one
contains personal correspondence, family documents including his sons' schoolwork. Series
two contains Holtom's scholarly writing including his notes, drafts, off prints of reviews
by Holtom, and lectures by Holtom. Series three, the largest series, contains Holtom's
research including notes, handwritten and typed drafts, artifacts, and many clippings and
research articles for his publications on Shinto in Japan covering topics such as
enthronement ceremonies, shrines, and religion and politics. Series four contains research
and travel photographs and postcards and printed ephemera relating to Shinto shrines and
temples.
Books by D. C. Holtom:
- The Political Philosophy of Modern Shinto, A Study of the State Religion of Japan. Tokyo, Asiatic Society of Japan, 1922.
- The Japanese Enthronement Ceremonies; with an Account of the Imperial Regalia, Tokyo, Kyo Bun Kwan, 1928.
- The Christian Movement in Japan Korea and Formosa: A Year Book of Christian Work. Tokyo, Japan: Federation of Christian Missions in Japan, 21st annual issue, 1923.
- The National Faith of Japan; A Study in Modern Shinto. New York: E.P. Dutton, 1938.
- Modern Japan and Shinto Nationalism: A Study of Present-Day Trends in Japanese Religions. Chicago, Ill.: The University of Chicago Press, 1943.
Selected Articles by D. C. Holtom:
- "Konko Kyo: A Modern Japanese Monotheism" The Journal of Religion, Vol. 13, No. 3. (July 1933), pp. 279-300.
- "Japanese Votive Pictures (The Ikoma Ema)" Monumenta Nipponica, Vol. 1, No. 1. (January 1938), pp.154-164.
- "The Meaning of Kami. Chapter I. Japanese Derivations" Monumenta Nipponica, Vol. 3, No. 1. (January 1940), pp. 1-27.
- "The Meaning of Kami. Chapter II. Interpretations by Japanese Writers" Monumenta Nipponica, Vol. 3, No. 2. (July 1940), pp. 392-413.
- "The Meaning of Kami. Chapter III. Kami Considered as Mana" Monumenta Nipponica, Vol. 4, No. 2. (July 1941), pp. 351-394.
- "Some Notes on Japanese Tree Worship." Transactions of the Asiatic Society of Japan, Jan. 28, 1931.
This collection has been organized into the following series and subseries:
- Series 1: Personal correspondence and family documents
- Series 2: Scholarly Writing
- Subseries 2.1: Reviews by Holtom
- Subseries 2.2: Lectures by Holtom
- Subseries 2.3: Articles by Holtom
- Series 3: Research by Holtom
- Series 4: Photos, postcards, and printed ephemera from Shinto shrines and temples
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the
library’s online public access catalog.
Academic writing
Holtom, Daniel Clarence, 1884-1962
Japan -- Politics and Government
Japan -- Religion
Shinto
Artifacts
Book reviews
Clippings (Books, newspapers, etc.)
Correspondence
Ephemera
Lectures
Photographs