Jean-Jacques Origas


Jean-Jacques Origas was a French academic with expertise in Japanese literature and art. He was a Japanologist, best known more for giving his knowledge to his students rather than for publishing books.

Academic career

Origas studied Japanese the Sorbonne. He furthered his education at Waseda University in Tokyo; and he taught at the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies.
Origas was a Professor of Japanese at the National Institute of Oriental Languages and Civilizations in Paris. He became a visiting professor at the International [Research Center for Japanese Studies] in Kyoto, where he lectured on Haiku in contemporary French poetry. His work on Meiji literature was the subject of a Nichibunken Mokuyo Seminar.
Origas was famed for his expertise in the of Japanese language education. He influenced the way Japanese as a foreign language is taught in France. As a teacher, his intention was to impart not only the ability to write grammatically correct Japanese, but also to use the language in a way which is stylistically pleasing.
He was also president of the Centre d'Etudes Japonaises d'Alsace. and member of composers of Matsuyama Declaration.

Selected work