was a Japanese Buddhist scholar and priest within the à Âtani-ha branch of Shin Buddhism, and a professor of à Âtani University who specialized in pre-sectarian Buddhism.
Chizen Akanuma was born in Nagaoka, Niigata Prefecture in 1884. His family was a monk of Ganjyo-ji temple under the Higashi Hongan-ji (à Âtani-ha sect, Jà Âdo Shinshà «). He entered Shinshà « University to study Buddhism. In 1909, he attended "Koukou do"(浩ã æ´Â), which was an association school built by Kiyozawa Manshi. After graduating from graduate school, he and Shà «gaku Yamabe (山辺ç¿Âå¦) went abroad to deepen their knowledge of Buddhism. He studied at India, Ceylon, and UK, and came back Japan in 1919.
After coming back to Japan, he was appointed professor of Shinshà « University and lectured on pre-sectarian Buddhism and Pali language. Chizen and his colleagues, Daisetsu Suzuki and Gessyo Sasaki established "The Eastern Buddhist Society" to spread the essence of Buddhism to Western countries.
His interest existed in the Early Buddhism (pre-sectarian Buddhism), and his research theme was the primitive Buddhist sect and Siddhartha Gautama's real sermons. He left works about ÃÂgama or NikÃÂya. He died at his home in an unexpected accident in the morning of 1937.