Curriculum Vitae
Taro MIMURA (Dr)
Graduate School of Integrated Arts and Science,
The University of Tokyo
E-mail: mimurataro [at] gmail.com
1. Biographical Information
Date of birth: 9 December, 1976
2. Academic Appointment
04/2020-present Associate Professor of History of Science at Graduate School of Integrated Arts and Science, the University of Tokyo, Japan (Tenured)
04/2016-03/2020 Associate Professor of History of Science at Graduate School of Integrated Arts and Science, Hiroshima University, Japan (Tenured).
10/2012-03/2016 Research Associate at the Department of Classics, University of Manchester, UK. Member of the “Arabic Commentaries on the Hippocratic Aphorisms” Project.
01/2009-09/2012 Research Associate at the Institute of Islamic Studies,
McGill University, Canada.
Editor for the “Scientific Traditions in Islamic Society” Project of “Rational Science in Islam” Project.
3. Education
04/2002–04/2008 Ph.D. in History of Science at the University of Tokyo, Japan.
Title of Ph.D. thesis: “Raison d’être of Classical Greek Scholarship in the Abbasid Dynasty from a Viewpoint of the Development of Demonstrative Sciences”
04/2000–03/2002 Graduate Student in the Department of History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Tokyo, Japan.
M.Sc. in History of Science.
Title of M.Sc. thesis: “The Tradition of Problem-Solving through the Idea of Spherics in Hellenism, India and Medieval Islamic World”
04/1998–03/2000 Undergraduate Student in the Department of History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Tokyo, Japan. B.A. in History of Science.
Title of B.A. thesis: “Kūsyār Ibn Labbān’s Book on Astrolabe (Kitāb al-Asṭurlāb): Edition, Japanese Translation and Commentary”
4. Professional Experience
04/2005-03/2007 Part-time Lecturer in History of Islamic philosophy, Chiba University, Japan.
07/2005-08/2005 Visiting Scholar, Warburg Institute, University of London, UK.
5. Selected Publications (in reverse chronological order in each category)
Books
F. Jamil Ragep and Taro Mimura (eds. and trs.), Epistles of the Brethren of Purity: On Astronomia (an Arabic Critical Edition and English Translation of Epistles 3), Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press in association with the Institute of Ismaili Studies, 2015.
Mohammad Bagheri and Taro Mimura (eds. and trs.), Risālah-yi Usṭurlāb-I Kūshyār Gīlānī (Kushyar ibn Labbān’s Book on Astrolabe: Arabic and Persian), Tehran: Mirath Maktub, 2014.
Taro Mimura, The Birth of Astronomy, Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten, 2010 (in Japanese).
Articles (peer-reviewed)
Taro Mimura, "The Ṣābiʾ Family Library of Thābit ibn Qurra’s Works in Baghdad", medieval worlds 22 (2025), 137-152. Mimura-ThabitLibrary
Taro Mimura, “Barhebraeus between Ptolemy and Ṭūsī: the Influence of Ṭūsī’s Hay’a Works on Barhebraeus’ Ascent of Mind”, Historia Scientiarum 33-1 (2023), 25-44. Mimura-Barhebraeus
Taro Mimura, “The Attribution of an Arabic Commentary on Naṣīr al-Dīn al-Ṭūsī’s Taḥrīr al-Majisṭī to Shams al-Dīn al-Samarqandī”, Nazariyat: Journal for the History of Islamic Philosophy and Sciences 8-2 (2022), 145-166. Mimura-Samarqandi
Taro Mimura, "Ghulāms (Slave Boys) and Scientific Research in the Abbasid Period: The Example of the Amājūr Family", Historia Scientiarum 29 (2020), 182-197. Mimura-Ghulam
Taro Mimura, “Evolution of Geometrical Proofs in Zījes – Interaction between Calculation and Geometry”, Proceedings of the Conference “Mathematical Practices in relation to the Astral Sciences” at Paris SAWS, forthcoming.
Taro Mimura, “Too Many Arabic Treatises on the Operation of the Astrolabe in the Medieval Islamic World–Athīr al-Dīn al-Abharī’s Treatise on Knowing the Astrolabe and His Editorial Method”, Medieval Encounters, 23 (2017), 365–403. Mimura-Abhari
＊ 改訂版がRodríguez-Arribas, J., Burnett, C., Ackermann, S., & Szpiech, R. eds., Astrolabes in Medieval Cultures, Leiden: Brill, 2018, pp. 367-405に収録。
Taro Mimura, “Comparing Interpretative Notes in the Syriac and Arabic Translations of the Hippocratic Aphorisms”, Aramaic Studies, 15 (2017), 183–199. Mimura_ARST
Taro Mimura, “A Reconsideration of the Authorship of the Syriac Hippocratic Aphorisms: The Creation of the Syro-Arabic Bilingual Manuscript of the Aphorisms in the Tradition of Ḥunayn ibn Isḥāq’s Arabic Translation”, Oriens, 45 (2017), 80–104. Mimura-Oriens
Nicola Carpentieri and Taro Mimura, “Arabic Commentaries on the Hippocratic Aphorism vi.11: a Medieval Medical Debate on Phrenitis”, Oriens, 45 (2017), 176–202.
Peter E. Pormann, Samuel Barry, Nicola Carpentieri, Elaine van Dalen, Kamran I. Karimullah, Taro Mimura, and Hammood Obaid, “The Enigma of Arabic and Hebrew Palladius”, Intellectual History of the Islamicate World, 5 (2017), 252–310.
Taro Mimura, “Ḥunayn ibn Isḥāq and the Text of the Hippocratic Aphorisms”, Galenos: Rivista di filologia dei testi medici antichi, 10 (2016), 67–71. Mimura-Galenos
Taro Mimura, “A Glimpse of Non-Ptolemaic Astronomy in Early Hay’a Work – Planetary models in ps. Mashā’allāh’s Liber de orbe”, Suhayl: Journal for the History of the Exact and Natural Sciences in Islamic Civilization, 14 (2015), 89–114. Mimura-Suhayl
Taro Mimura, “The Arabic Original of (ps.) Māshā’allāh’s Liber de orbe: Its Date and Authorship”, The British Journal for the History of Science, 48 (2015), 321–352. Mimura-DeOrbe
Taro Mimura, “Quṭb al-Dīn Shīrāzī’s Medical Library—Al-Tuḥfa al-Sa‘dīya (Commentary on volume 1 of Ibn Sīnā’s al-Qānūn fī al- Ṭibb) and its Sources”, Tarikh-e ‘Elm 10-2 (2013), 1–13. Mimura-QutbDin
Glen Van Brummelen, Taro Mimura, and Yousuf Kerai, “Al-Samaw’al’s Curious Approach to Trigonometry”, Suhayl: Journal for the History of the Exact and Natural Sciences in Islamic Civilization: 11 (2012), 9–31. Link
Other Articles
Taro Mimura, "Dūnash Ibn Tamīm’s Treatise On The Armillary Sphere and His Attention to the Rational Structure of the World", in Fatma Zehra PATTABANOĞLU ed., İSLAM ASTRONOMİSİNDE EVRENİN MEKANİK YORUMU VE BATIDA ALIMLANIŞI, Atatürk Kültür Merkezi Başkanlığı,: Ankara, 2025, pp. 79-88. Mimura-Dunash-ArmillarySphere
Taro Mimura and Petra G. Schmidl, “al-Ashraf ˁUmar’s Tabṣira: Chapter xlv (H,146b,16–152a,13): On the use of the astrolabe", Published online 2024-04-26. https://tabsira.hypotheses.org/files/2024/05/Tabsira-146b-152a-Kap.-XLV-2402.pdf
Taro Mimura, "Mu’ayyad al‐Dīn al‐‘Urḍī’s Impact on Quṭb al-Dīn al-Shīrāzī concerning Planetary Order", Archive for Philosophy and the History of Science 26 (2024), 33-47. Mimura-QutbDinShiraziUrdi
Taro Mimura and Petra G. Schmidl, “al-Ashraf ˁUmar’s Tabṣira: Chapter x (H,25a,8-25b,6): Apogee and perigee”, Published online 2022-08-31 https://tabsira.hypotheses.org/files/2022/08/Tabsira-25a-25b-Kap.-X-2209.pdf
Taro Mimura and Petra G. Schmidl, "al-Ashraf ˁUmar’s Tabṣira: Chapter ix (H,22b,3-25a,8): Lunar nodes, eclipses, fortune and misfortune of the planets, elections." Published online 2022-07-19 (https://tabsira.hypotheses.org/) http://tabsira.hypotheses.org/files/2022/07/Tabsira-22b-25a-Kap.-IX-2202.pdf
Taro Mimura, "Greek Scientific and Philosophical Knowledge as a Survival Tool for a Religious Minority at the Abbasid Court: The Case of Thābit ibn Qurra", Sophia Journal of Asian, African, and Middle Eastern Studies 39 (2021), 33-47. Mimura-ThabitSabian
Taro Mimura, “Ṭūsī as a Source of Greek Astronomy to a Syriac Christian – the Influence of Ṭūsī’s Hay’a Works on Barhebraeus’ Ascent of Mind” in Proceedings of the Tehran Conference “Scientific and Philosophical Heritage of Naṣir al-Dīn Ṭūsī”, Tehran: Miras Maktuba, forthcoming.
Taro Mimura, “The Importance of Indian Astronomy for the Formation of Islamic Astronomy”, Islam and Multiculturalism, ed. by Keiko Sakai, Tokyo: Waseda University Organization for Islamic Area Studies, 2016, 39–47.
Taro Mimura, “Between Tradition and Reformation: Classical Greek Scholarship Education in post-Avicennian period”, in Institution and Knowledge in Medieval Period, ed. by Naoko Sato, Tokyo: Chisen-shoin, 2016, 3–33 (in Japanese).
Taro Mimura, “From Astrology Emerged Cosmology – A Close Analysis of Astronomical Activities in the Medieval Islamic World” in Structure and Transformation of Knowledge in Islam: Thought, Science, Society and Their Interactions, eds. by Kobayashi Haruo, Akutsu Masayuki, Nigo Toshiharu and Nomoto Shin, Tokyo: Organization for Islamic Area Studies, Waseda University, 2011, 35–44.
Taro Mimura, “Raison d’être of Scholars adopting Greek philosophy in the Medieval Islamic World”, Riso 683 (2009), 146–163 (in Japanese).
Taro Mimura, “Was Science born in Europe?”, in Is Scientific Truth Absolute?, eds. by Nakane Michiyo and Sato Ken’ichi, Tokyo: Beret Publishing, 2009, 39–62 (in Japanese).
Taro Mimura, “The Scene in which Demonstrations Appeared: A Case Study of Letters between Ibn al-Munajjim, Qusta ibn Luqa and Hunayn ibn Ishaq”, Studies in Medieval Thought 47 (2005), 141–156 (in Japanese).
Taro Mimura, “The Identity of ‘Scientists’ in Medieval Islamic World”, Aromatopia 10 (2001), 37–39 (in Japanese).
Taro Mimura, “The Importance of Editorial Studies in History of Islamic Science”, Kagakushi Kagakutetsugaku 16 (2001), 2–14 (in Japanese).
Taro Mimura, “The Editorial Study of Kūsyar Ibn Labbān's Book on Astrolabe”, Archive for Philosophy and the History of Science 3 (2001), 119–151 (in Japanese).
6. Selected Presentations (in reverse chronological order)
Taro Mimura, "Athir Din Abhari as an Author of Cosmological Works", Symposia 011 Cosmological Challenges in the Post-Avicennian World, ICHST, University of Otago, Dunedin, 29 June-5 July, 2025.
Taro Mimura, "Significance of Title Lists for Arabic Bio-Bibliographies: The Case of Thābit ibn Qurra and His Descendants", MAPPING THE WORLD WITH LISTS, American University of Beirut, Beirut,16-17 May, 2025.
Taro Mimura (Panel discussion), "Session I: Sharing experience of editing and translating the Qānūn or other Bīrūnī’s texts", Inter-Science Meeting: Towards the Qānūn 2030 Project, Institut de Mathématiques de Toulouse, 3-4 Oct, 2024.
Taro Mimura, "The Role of Thābit ibn Qurra’s Revision of Greek Mathematical Texts in the Arabic Translation Movement at the Abbasid Court", Sixteenth Conference of the School of Abbasid Studies, Università Ca’ Foscari, Venice, Italy, 9 July-14 July, 2024.
Taro Mimura, "Greek Scientific Research as a Family Business at the Abbasid Court: Thābit ibn Qurra and His Heirs", Tübingen Byzantine and Near Eastern Seminar, Universität Tübingen, July 4, 2024.
Taro Mimura, “Political Role of the Armillary Sphere in the Fatimid Dynasty”, “Scientific instrumentation in pre- and early-modern Islamicate societies. Astrolabes and what else? (1)”, XLII SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENT SYMPOSIUM, Palermo, September 18-22, 2023.
Taro Mimura, “Dūnash ibn Tamīm and His Astronomical Proof of the Existence of God: Survival Strategy of Jewish Scholars at Islamic Courts with Greek Rational Sciences”, “Interconnections Between Jewish and Islamic Rationalistic Forms of Thought”, UCLouvain, September 5-7, 2023.
Taro Mimura, “Journal: Historia Scientiarum”, Beyond the Global: Transregionalism in Histories of Science, Academia Sinica, Taipei, June 20-21, 2023.
Taro Mimura, “Family Library of Thābit ibn Qurra’s Works in Baghdad”, The Mongols' Baghdad: Knowledge Transmission through Manuscript Cultures Before and After the Conquest, IMAFO, Library, Vienna, December 1-3, 2022.
Taro Mimura, "Dūnash ibn Tamīm, Treatise on the Armillary Sphere, the rational structure of the World, the existence of the one God", Mechanical Interpretation of the Universe in Islamic Astronomy And Its Reception in The West Workshop, Kastamonu University Central Library Cemil Meriç Hall, 13 September, 2022 (online).
Taro Mimura, "Revival of Lunar Mansion Talismans in Sakkaki’s Book of the Complete", Sorcerer’s Handbook Workshop, Forum Seminar Room 04, University of Exeter, 18-19 July, 2022.
Taro Mimura, "The Impact of Sindhind in the Abbasid Court and the Emergence of Zījes", Fifteenth Conference of the School of Abbasid Studies, St John’s College, University of Oxford, July 12-16, 2022.
Taro Mimura, "Bīrūnī’s al-Qānūn Al-Mas‘ūdī and Its Innovative Aspects in the History of Zij", CHOSTIS Biruni Webinar II, ZOOM, 7th April, 2022.
Taro Mimura, "Muʾayyad al‐Dīn al‐‘Urḍī’s Impact on Quṭb al-Dīn al-Shīrāzī concerning Planetary Order”, International Quṭb Al-Dīn Al-Shīrāzī Symposium at Faculty of Theology, Sivas Cumhuriyet University and Faculty of Humanities, Istanbul Medeniyet University (online), 14th October, 2021.
Taro Mimura, “Fazārī’s Role in the Formation of the Genre of the Arabic Zījes,” ICHST Prague, 30 July, 2021.
Taro Mimura, “Evolution of the Kitab al-Ustutas Tradition in Sakkaki’s Magical Book,” The Sorcerer’s Handbook Workshop, 12-14 July, 2021.
Taro Mimura, “Arabic Translation Contests in the Abbasid Courts – The Process of Publicizing Greek Scientific Knowledge in the Abbasid Period,” Workshop "Constructing the ‘Public Intellectual’ in the Premodern World", at Chancellors Hotel, Manchester, 5th-6th September 2019.
Taro Mimura, “Thabit ibn Qurra’s Handling of Indian Trigonometry”, The Second International Conference on History of Mathematics and Astronomy, at Northwestern University, Xi’an, 2-8 December 2018.
Taro Mimura, “Jewish Physicians in the Service of Muslim Patrons: Dunash Ibn Tamim's Scholarly Career at the Fatimid Court in Kairouan”, the Explanatory Workshop “Interconnections Between Jewish and Islamic Rationalistic Forms of Thought During the Tenth Century”, at the Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, 17 September 2018.
Taro Mimura, “Naturalization of Greek Science Education in the Post-Avicennian Period”, Science Teaching in Pre-Modern Societies Workshop, McGill University, Montreal, 24-26 May 2018.
Taro Mimura, “Scholarly Exchanges in the Marāgha Observatory: Reassessment of ʿUrḍī’s Impact on Marāgha Associates”, at the International Conference on Traditional Sciences in Asia 2017 “East-West Encounter in the Science of Heaven and Earth”, at Kyoto University, 25-28 October 2017.
Taro Mimura, "Astronomical Proof of the One God in ps. Māshā’allāh’s Liber de orbe,'' 25th ICHST (Rio de Janeiro), 5 August 2017.
Taro Mimura, “The importance of Indian Astronomy in the Formation of Islamic Astronomy”, at the International Seminar “Islam and Multiculturalism: History, Challenges and Prospects”, at Waseda University, 3-4 December 2016.
Taro Mimura, “Creation of the Syro-Arabic Bilingual Manuscript of the Hippocratic Aphorisms in the Tradition of Ḥunayn ibn Isḥāq’s Arabic Translation”, at the conference “Arabic Commentaries on the Hippocratic Aphorisms Conference”, at Manchester, 10 April 2015.
Taro Mimura, “The Formation of Zījs in the Integration of Indian and Greek Mathematical Tools”, at the conference “Mathematical Practices in relation to the Astral Sciences”, at Paris SAWS – Université Denis Diderot, 31 March 2015.
Taro Mimura, “The Textual History of the Greek Text of Galen’s Commentary on the Hippocrates’ “Aphorisms” in the Arabic Tradition”, Journée d’études sur l’histoire de l’Hippocratisme dans le monde arabe médiéval: la transmission des Aphorismes du grec en arabe, at Paris SPHERE – CHSPAM Université Denis Diderot, 15th May 2014.
Samuel Barry, Taro Mimura, and Christina Savino, “Introduction to the Syriac, Arabic, and Latin tradition of Galen’s commentary on Aphorisms”, at the conference “Medical Translators at Work. Syriac, Arabic, Hebrew and Latin Translations in Dialogue”, at Berlin, 21st March 2014 (followed by the Workshop “Galen’s Commentary on Hippocrates’ Aphorisms” organized by the presenters).
Taro Mimura, “Summary of the Almagest: Another Astronomical Tradition in the Days of Naṣīr Dīn Ṭūsī and its Significance in the History of Solving Problems Concerning the Diurnal Motions”, at SAW Seminar “Exploring mathematical practices around an astronomical question 1: Mathematical approaches to the Diurnal motions of the Sun, the Stars, and the Moon”, at Paris, 14th Feb. 2014.
Taro Mimura, “Planetary models in pseudo-Mashā’allāh’s Liber de orbe in the early `ilm al-hay’a tradition”, at 24th International Congress of History of Science, Technology and Medicine, at Manchester, 24th July 2013.
Taro Mimura, “The Arabic Original of (ps.) Māshā’allāh’s Liber de orbe: Its Date, Authorship, and Contents”, at the workshop “Māshā’allāh, Book of the Sphere: the Arabic Versions and their Circulation in Latin and Hebraic Cultures”, at Paris, 14th February, 2013.
Taro Mimura, “Quṭb Dīn Shīrāzī’s Al-Tuḥfa al-Sa‘dīya (Commentary on Ibn Sīnā’s al-Qānūn fī al-Ṭibb, Bk1)”, at “Quṭb al-Din al-Shīrāzī Workshop”, at Montreal, 12th June 2012.
Taro Mimura, “Ṭūsī as a Source of Greek Astronomy to a Syriac Christian – the Influence of Ṭūsī’s Hay’a Works on Barhebraeus’ Ascent of Mind”, at the Conference “Scientific and Philosophical Heritage of Naṣir al-Dīn Ṭūsī”, at Tehran, 23rd and 24th January 2011.
Taro Mimura, “From Astrology Emerged Cosmology – A Close Analysis of Astronomical Activities in the Medieval Islamic World”, for the Session “Structure and Transformation of Scientific Knowledge in Islam” at the Conference “New Horizons in Islamic Area Studies: Continuity, Contestations and the Future”, at Kyoto, 19th December 2010.
Taro Mimura, “Why Greek rational sciences were needed in the Abbasid court – the implication of the function of scholarly works in the court through an analysis of works by al-Kindī”, for the Panel “Rethinking the Emergence of Islamic Science”, at the History of Science Society Annual Meeting 2010, at Montreal, 6th November 2010.
Taro Mimura, “Ibn al-Haytham’s Book on the Correction of the Operations in Astronomy Ch. 2: Its Position in his work”, at International Workshop on the Problems and Drawings Criticism in Mathematical Texts, at Osaka, July 2007.
Taro Mimura, “Incorrect Calculation in al-Samaw’al’s Book on Revelation of Defects of Munajjims”, at 54th Annual Meeting for Presentations of Research Papers, the History of Science Society of Japan, at Kyoto, March 2007 (in Japanese).
Taro Mimura, “Was Analemma really transmitted to India?”, at International Workshop on the Problems and Drawings Criticism in Mathematical Texts, at Osaka, October 2006.
Taro Mimura, “Contemplating on the Meaning of the Term ‘Phenomenon’: Before and after Galen”, at 53th Annual Meeting for Presentations of Research Papers, the History of Science Society of Japan, at Tokyo, March 2006 (in Japanese).
Taro Mimura, “The Status of the Figures in Theodosius' Sphaerica”, International Workshop on the Problems and Drawings Criticism in Mathematical Texts, at Osaka, January 2006.
Taro Mimura, “What is a Circle?: With a Main Focus on Theodosius’ De Sphaerica”, at 52nd Annual Meeting for Presentations of Research Papers, the History of Science Society of Japan, at Tokyo, March 2005 (in Japanese).
Taro Mimura, “Al-Biruni’s Comprehension of Classical Siddhantas”, at 49th Annual Meeting for Presentations of Research Papers, the History of Science Society of Japan, at Kanazawa, March 2002 (in Japanese).
Taro Mimura, “Rearranging the Page Numbers of MS Arabe 5098 (Paris) of al-Ṣūfī’s Book on Astrolabe”, at 48th Annual Meeting for Presentations of Research Papers, the History of Science Society of Japan, at Tokyo, March 2001 (in Japanese).
Taro Mimura, “The Mentality of Artisans in Medieval Islamic World”, at STS (Science, Technology and Society) Network Japan, A Session for Research Presentations, at Tokyo, May 2000 (in Japanese).
Taro Mimura, “Analemma and Spherical Trigonometry in Qibla Determination”, at 6th Annual Meeting for Presentations of Research Papers, the History of Mathematics Society of Japan, at Tokyo, September 1999 (in Japanese).
7. Fellowships and Grants
09/2016-03/2018 Grant for project on “Philological Study of the Tradition of Peripatetic Physics in Arabic and Latin” funded by the Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture.
10/2014-09/2015 Wellcome Trust Small Grant on “A Pseudo-Aristotelian Medical/Magical Arabic Manuscript” (with Dr Emily Selove, University of Exeter)
04/2005-03/2008 Research Fellow of the Japan Society for the Promotion of
Science (Post Doctoral).
04/2005-03/2008 Grant for project on “The Scene on which Demonstration Appeared: Justification of Mathematical Sciences in Medieval Islamic World” funded by the Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture.
04/2002-03/2005 Research Fellow of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (Doctoral 1st Year).
04/2002-03/2005 Grant for project on “Research of the History of Astronomical Instruments in Medieval Islamic World Arabic Manuscripts”, funded by the Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture.