Ichiro Kishimi Books in Order

Ichiro Kishimi was born in Kyoto in 1956, and Kyoto has stayed at the center of his life and work. He studied the history of Western philosophy in graduate school at Kyoto University, with a long interest in ancient Greek thought, especially Plato. That training never really left him, even when his books moved toward counseling, education, and everyday life.

He is a philosopher who found a wide readership by talking about ordinary human problems.

Alongside his work in philosophy, Kishimi spent decades studying Adlerian psychology. He has said Adler appealed to him because the focus was on purpose and choice, not just on tracing every problem back to the past. The language was also simple and direct, which mattered to Kishimi. He has long written and lectured on Adlerian psychology, worked as a certified counselor and consultant for the Japanese Society of Adlerian Psychology, and counseled young people in psychiatric clinics.

He also helped bring Adler to Japanese readers in a practical way. Kishimi translated selected Adler works into Japanese, including The Science of Living and Problems of Neurosis, and he wrote Introduction to Adlerian Psychology along with many other books on philosophy, relationships, and how to live. Readers often come to him because he can connect big ideas to real situations without sounding like he is giving a classroom lecture.

Then came the book that carried his work far beyond Japan.

That book was The Courage to Be Disliked, written with Fumitake Koga. Koga had read Kishimi's earlier work on Adler and made repeated visits to Kyoto to learn from him, and those conversations eventually became the backbone of the book's dialogue form. Instead of a standard advice manual, the book stages a long argument between a philosopher and a skeptical young man. That structure matters. It lets doubt stay on the page, which is one reason so many readers feel the book is talking with them rather than at them.

The follow-up, The Courage to Be Happy, returns to the same pair and moves the discussion from theory toward practice. Across both books, Kishimi keeps coming back to freedom, community, self-acceptance, and the courage to stop living for other people's approval. The books became international bestsellers and introduced Adlerian ideas to a huge global audience.

There is a more personal side to his work too. Kishimi has spoken about suffering a heart attack and, during his time in the hospital, thinking much more directly about life, death, and gratitude. He later recalled giving advice to nurses and visitors from his hospital room. It is an unusual image, but it helps explain why his books often feel calm, grounded, and serious about what really matters.

That experience also sharpened a theme that runs through much of his writing.

Whether he is writing about happiness, education, caregiving, or the present moment, Kishimi tends to ask the same plain question: how do you live well when life is uncertain and relationships are messy? He is not much interested in polished self-improvement talk. He writes more like someone trying to help a reader think clearly, act with courage, and contribute to other people without losing themselves in the process. He still lives in Kyoto and continues to write and lecture, bringing philosophy and Adlerian psychology together in a voice that is steady, practical, and very human.