The country now called Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has changed its name six times in the past half century. Those names are as follows: Royal Kingdom of Afghanistan, Republic of Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan, People's Republic of Afghanistan, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and then Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, under the new constitution.
 We understand how intense history they have lived. The mountains of Hindukushu shooting into the blue, and the brown earth which rolls up the sands; the nature is stringent here in Afghanistan but also the history the people of Afghanistan have survived is extremely tremendous.
 However, we were, without knowing, strongly fascinated by the people and the earth of Afghanistan. We were lured to the profound human pleats woven by them. None of the people don't seek peace, and none of the people don't wish calmness of the mind. The people of Afghanistan love their families and have been seeking the homes and villages enveloped in peace, but they couldn't escape disasters of the brutal civil war.

  In 1979, when the army of the Soviet Union attacked Afghanistan crossing the Amudarya , we thought to live the history with the people of Afghanistan. And also we thought to search a way to peace together, studying Afghanistan to know their history, their culture deeply, and to understand their sadness and gladness.
 The oppression under the Taliban regime, the bombings by U.S. army; Being at a loss what to do, we used to keep regarding at Afghanistan and the disasters the people there suffered, and we made efforts to aid the Afghan refugees continuously, slightly though.
 At long last, Afghanistan is now on the way for the reconstruction of their nation, and we do propose that they think and act standing on the culture to obtain stable peace by their hands.
 The institute was established to be a place for the people to regard over the force of culture, which weaves different things accepting diversity.
 We hope that the poeple who love Afghanistan get together here, talk together what they can contribute to, and bring here the idea where they can have their activities. The spirit to love culture can be fostered only by our own movements.
 To talk together about the culture of Afghanistan is, in other words, to think over our culture itself again, more deeply.

MAEDA Kosaku
Director-General , ISCA