This volume consists of nine lectures given at an international workshop on knot theory held in July 1996 at Waseda University Conference Centre. It was organized by the International Research Institute of Mathematical Society of Japan. The workshop was attended by nearly 170 mathematicians from Japan and 14 other countries, most of whom were specialists in knot theory. The lectures can serve as an introduction to the field for advanced undergraduates, graduates and also researchers working in areas such as theoretical physics and molecular biology.