Maruyama Masao
Encyclopedia
was a leading Japan
ese political scientist and political theorist. His expertise lay in the history of Japanese political thought, to which he made major contributions.
, the second son of journalist Maruyama Kanji. He was influenced by friends of his father such as Hasegawa Nyozekan
, a circle of people identified with the liberal current of political thought during the period of Taishō democracy
. After graduating from Tokyo Furitsu Number One Middle School (currently known as Tokyo Municipal Hibiya High School
), Number One High School (after World War II, it was integrated into University of Tokyo
), he entered the Tokyo Imperial University
and graduated from the Department of Law in 1937.
His doctoral thesis "The Concept of the Nation-state in Political Science" earned a Distinguished Thesis Award, and Maruyama was appointed assistant in the same department.
Originally he had wanted to specialize in European political thought, but changed his focus to concentrate on Japanese political thought, a subject that until that time, mainly centered around the concept of an imperial state, and was influenced by a foundational ordinance that required subjects to be taught 'in accordance with the needs of the state'. Maruyama brought to the discipline a theoretical perspective grounded in extensive comparativism. The person who originally recommended this path to him was his mentor, Professor Nanbara Shigeru, who was highly critical of military and bureaucratic obstructions to the growth of a constitutionally defined 'national community'. An expert in European political thought, Nambara steered the young Maruyama into working on this topics.
In March 1945, Maruyama was drafted and stationed in the Army at Hiroshima
. After experiencing the blast at Hiroshima and seeing out the end of the war there, he returned to his post at the university in September.
Immediately following the war he published "The Logic and Psychology of Ultranationalism" and other theses dealing with prewar militarism and fascism which left a strong impact on postwar Japan. He was famous for calling the prewar imperial system a "system of irresponsibility". He was also a powerful democratic opinion leader, going far beyond the academic world and wielding great influence regarding the Treaty of San Francisco
and the student movements of 1960.
However, in the late 1960s he was strongly denounced by the students front as a symbol of self-deceiving postwar democracy. He criticized this student movement, especially when his research room at University of Tokyo was ransacked by occupying students in 1969, an episode he characterised as an act of "barbarism not even Nazis
did". This, combined with his own ailing health, forced him to retire in 1971. He was however appointed professor emeritus at the same university in 1974.
Though Maruyama suffered from poor health especially in his later life, he continued studying and writing until he died in 1996. The major work of his retirement years was a three-volume commentary on Fukuzawa Yukichi
's Fukuzawa's principal work Bunmeiron no Gairyaku, based on a lengthy seminar he conducted with a small working group. This was published in 1986, as Reading 'An Outline of a Theory of Civilisation',(「文明論之概略」を読む) by Iwanami Shoten. Besides, he contributed several more noteworthy as well as controversial works on Japanese culture or the process of translation in modern Japan.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese political scientist and political theorist. His expertise lay in the history of Japanese political thought, to which he made major contributions.
Personal history
Maruyama Masao was born in OsakaOsaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
, the second son of journalist Maruyama Kanji. He was influenced by friends of his father such as Hasegawa Nyozekan
Hasegawa Nyozekan
was the pen-name of Hasegawa Manjirō, a Japanese social critic, and journalist in the Taishō and Shōwa periods Japan. He was one of the most important and widely-read supporters of liberalism and democracy in inter-war Japan.-Biography:...
, a circle of people identified with the liberal current of political thought during the period of Taishō democracy
Taisho period
The , or Taishō era, is a period in the history of Japan dating from July 30, 1912 to December 25, 1926, coinciding with the reign of the Taishō Emperor. The health of the new emperor was weak, which prompted the shift in political power from the old oligarchic group of elder statesmen to the Diet...
. After graduating from Tokyo Furitsu Number One Middle School (currently known as Tokyo Municipal Hibiya High School
Hibiya High School
is a Japanese high school founded in 1878 as the . It was well known in the 1950s and 1960s for the large proportion of graduates who gained admission to the prestigious University of Tokyo; though it suffered a decline in the 1970s, as of 2005 it was once again being referred to as the "best...
), Number One High School (after World War II, it was integrated into University of Tokyo
University of Tokyo
, abbreviated as , is a major research university located in Tokyo, Japan. The University has 10 faculties with a total of around 30,000 students, 2,100 of whom are foreign. Its five campuses are in Hongō, Komaba, Kashiwa, Shirokane and Nakano. It is considered to be the most prestigious university...
), he entered the Tokyo Imperial University
University of Tokyo
, abbreviated as , is a major research university located in Tokyo, Japan. The University has 10 faculties with a total of around 30,000 students, 2,100 of whom are foreign. Its five campuses are in Hongō, Komaba, Kashiwa, Shirokane and Nakano. It is considered to be the most prestigious university...
and graduated from the Department of Law in 1937.
His doctoral thesis "The Concept of the Nation-state in Political Science" earned a Distinguished Thesis Award, and Maruyama was appointed assistant in the same department.
Originally he had wanted to specialize in European political thought, but changed his focus to concentrate on Japanese political thought, a subject that until that time, mainly centered around the concept of an imperial state, and was influenced by a foundational ordinance that required subjects to be taught 'in accordance with the needs of the state'. Maruyama brought to the discipline a theoretical perspective grounded in extensive comparativism. The person who originally recommended this path to him was his mentor, Professor Nanbara Shigeru, who was highly critical of military and bureaucratic obstructions to the growth of a constitutionally defined 'national community'. An expert in European political thought, Nambara steered the young Maruyama into working on this topics.
In March 1945, Maruyama was drafted and stationed in the Army at Hiroshima
Hiroshima
is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture, and the largest city in the Chūgoku region of western Honshu, the largest island of Japan. It became best known as the first city in history to be destroyed by a nuclear weapon when the United States Army Air Forces dropped an atomic bomb on it at 8:15 A.M...
. After experiencing the blast at Hiroshima and seeing out the end of the war there, he returned to his post at the university in September.
Immediately following the war he published "The Logic and Psychology of Ultranationalism" and other theses dealing with prewar militarism and fascism which left a strong impact on postwar Japan. He was famous for calling the prewar imperial system a "system of irresponsibility". He was also a powerful democratic opinion leader, going far beyond the academic world and wielding great influence regarding the Treaty of San Francisco
Treaty of San Francisco
The Treaty of Peace with Japan , between Japan and part of the Allied Powers, was officially signed by 48 nations on September 8, 1951, at the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco, California...
and the student movements of 1960.
However, in the late 1960s he was strongly denounced by the students front as a symbol of self-deceiving postwar democracy. He criticized this student movement, especially when his research room at University of Tokyo was ransacked by occupying students in 1969, an episode he characterised as an act of "barbarism not even Nazis
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
did". This, combined with his own ailing health, forced him to retire in 1971. He was however appointed professor emeritus at the same university in 1974.
Though Maruyama suffered from poor health especially in his later life, he continued studying and writing until he died in 1996. The major work of his retirement years was a three-volume commentary on Fukuzawa Yukichi
Fukuzawa Yukichi
was a Japanese author, writer, teacher, translator, entrepreneur and political theorist who founded Keio University. His ideas about government and social institutions made a lasting impression on a rapidly changing Japan during the Meiji Era...
's Fukuzawa's principal work Bunmeiron no Gairyaku, based on a lengthy seminar he conducted with a small working group. This was published in 1986, as Reading 'An Outline of a Theory of Civilisation',(「文明論之概略」を読む) by Iwanami Shoten. Besides, he contributed several more noteworthy as well as controversial works on Japanese culture or the process of translation in modern Japan.
Representative works in English
- 1963 -- Thought and Behaviour in Modern Japanese Politics. London: Oxford University PressOxford University PressOxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as...
. 10-ISBN 1-597-40083-1; 13-ISBN 978-1-597-40083-1 (cloth) {reprinted by Columbia University PressColumbia University PressColumbia University Press is a university press based in New York City, and affiliated with Columbia University. It is currently directed by James D. Jordan and publishes titles in the humanities and sciences, including the fields of literary and cultural studies, history, social work, sociology,...
, New York, 1995. 10-ISBN 0-231-10141-4; 13-ISBN 978-0-231-10141-7 (paper) - 1974 -- Studies in the Intellectual History of Tokugawa Japan. Translated by Mikiso Hane. Princeton: Princeton University PressPrinceton University Press-Further reading:* "". Artforum International, 2005.-External links:* * * * *...
. 10-ISBN 0-691-07566-2; 13-ISBN 978-0-691-07566-2 (cloth) 10-ISBN 0-691-00832-9; 13-ISBN 978-0-691-00832-5 (paper)
Honors
- Order of the Sacred TreasureOrder of the Sacred TreasureThe is a Japanese Order, established on January 4, 1888 by Emperor Meiji of Japan as the Order of Meiji. It is awarded in eight classes . It is generally awarded for long and/or meritorious service and considered to be the lowest of the Japanese orders of merit...
, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon, 1976. - Association for Asian StudiesAssociation for Asian StudiesThe Association for Asian Studies is a U.S. society focused on facilitating contact and information exchange among scholars of Asian fields. It is the self-proclaimed largest society of its kind. The Association consists of eminent Asianists, and is a non-profit organization...
(AAS), 1993 Award for Distinguished Contributions to Asian Studies