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Kinya Abe

あべ きんや

Abe Kinya

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1935-02-19 （Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan）
Died
2006-09-04 （Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan） age 71
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Religion
Catholicism
Residence History
Chiyoda, Tokyo (birthplace) → Kamakura (childhood) → Nakano / Nerima, Tokyo (school years) → Bonn / Göttingen, West Germany (research stay) → Shinjuku, Tokyo (place of death)

Career

Occupations
Historian, University professor, University president, Translator, Author
Active Years
1958-2006
Affiliations
Hitotsubashi University, Otaru University of Commerce, Tokyo Keizai University, Kyoritsu Women's University, Kyoritsu Women's Junior College, National Museum of Ethnology (collaborating researcher)
Memberships
National Association of National Universities (vice-chair / chair), University Standards Association (vice-chair), National Institution for Academic Degrees (chair, university evaluation committee)
Influenced By
Uehara Senroku, Masuda Shiro, Amino Yoshihiko
Influenced
Kurokawa Tomofumi, Dohi Tsuneyuki, Satsuma Hidenobu, Hansai Noriko, Mori Yoshihito

Education

Hitotsubashi University
Faculty of Economics
Year of Graduation: 1958
Country: Japan
Hitotsubashi University Graduate School (Social Sciences)
Graduate School / Graduate School of Social Sciences
Degree: 文学修士
Period: 1958-1960
Year of Graduation: 1960
Country: Japan
Completed master's program
Hitotsubashi University Graduate School (Social Sciences)
Graduate School (doctoral program) / Graduate School of Social Sciences
Period: 1960-1963
Year of Graduation: 1963
Country: Japan
Withdrew from doctoral program after earning credits

Awards

Suntory Academic Award
1980
Work: Travelers in the Middle Ages
Organization: Suntory Foundation for the Arts
Result: 受賞
Ōbutsu Jirō Prize
1981
Work: From the Window of the Middle Ages
Result: 受賞
Japan Translation Culture Award
1990
Work: Till Eulenspiegel's Pleasant Pranks (translation)
Result: 受賞
Medal with Purple Ribbon
1997
Organization: Government of Japan
Result: 受章

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Pied Piper of Hamelin: Legend and Its World

1974 History (social history, folklore studies)

Examines the legend of the Pied Piper of Hamelin through sources and local history, discussing the relationship between popular traditions and medieval European society.

legendmedieval Europepopular culturelocal history

The Social History of Executioners: Everyday Life in Medieval Europe

1978 History (social history)

Through the roles of executioners and punitive institutions in medieval Europe, this social-historical study depicts everyday life and social structures of common people.

punishmentlaw and orderpopular lifemedieval society

Travelers in the Middle Ages: Sketches of European Popular Life

1979 History (social history)

From the viewpoint of common people, sketches the life, movement, and exchanges in medieval Europe, portraying regional lives and cultures based on sources.

mobilityexchangepopular historyeveryday culture

From the Window of the Middle Ages

1981 History (essays & commentary)

An essay collection that revisits historical thinking and methodology through concrete medieval cases, written for a broad readership.

historical thinkingmethodologymedieval studiespopular exposition

The Universe of Medieval Outcasts: A Journey to Europe's Origins

1987 History (social history)

Reassesses medieval society from the perspective of outcasts and marginalized people, approaching foundational aspects of European society.

outcastsmarginalizationsocial structureEuropean history

Bibliography

  • The Pied Piper of Hamelin: Legend and Its World
  • The Late Medieval World of Germany: A Study of the Teutonic Order
  • The Social History of Executioners: Everyday Life in Medieval Europe
  • Travelers in the Middle Ages: Sketches of European Popular Life
  • From the Window of the Middle Ages
  • Under the Stars of the Middle Ages
  • The Universe of Medieval Outcasts: A Journey to Europe's Origins
  • What Is 'Sekken' (the concept of 'seken')
  • Collected Works of Kinya Abe (10 volumes)
  • Autobiography of Kinya Abe

Translations by Author

  • Till Eulenspiegel's Pleasant Pranks (translation)
  • The Solitude and Freedom of the University (translation)
  • The Memoirs of the Wandering Student Platter (translation)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Clear, accessible proseBalances scholarly rigor with public-facing expositionEmphasis on sources and local/human-scale descriptions
Recurring Motifs
Analysis of 'seken' (social milieu)Everyday life of medieval commonersRelationship between legend and popular cultureLaw, punishment, and daily life

Health

  • Kidney disease
    晩年
    Continued research and writing while undergoing dialysis.
  • Acute heart failure (cause of death)
    2006-09-04
    Died of acute heart failure in 2006.

Legacy

Introduced the social history of medieval Germany and Europe to Japanese scholarship, pioneering research into legends and popular life. Known for his original discussions of the concept of 'seken' in Japanese society and for accessible writings; he also left a mark on higher education administration.

Museums

  • Hitotsubashi University Library Exhibition 'Kinya Abe and the Renewal of Historical Studies' Hitotsubashi University Library (Kunitachi, Tokyo) Opened in 2007

Academic Societies

  • National Association of National Universities
  • National Institution for Academic Degrees and Quality Enhancement of Higher Education

Archives

  • Hitotsubashi University Library (Kinya Abe related materials)
  • Hitotsubashi University Archives

Trivia

  • Served as president of Hitotsubashi University (1992–1998).
  • Well known for dialogues and collaborative work with Amino Yoshihiko; the friendship extended to family ties.
  • In later years continued writing while receiving dialysis for kidney disease.