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Hideo Hattori

はっとり ひでお

Hattori Hideo

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1949-05-05 （Nagoya, Aichi, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Nagoya, Aichi, Japan (birth) → Tokyo, Japan (studies and research at University of Tokyo) → Fukuoka, Japan (faculty at Kyushu University) → Kumamoto, Japan (Director, Kumamoto Museum of Literature and History) → Aichi, Japan (Director, Nagoya Castle Research Center)

Career

Occupations
historian, educator, university professor, cultural properties officer, museum director
Active Years
1976-2024
Affiliations
Kyushu University (Professor Emeritus), Agency for Cultural Affairs (former, Cultural Properties Division), Kumamoto Museum of Literature and History (former director), Nagoya Castle Research Center (former director)

Education

University of Tokyo
Faculty of Letters / Department of Japanese History
Degree: 学士（文学）
Period: 1969-1973
Year of Graduation: 1973
Country: Japan
Graduate School, University of Tokyo
Graduate School of Humanities / Department of Japanese History
Degree: 修士（文学）
Period: 1974-1976
Year of Graduation: 1976
Country: Japan
Completed master's program
University of Tokyo
Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences / Japanese Medieval History
Degree: 博士（文学）
Period: 1996
Year of Graduation: 1996
Country: Japan
Dissertation: 'Exploring Medieval Landscapes: Transformations of Village Forms and Shōen History'

Awards

Kadokawa Genyoshi Prize
1996
Work: Exploring Medieval Landscapes: Transformations of Village Forms and Shōen History
Organization: Kadokawa Shoten
Result: 受賞
Mainichi Publishing Culture Award
2012
Work: Kawara-no-mono, Hinin, and Hideyoshi
Organization: Mainichi Newspapers
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Exploring Medieval Landscapes: Transformations of Village Forms and Shōen History

1995 History (Medieval studies)

A study based on fieldwork that discusses changes in medieval village landscapes and the realities of shōen (manorial) control, using place names and transformations of cultivated land as clues.

Medieval historyLandscape historyShōen (manorial) historyToponymy

The Historical Study of Place Names

2000 Toponymy / History

An accessible yet scholarly introduction that interprets regional history and human activity through place names.

ToponymyLocal historySource studies

Kawara-no-mono, Hinin, and Hideyoshi

2012 History / Social history

A study examining the realities of socially marginalized groups such as kawara-no-mono and hinin during the transition to the early modern period and their relationship with Toyotomi Hideyoshi's policies and social structures.

People's historyStatus and discriminationEarly modern Japanese history

The Mongol Invasions

2014 Military history / Medieval history

A re-examination of sources and perspectives on the Mongol invasions, aiming to approach the realities of medieval external wars, including the 'kamikaze' narratives.

History of external relationsMilitary historyMedieval history

The History of Mountain Passes: Visiting Old Roads

2007 Local history / History of transportation

An essayistic study drawing out regional exchange and history from fieldwork visiting old roads and mountain passes.

Old roadsRegional exchangeFieldwork

Gestures and Expressions: Reconstructing the Mongol Invasion Picture Scrolls

2022 Source studies / Iconography

A reconstructive reading of gestures and expressions depicted in Mongol invasion picture scrolls held by the Eisei Bunko collection.

IconographySource reconstructionCultural history

Bibliography

  • Exploring Medieval Landscapes: Transformations of Village Forms and Shōen History (Shin Jinbutsu Oraisha, 1995)
  • The Historical Study of Place Names (Kadokawa Series, 2000)
  • 20,000 Place and Shiko Names Collected from 2,000 People in 700 Villages: Historical Place Name Map Drafts of the Saga Plain (Kasho-in, 2001)
  • The Pleasure of Place Names: A History of Walking, Seeing, and Touching (Kadokawa Sophia Bunko, 2003)
  • The History of Mountain Passes: Visiting Old Roads (Asahi Sensho, 2007)
  • Kawara-no-mono, Hinin, and Hideyoshi (Yamakawa Publishing, 2012)
  • The Mongol Invasions (Yamakawa Publishing, 2014)
  • The Mongol Invasions and the 'Divine Wind': The Truth of Medieval External Wars (Chuko Shinsho, 2017)
  • Gestures and Expressions: Reconstructing the Mongol Invasion Picture Scrolls (Kaichosha, 2022)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Empirical, fieldwork-centered approachBalances scholarly rigor with readability for general readers
Recurring Motifs
Human studies within historyAnalysis via place names and landscapesFocus on people's (popular) perspectives

Legacy

A scholar whose empirical, fieldwork-based contributions to medieval Japanese history have significantly influenced landscape history, toponymy, and local history. He has actively worked to return research results to the public through museums and outreach.

Museums

  • Kumamoto Museum of Literature and History Kumamoto City, Kumamoto, Japan
  • Nagoya Castle Research Center Nagoya, Aichi, Japan

Academic Societies

  • Historical Society of Japan
  • Japan Archaeological Association

Archives

  • Kyushu University Institutional Repository (research outputs)
  • National Diet Library, Japan (doctoral thesis etc.)
  • Personal website (hattorihideo.org)

In Popular Culture

  • Contribution to public understanding of local history and site preservation through public lectures and outreach
  • Occasional public interest due to his son being an entertainer ('Sakana Geinin Hattori') (no dedicated page exists)

Quotes

  • A history of walking, seeing, and listening.
    Source: Hideo Hattori — methodological remark (research introduction / homepage)
  • Human studies within history.
    Source: Hideo Hattori — writings and lectures

Trivia

  • His eldest son is an entertainer known as 'Sakana Geinin Hattori' (no dedicated page exists)
  • He reportedly has no grandchildren
  • Maintains a personal website (hattorihideo.org)