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Kenichi Matsumoto

まつもと けんいち

Matsumoto Kenichi

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1946-01-22 （Gunma Prefecture, Japan）
Died
2014-11-27 age 68
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Japan → Kashiwa, Chiba, Japan (Reitaku University affiliation) → Kyoto, Japan (Kyoto Seika University affiliation)

Career

Occupations
critic, thinker, author, historian, intellectual historian, university professor
Active Years
1971-2014
Affiliations
China Japanese Language Training Center (Professor), Kyoto Seika University (Faculty), Reitaku University (Professor, Faculty of Economics; Director, Center for Comparative Civilizations and Cultures), East Japan International University (Visiting Professor), The Asian Institute for Comprehensive Research (Foundation) (Councilor)
Memberships
Shiba Ryotaro Memorial Foundation (Councilor), The Nippon Foundation (Councilor), Shiba Ryotaro Award (Selection Committee Member)

Education

University of Tokyo
Faculty of Economics / Department of Economics
Degree: 学士
Year of Graduation: 1968
Country: Japan
Hosei University (Graduate School)
Graduate School (Japanese Literature) / Japanese Literature
Degree: 修士
Year of Graduation: 1971
Country: Japan
Specialized in modern Japanese literature
Hosei University Graduate School (Doctoral Program)
Japanese Literature
Year of Graduation: 1974
Country: Japan
Left doctoral program after completing required credits (no degree conferred)

Awards

Asia-Pacific Prize
1995
Work: An Attempt at a Spiritual History of Modern Asia
Organization: Asia-Pacific Prize Selection Committee
Result: 受賞
Yoshida Shigeru Prize
2002
Work: Japan's Modernity Vol.1: Opening and the Meiji Restoration
Organization: Yoshida Shigeru Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Shiba Ryotaro Award
2005
Work: Biography of Kita Ikki (5 vols)
Organization: Shiba Ryotaro Award Committee
Result: 受賞
Mainichi Publishing Culture Award
2005
Work: Biography of Kita Ikki (5 vols)
Organization: Mainichi Newspapers (Mainichi Publishing Culture Award)
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

An Attempt at a Spiritual History of Modern Asia

1994 History / Intellectual history

A study of intellectual currents in modern Asia, examining nationalism and the genealogy of ideas from a trans-regional perspective.

Asian historyintellectual historynationalism

Biography of Kita Ikki (5 vols)

2004 Biographical study / Biography

A comprehensive multi-volume biographical study tracing the life and thought of Kita Ikki from his early writings to later developments.

biographymodern Japanese thoughtpolitical history

Japan's Modernity Vol.1: 1853–1871 — Opening and the Meiji Restoration

1998 History

An overview of societal transformations in Japan from the opening of the country to the Meiji Restoration, discussing various aspects of modernization.

opening of JapanMeiji Restorationmodernization

Bibliography

  • Young Kita Ikki: Love, Poetry and Revolution
  • On Kita Ikki
  • An Attempt at a Spiritual History of Modern Asia
  • Japan's Modernity Vol.1: 1853–1871 — Opening and the Meiji Restoration
  • Biography of Kita Ikki (5 vols)
  • History of the Coastline
  • The Showa Emperor: The Legend — The Solitary Struggle
  • Civilization of Mud
  • Haruki Murakami — From Urban Novels to World Literature
  • Reading Shiba Ryotaro
  • Why Are There U.S. Military Bases in Japan?
  • Cabinet Crisis: Observations as a Cabinet Office Advisor on the Democratic Party Administration
  • The Man Called Emperor Meiji
  • The Coastline Speaks — After the Great East Japan Earthquake

Style & Themes

Literary Style
essayistic and criticalanalyticalnarrative approach to historyinterdisciplinary perspective
Recurring Motifs
modern Japannationalismnarrative nature of historybiographical studies

Health

  • cancer (malignant tumor)
    不明 - 2014-11-27
    After battling cancer, he died on 2014-11-27. His writing activity continued into the early 2010s.

Legacy

Known for works on modern Japanese intellectual and cultural history. He served as a university professor and Cabinet Office advisor, and influenced later scholars with his blend of criticism and narrative historical writing.

Academic Societies

  • Shiba Ryotaro Memorial Foundation (Councilor)
  • The Nippon Foundation (Councilor)

Archives

  • Reitaku University Library & Archives

In Popular Culture

  • TV appearances (e.g. 'Matsumoto Kenichi's Thought Travel — Leika Dog's Dream')

Quotes

  • History is always the story of the present.
    Source: Author's essays/interviews
  • History is 'my' story, and ultimately one writes and publishes it alone.
    Source: Mentioned in his writings on historiography

Trivia

  • Graduated from the University of Tokyo, Faculty of Economics (1968)
  • Completed Master's program, Hosei University Graduate School (Japanese Literature, 1971)
  • Left doctoral program at Hosei University after completing credits (1974)
  • Served as Cabinet Office Advisor (Oct 2010–Sep 2011) on East Asian diplomatic affairs
  • Worked at Asahi Glass (later left in 1969) before becoming a full-time writer