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Shinobu Oe

おおえ しのぶ

Oe Shinobu

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1928-02-08 （Oita City, Oita Prefecture, Japan）
Died
2009-09-20 （Hitachinaka, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan） age 81
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese

Career

Occupations
Historian, Writer, University professor
Active Years
1954-2009
Affiliations
Hiroshima University (Faculty of Political Science and Economics) — Assistant/Lecturer, Tokyo University of Education — Associate Professor/Professor, Ibaraki University — Professor / Professor Emeritus
Influenced By
, , Kenichi Miyamoto
Influenced

Education

Kumamoto Army Juvenile School
Period: ～1944
Year of Graduation: 1944
Country: Japan
Pre-war army juvenile school.
Army Preparatory Officer School
Period: 1944
Country: Japan
Entered after graduating from the Kumamoto Army Juvenile School.
Army Air Officer School
Period: 1945
Country: Japan
Demobilized while still in attendance at the end of the war.
Fifth High School (old system)
Period: ～1950
Year of Graduation: 1950
Country: Japan
Graduated from the old-system Fifth High School.
Nagoya University, Faculty of Economics
Faculty of Economics
Degree: 学士（経済学）
Period: 1950-1953
Year of Graduation: 1953
Country: Japan
Graduated in 1953. Attended seminars led by Hiroshi Shikata and Kunio Shiozawa.
Nagoya University Graduate School, Graduate School of Economics
Period: 1953-1954
Country: Japan
Entered graduate school but withdrew before completing the degree.
Tokyo University of Education
Graduate School of Literature / Graduate School of Literature
Degree: 文学博士
Period: 学位取得 1975
Year of Graduation: 1975
Country: Japan
Doctoral dissertation titled 'National Education and the Military'.

Awards

Osaragi Jirō Prize
1985
Work: Kogarashi no Toki
Result: Winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Formation of the Meiji State: A Study of the Establishment of the Imperial System

1959 Historical study

A study of the formation of the Meiji state, focusing on the establishment of the imperial system.

Meiji RestorationImperial systemModernization

National Education and the Military: The Establishment and Development of Japan's Militaristic Education Policies

1974 Historical research

Based on his doctoral thesis, an analysis of the establishment and development of militaristic education policy in Japan.

National educationMilitarismEducational policy

A Military-Historical Study of the Russo-Japanese War

1976 Military history

A study of the Russo-Japanese War from a military-historical perspective.

Russo-Japanese WarMilitary tacticsWar history

Martial Law

1978 Historical book

A specialist book discussing the historical significance and application of martial law.

Martial lawLaw and militaryGovernance

Yasukuni Shrine

1984 History / Social commentary

A book organizing the historical, legal, and social issues surrounding Yasukuni Shrine.

Yasukuni ShrinePostwar historyState and religion

Kogarashi no Toki

1985 Novel

A work of fiction written with a historian's perspective. Published in 1985; winner of the Osaragi Jirō Prize.

War and the individualHistory and memory

Bibliography

  • The Formation of the Meiji State: A Study of the Establishment of the Imperial System
  • Biographies of Strategic Managers: A Critical History of Capitalism
  • Modern Japan and Asia
  • Japan's Industrial Revolution
  • Kido Takayoshi — Figures on the Eve of the Restoration
  • A History of Anti-War Thought
  • National Education and the Military: The Establishment and Development of Japan's Militaristic Education Policies
  • A Military-Historical Study of the Russo-Japanese War
  • Martial Law
  • War and the Social History of the Masses
  • Conscription
  • History of Showa, Vol.3: The Emperor's Army
  • Supreme Command Authority
  • Yasukuni Shrine
  • Japan's General Staff Headquarters
  • The Russo-Japanese War and the Japanese Army
  • The Soldiers' Russo-Japanese War: From 500 Military Letters
  • Crimes of the Tax Office: Taxpayers' Accusations
  • The Assassination of Zhang Zuolin: Emperor Showa and Supreme Command
  • Travels in Australia: Japan Seen from the Other Side of the Earth
  • The Imperial Conferences: Emperor Showa's 15 Decisions
  • Yasukuni Unconstitutionality Lawsuit
  • Century of Walls
  • The Great Voyage of Perry's Fleet
  • Historical Travels in Manchuria
  • The First Sino-Japanese War as East Asian History
  • Explorations of Japanese Colonialism
  • A Critical Biography of Tokugawa Yoshinobu
  • The Baltic Fleet: Course to the Battle of Tsushima
  • The Russo-Japanese War in World History
  • Accounts from the Meiji Era

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Scholarly prose emphasizing critical use of primary sourcesClear and accessible writingExpository style that presents historical facts and interpretations clearly
Recurring Motifs
Military and warfareState and the imperial systemModernization and colonialismWar and the populaceEducational policy

Health

  • Acute pneumonia
    2009年9月
    Hospitalized with acute pneumonia and died on September 20, 2009.

Legacy

A historian who made major contributions to modern Japanese history, particularly military and education history. In addition to academic works he published books for general readership and fiction; his novel 'Kogarashi no Toki' won the Osaragi Jirō Prize in 1985. As Professor Emeritus of Ibaraki University he supervised many scholars.

Archives

  • Ibaraki University Library (possible holdings)

Trivia

  • Graduated from Kumamoto Army Juvenile School in 1944 and later attended army officer schools but was demobilized at the end of the war.
  • Refused transfer to University of Tsukuba when Tokyo University of Education was closed and moved to Ibaraki University in 1976.
  • Won the Osaragi Jirō Prize in 1985 for the novel 'Kogarashi no Toki'.
  • Mentored students including Hiroshi Yoshida (Professor Emeritus, Hitotsubashi University).
  • Withdrew from Nagoya University Graduate School in 1954.