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Hirofumi Yamamoto

やまもと ひろふみ

Yamamoto Hirofumi

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1957-02-13 （Tsuyama, Okayama, Japan）
Died
2020-03-29 age 63
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Tsuyama, Okayama (birthplace) → Tokyo, Japan (workbase)

Career

Occupations
historian, university professor, author, researcher
Active Years
1982-2020
Affiliations
Historiographical Institute, University of Tokyo, Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Information Studies, University of Tokyo (concurrent)

Education

University of Tokyo, Faculty of Letters
Faculty of Letters / Department of Japanese History (National History Studies)
Degree: 学士（文学）
Period: 〜1980
Year of Graduation: 1980
Country: Japan
University of Tokyo, Graduate School of Humanities and Sociology
Graduate School of Humanities and Sociology / Department of Japanese History
Degree: 修士（文学）
Period: 1980-1982
Year of Graduation: 1982
Country: Japan
Completed master's program
University of Tokyo (doctoral degree)
Graduate School of Humanities and Sociology / Department of Japanese History
Degree: 博士（文学）
Period: 〜1992
Year of Graduation: 1992
Country: Japan
Doctoral thesis: 'The Establishment of the Bakuhan System and Early Modern National Administration'

Awards

Japan Essayists' Club Award
1992
Work: Edo: The Diary of an O-Rusuiyaku
Organization: Japan Essayists' Club
Result: Winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Edo: The Diary of an O-Rusuiyaku

1991 history (scholarly/popular)

Based on the diary of a retainership official from the Kan'ei period in the Hagi domain, the book analyzes domain governance and household affairs. Adapted into an NHK drama.

Edo periodhan (domain) systeminner politics of daimyo families
Adaptations
  • [TV drama] History Special: Edo Branch Manager's Struggle — The Diary of Fukuma Hikoemon (1993)

The Kan'ei Era

1989 history

An introductory study outlining politics and society of the Kan'ei period, explaining background and key figures.

Kan'eipolitical historyEdo period

The Establishment of the Bakuhan System and Early Modern National Administration

1990 academic history

Based on his doctoral dissertation, this research analyzes the formation of the bakuhan system and institutional aspects of early modern Japan.

bakuhan systeminstitutional historyearly modern Japan

Bibliography

  • The Kan'ei Era (Yoshikawa Kobunkan, 1989)
  • The Establishment of the Bakuhan System and Early Modern National Administration (Azekura Shobo, 1990)
  • Edo: The Diary of an O-Rusuiyaku (Yomiuri Shimbun, 1991)
  • Court Politics of Edo Castle (Yomiuri Shimbun, 1993)
  • The Structure of Junshi (Kobundo, 1994)

Adaptations

  • NHK drama 'History Special: Edo Branch Manager's Struggle — The Diary of Fukuma Hikoemon' (1993)

Translations by Author

  • Inazo Nitobe, Modern Translation of 'Bushido' (Chikuma Shinsho, 2010)
  • Yukichi Fukuzawa, Selected Writings on Bakumatsu and Meiji Restoration (modern translation, Chikuma Shinsho, 2012)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
accessible explanatory toneevidence-based analysis
Recurring Motifs
bushidointra-domain family politicsEdo institutions and society

Health

  • renal pelvis cancer (kidney cancer)
    〜2020-03-29
    Died on 2020-03-29 due to the illness; this ended his academic activities.

Legacy

Known for extensive publications and archival research on daimyo and samurai in the Edo and early modern periods, he wrote many popular introductions that contributed to public understanding of history. He frequently appeared in media and acted as a bridge between academia and the general public.

Archives

  • Collections at the Historiographical Institute, University of Tokyo

In Popular Culture

  • Wider recognition through NHK dramatization and TV program appearances

Trivia

  • 'Edo: The Diary of an O-Rusuiyaku' was adapted for NHK television.
  • Appeared on educational TV (e.g., 'Chie no Izumi' on E-Tele).