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Masayuki Yamauchi

やまうち まさゆき

Yamauchi Masayuki

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1947-08-30 （Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Japan

Career

Occupations
Historian, Professor, Researcher, Columnist, Advisor
Active Years
1971-
Affiliations
The University of Tokyo, Meiji University, Musashino University, Cairo University (Visiting Associate Professor), Harvard University (Visiting Researcher), Mitsubishi Corporation (Advisor), Fujitsu Future Studies Center (Special Advisor), Fuji Television (Special Advisor)
Memberships
Science Council of Japan (affiliate member), Japan Forum on International Relations (participant), Toyota Foundation (board member)
Influenced By
Fernand Braudel, Immanuel Wallerstein, Yoshihiko Amino

Education

Hokkaido University
Faculty of Letters / History
Degree: 学士
Year of Graduation: 1971
Country: Japan
The University of Tokyo
Graduate School of Arts and Sciences / Regional Cultural Studies
Degree: 博士（学術）
Year of Graduation: 1993
Country: Japan
PhD thesis: The Green Crescent under the Red Star (awarded Doctor of Philosophy)

Awards

Developing Countries Research Encouragement Award
1984
Work: Modern Islam: Religion and Power
Result: 受賞
Suntory Prize for Social Sciences and Humanities
1987
Work: The Dream of Sultan Galiyev: Islam and the Russian Revolution
Organization: Suntory Prize
Result: 受賞
Mainichi Publishing Culture Award
1990
Work: The Dying Leviathan: Perestroika and Ethnic Problems
Organization: Mainichi Publishing Culture Award
Result: 受賞
Yoshino Sakuzō Prize
1991
Work: Radical History: Frontiers of Russian and Islamic History
Organization: Yoshino Sakuzō Prize
Result: 受賞
Shiba Ryotaro Prize
2002
Work: A body of work / overall achievements
Organization: Shiba Ryotaro Prize
Result: 受賞
Mainichi Publishing Culture Award
2002
Work: Iwanami Dictionary of Islam (co-edited)
Organization: Mainichi Publishing Culture Award
Result: 受賞
Medal with Purple Ribbon
2006
Organization: Government of Japan
Result: 受章

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Modern Islam: Religion and Power

1983 History / Religious Studies

An accessible historical analysis of the relationship between Islam and political power in the modern world.

Islamic historyReligion and power

The Dream of Sultan Galiyev: Islam and the Russian Revolution

1986 History / International Relations

A historical study exploring the ideas and activities of Mirsaid Sultan-Galiev and the intersections between the Islamic world and the Russian Revolution.

Islamic worldRussian RevolutionNationalism

The Green Crescent under the Red Star: Soviet Socialism and Islam

1988 History

A regional-historical account of the relationship between Islam and socialism in the Soviet period.

Islamic historySoviet historySocialism

The Dying Leviathan: Perestroika and Ethnic Problems

1990 History / Political Studies

An analysis of ethnic issues and political change in the Soviet Union during the period of perestroika.

Ethnic issuesSoviet UnionReform

Radical History: Frontiers of Russian and Islamic History

1991 History

An attempt to reassess history by standing at the intersection of Russian and Islamic histories, challenging conventional frameworks.

Comparative historyInternational relations history

History as a Weapon

2013 Essay / Criticism

An essay collection discussing ways of reading history and its public and political uses.

Historical interpretationPublic spherePolitics

Bibliography

  • Modern Islam: Religion and Power
  • The Ottoman Empire and Egypt: A Political History of the 1866-67 Cretan Expedition
  • The Dream of Sultan Galiyev: Islam and the Russian Revolution
  • The Green Crescent under the Red Star: Soviet Socialism and Islam
  • The Dying Leviathan: Perestroika and Ethnic Problems
  • Radical History: Frontiers of Russian and Islamic History
  • Nations and States: From the Perspective of Islamic History
  • Islam and America
  • History as a Weapon
  • Studies in Middle Eastern International Relations: The Turkish Revolution and Soviet Russia 1918–1923
  • A World History of Jealousy
  • Iwanami Dictionary of Islam (co-edited)
  • The Historian's Compass
  • The Future in History
  • Leadership: Courage and Perspective

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Interdisciplinary and comparative-historical approachClear, public-oriented proseEmphasis on argumentation grounded in primary sources
Recurring Motifs
Nation and stateIslam and modernityEnd of empires and nationalismGeopolitics and diplomatic history

Legacy

A leading Japanese historian in Middle East and Islamic studies and international relations history. Beyond scholarly achievements, he has influenced policy debates and public discourse through advisory roles, media commentary and writings for general audiences.

Academic Societies

  • Science Council of Japan
  • Japan Forum on International Relations

Archives

  • National Diet Library
  • The University of Tokyo Library

In Popular Culture

  • His book 'A World History of Jealousy' was reportedly read by Shinzo Abe before taking office; his work is occasionally cited in political and media contexts.
  • Contributes to general-interest columns such as Yomiuri Shimbun's 'Reading the Earth'.

Trivia

  • His younger brother Susumu Yamauchi is a legal historian and served as president of Hitotsubashi University.
  • His first wife, Yasuko Yamauchi, died of a subarachnoid hemorrhage in 2008.
  • He served as a member of the Education Rebuilding Implementation Council from 2013.
  • Since 2018 he has been a specially appointed professor at Musashino University Research Institute.
  • In 2023 he became chair of the Yokozuna Deliberation Council and left the post when his term ended in January 2025.