Ichirō Inaba

Biographical Overview & Key Facts

Subject:

Ichirō Inaba

Role / Field:

Prominent Japanese historian specializing in Chinese historical thought and historiography.

Born:

1936

Died:

2017-09-23

Century / Era:

1936s Historical Era

Database Source:

2Day Chrono-Wiki & Wikipedia CC BY-SA 4.0

Origins & Early Life

Ichirō Inaba (稲葉 一郎, Inaba Ichirō; 3 May 1936 – 23 September 2017) was a Japanese historian of China and professor emeritus at Kwansei Gakuin University. Ichirō Inaba graduated from the Kyoto University Graduate School of Letters in 1966. He studied under Ichisada Miyazaki, and his doctoral thesis was on official historians of the Six Dynasties. Following graduation, he lectured at a university for a year and two months before landing an assistant job at Ritsumeikan University, where he taught Chinese Historical Thought and Pre-Modern Chinese History after 1977.

Career & Major Achievements

In October 1978, he visited China with a group of historians and archaeologists. He was promoted to full professor in 1979, and a year later he joined the School of Humanities at Kwansei Gakuin University. He stayed there for over two decades before retiring in 2005. Inaba's research focused on the historical and economic views of Chinese statesmen, historians and philosophers, including Sang Hongyang, Sima Guang, Mozi, Mencius, Xunzi, Han Fei, Yuan Jue, and Zhang Xuecheng.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

He wrote a chapter for Chinese Medieval History Research (中国中世史研究, Kyoto University Press, 1970) and contributed several entries to the western reference book A Sung Bibliography (French: Bibliographie des Sung, The Chinese University Press, 1978). His own books include Chinese Historical Thought: A Study of Jizhuanti (中国の歴史思想―紀伝体考, Sobunsha, 1999) and A Study of the History of Chinese Historiography (中国史学史の研究, Kyoto University Press, 2006), which collected his papers from several decades. He also authored a travel photography book titled Traveling in Jiangnan: Suzhou, Hangzhou, Shanghai (江南旅情―蘇州・杭州・上海, U-Time, 2005), featuring photos from the Jiangnan region of China. In 2017, Inaba died from acute subdural hematoma in Ikoma, Nara.

Chronological Milestones & Life Events

1. 1936: Birth of Ichirō Inaba — Prominent Japanese historian specializing in Chinese historical thought and historiography.
2. 1966: 1966 Milestone — Ichirō Inaba graduated from the Kyoto University Graduate School of Letters in 1966.
3. 1970: 1970 Milestone — He wrote a chapter for Chinese Medieval History Research (中国中世史研究, Kyoto University Press, 1970) and contributed several entries to the western reference book A Sung Bibliography (French: Bibliographie des Sung, The Chinese University Press, 1978).
4. 1977: 1977 Milestone — Following graduation, he lectured at a university for a year and two months before landing an assistant job at Ritsumeikan University, where he taught Chinese Historical Thought and Pre-Modern Chinese History after 1977.
5. 1978: 1978 Milestone — In October 1978, he visited China with a group of historians and archaeologists.
6. 1979: 1979 Milestone — He was promoted to full professor in 1979, and a year later he joined the School of Humanities at Kwansei Gakuin University.
7. 1999: 1999 Milestone — His own books include Chinese Historical Thought: A Study of Jizhuanti (中国の歴史思想―紀伝体考, Sobunsha, 1999) and A Study of the History of Chinese Historiography (中国史学史の研究, Kyoto University Press, 2006), which collected his papers from several decades.
8. 2005: 2005 Milestone — He stayed there for over two decades before retiring in 2005.
9. 2017 (2017-09-23): Passing & Historical Legacy — Ichirō Inaba passed away on 2017-09-23, leaving an enduring historical legacy.

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Ichirō Inaba

True or False: “Ichirō Inaba's primary research focus was exclusively on the political history of the Tang Dynasty.”

Answer (FALSE ❌): His research covered a broad spectrum, including figures from the Six Dynasties and various philosophical schools like Mozi and Mencius.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

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• 1936 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1936
• 2017 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 2017
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Frequently Asked Questions about Ichirō Inaba