Masao Maruyama (scholar)

Biographical Overview & Key Facts

Subject:

Masao Maruyama (scholar)

Role / Field:

Pioneering Japanese political theorist known for analyzing national identity and postwar democracy.

Born:

1914-03-22

Died:

1996-08-15

Century / Era:

1914s Historical Era

Database Source:

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

Origins & Early Life

Masao Maruyama (丸山 眞男, Maruyama Masao; 22 March 1914 – 15 August 1996) was a leading Japanese political scientist and political theorist. His expertise lay in the history of Japanese political thought, to which he made major contributions. Maruyama Masao was born in Osaka in 1914. He was the second son of journalist Maruyama Kanji. He was influenced by friends of his father such as Hasegawa Nyozekan, a circle of people identified with the liberal current of political thought during the period of Taishō democracy.

Career & Major Achievements

After graduating from Tokyo Furitsu Number One Middle School (currently known as Tokyo Municipal Hibiya High School), he entered the Tokyo Imperial University and graduated from the Faculty of Law in 1937. His thesis "The Concept of the Nation-state in Political Science" earned a Distinguished Thesis Award, and Maruyama was appointed assistant in the same department. Originally he had wanted to specialize in European political thought, but changed his focus to concentrate on Japanese political thought, a subject that until that time mainly centered around the concept of an imperial state, and was influenced by a foundational ordinance that required subjects to be taught "in accordance with the needs of the state." Maruyama brought to the discipline a theoretical perspective grounded in extensive comparativism. The person who originally recommended this path to him was his mentor, Professor Shigeru Nambara, who was highly critical of military and bureaucratic obstructions to the growth of a constitutionally defined "national community." An expert in European political thought, Nambara steered the young Maruyama into working on these topics. In March 1945, Maruyama was drafted and stationed in the Army at Hiroshima.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

After experiencing the atomic blast at Hiroshima and seeing out the end of the war there, he returned to his post at the university in September. He caught tuberculosis at the time, and after an operation, spent the rest of his life on one lung. Maruyama first attracted attention from the scholarly community immediately following the war with his famous essay on wartime Japanese fascism, "The Logic and Psychology of Ultranationalism," first published in the widely-read journal Sekai in 1946. In particular, Maruyama deemed the prewar imperial system a "system of irresponsibility." Maruyama continued to write about wartime and contemporary Japanese politics in the late 1940s and early 1950s, until he was forced to take a break from scholarly activities due to his being in and out of hospitals with illnesses in the mid-1950s. He returned to his research in the late 1950s, but ceased writing about recent politics and focused his attention on excavating the political thought of the Edo and Meiji periods.

Chronological Milestones & Life Events

1. 1914 (1914-03-22): Birth of Masao Maruyama (scholar) — Pioneering Japanese political theorist known for analyzing national identity and postwar democracy.
2. 1937: 1937 Milestone — After graduating from Tokyo Furitsu Number One Middle School (currently known as Tokyo Municipal Hibiya High School), he entered the Tokyo Imperial University and graduated from the Faculty of Law in 1937.
3. 1945: 1945 Milestone — In March 1945, Maruyama was drafted and stationed in the Army at Hiroshima.
4. 1946: 1946 Milestone — Maruyama first attracted attention from the scholarly community immediately following the war with his famous essay on wartime Japanese fascism, "The Logic and Psychology of Ultranationalism," first published in the widely-read journal Sekai in 1946.
5. 1996 (1996-08-15): Passing & Historical Legacy — Masao Maruyama (scholar) passed away on 1996-08-15, leaving an enduring historical legacy.

Notable Quotes by Masao Maruyama (scholar)

“Even the fascists didn't do what you are trying to do!” (1969)

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Masao Maruyama (scholar)

True or False: “Masao Maruyama initially intended to specialize in European political thought before shifting his focus.”

Answer (TRUE ⭕): Although he was influenced by experts in European thought like Shigeru Nambara, he ultimately concentrated his major scholarly efforts on Japanese political thought.

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Frequently Asked Questions about Masao Maruyama (scholar)