Shimonaka Yasaburo

Publisher. Born in Hyogo Prefecture. Having lost his father at a young age, he trained as a potter, but in 1898 (Meiji 31) he went to Kobe and qualified to become a teacher by examination. He moved to Tokyo in 1902 (Meiji 35), and after working as a reporter for the "Fujo Shimbun", he became a teacher at Saitama Normal School in 1911. In 1914 (Taisho 3), he wrote "Pocket Advisor: This is Convenient", which could be said to be the original form of an encyclopedia, but the publisher went bankrupt, and in June of the same year he founded Heibonsha and sold his own books by mail order. In 1924, after the Great Kanto Earthquake, he began full-scale publishing. During the boom of 100-yen books, he published "Complete Works of Modern Popular Literature" in 1927 (Showa 2) and "Complete Works of World Art" in 1928, and established a foothold. He went bankrupt in 1931, but announced plans for "The Great Encyclopedia", which was completed in 1935, and then went bankrupt again. On the other hand, he was interested in social movements, leading the peasant self-government movement from around 1925, being active as a Greater Asianist from 1931 onwards, and cooperating in the founding of the Imperial Rule Assistance Association in 1940. For these reasons he was banned from public office after the Second World War, but returned as president in 1951 (Showa 26) and created the distinctive character of "Heibonsha, the encyclopedia publisher." He is also known as a promoter of the world federalism movement and a member of the Committee of Seven Appeal for World Peace.

[Yoshiaki Kiyota]

"The Shimonaka Yasaburo Dictionary" (1965, Heibonsha), edited by the Shimonaka Yasaburo Biography Publishing Association

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

出版人。兵庫県に生まれる。幼少で父を亡くし、陶器職人として修業していたが、1898年（明治31）神戸に出て、検定で教員の資格を得る。1902年（明治35）上京、『婦女新聞』記者を経て1911年埼玉師範学校教諭となる。1914年（大正3）百科事典の原形ともいうべき『ポケット顧問　や、此(これ)は便利だ』を著したが版元が倒産、同年6月平凡社を創業、自著を通信販売する。関東大震災後の1924年、本格的な出版を始めた。円本ブームのなか1927年（昭和2）に『現代大衆文学全集』、1928年に『世界美術全集』を発行、地歩を固めた。1931年破産したが、『大百科事典』の企画を発表、1935年完結後ふたたび破産。一方、1925年ころから農民自治運動を指導、1931年以降大アジア主義者として活動、1940年の大政翼賛会発会に協力するなど、社会運動に関心をもっていた。これが理由で第二次世界大戦後公職追放になるが、1951年（昭和26）社長に復帰、「百科事典の平凡社」としての特色をつくった。世界連邦運動の推進者、世界平和アピール七人委員会委員としても知られる。

［清田義昭］

『下中弥三郎伝刊行会編『下中弥三郎事典』（1965・平凡社）』

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