Zennosuke Nakagawa

Civil law scholar. Born on November 18, 1897 in Kanda, Tokyo. After graduating from the law department of Tokyo Imperial University, he specialized in personal status law under Hozumi Shigeto, and in 1919 he became an assistant professor at Tohoku Imperial University, and in 1927 (Showa 2) a professor there. He established the theory of kinship inheritance law by incorporating legal sociological research, such as surveys of rural customs and the South Sea Islands. During the civil code reforms following the Second World War, as a member of the Provisional Legislation Research Committee, he worked hard to abolish the family system and improve the status of women, and in 1957 (Showa 32) he became a member of the Constitution Research Committee, but was opposed to constitutional reform. After retiring from Tohoku University in 1986, he served as a professor at Gakushuin University and president of Kanazawa University. He was also known as a humane essayist. He passed away on March 20, 1975. He also wrote many books, including "Basic Theory of Personal Status Law" (1939), "Japanese Family Law" (1942), "Family Law" (1958), and "Inheritance Law" (1964).

[Ryuichi Nagao]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

民法学者。明治30年11月18日東京・神田に生まれる。東京帝国大学法科を卒業後、穂積重遠(ほづみしげとお)の下で身分法を専攻、22年東北帝国大学助教授、1927年（昭和2）同教授となる。農村の慣行調査や南洋諸島の調査など法社会学的研究を取り入れた親族相続法の理論を築いた。第二次世界大戦後の民法改革には臨時法制調査会委員として、家制度の廃止、女性の地位の向上に尽力し、57年（昭和32）憲法調査会委員となったが、改憲消極派に属した。61年東北大学を定年退官後、学習院大学教授、金沢大学学長を務めた。人間味あふれるエッセイストとしても知られる。昭和50年3月20日死去。『身分法の基礎理論』（1939）、『日本親族法』（1942）、『親族法』（1958）、『相続法』（1964）など著書も多い。

［長尾龍一］

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