Kiyoshi Hiraizumi

A historian who made a great contribution to the study of social and spiritual history in medieval Japan during the Taisho and early Showa periods. He was born in Heisenji Village, Ono County, Fukui Prefecture (present day Katsuyama City, Fukui Prefecture). He graduated from the former Fourth High School. After graduating from the Department of Japanese History at the Faculty of Letters, Tokyo Imperial University in 1918 (Taisho 7), he continued his research at the graduate school. In 1923 he became a lecturer at the Faculty of Literature. In 1926 he published "Spiritual Life in the Middle Ages" and "The Relationship between Shrines, Temples and Society in the Middle Ages," and became a doctor of literature and assistant professor. His doctoral thesis, "The Relationship between Shrines, Temples and Society in the Middle Ages," attracted the attention of the academic world for its development of the theory of asylum. In 1930 (Showa 5), ​​he traveled to Europe, visiting Germany, France, England and other countries before returning to Japan the following year. In works such as "The Bone Marrow of National History" (1932), "The True Meaning of the Kenmu Restoration" (1934), and "Everything Changes in Flow" (1936), he made his nationalistic stance clear, advocated the Imperial view of history, and influenced young officers. In August 1945, immediately after Japan's defeat in the war, he resigned from university and retired to his hometown.

[Kazuhiko Sato]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

大正・昭和前半期の日本中世の社会史・精神史研究に業績を残した歴史学者。福井県大野郡平泉寺(へいせんじ)村（現、福井県勝山市）生れ。旧制第4高等学校を卒業。1918年（大正7）東京帝国大学文科大学国史学科を卒業後、引き続き大学院で研究を続けた。1923年文学部講師。1926年に『中世に於ける精神生活』『中世に於ける社寺と社会との関係』を刊行、文学博士、助教授となる。学位論文「中世に於ける社寺と社会との関係」は、アジール論の展開で学界の注目を集めた。1930年（昭和5）渡欧、ドイツ、フランス、イギリスなどを歴訪して翌年帰国。『国史学の骨髄』（1932年）、『建武(けんむ)中興の本義』（1934年）、『万物流転』（1936年）などで国粋主義的立場を鮮明にし、皇国史観を主張し、青年将校などに影響を与えた。1945年8月、敗戦直後に大学を辞し、郷里に隠棲した。

［佐藤和彦］

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