Hironori Mizuno

Naval officer and military commentator. Born in Ehime Prefecture. Graduated from the Naval Academy in 1898 (Meiji 31). Served as a torpedo boat captain during the Russo-Japanese War, taking part in operations in the Port Arthur area and the Battle of Tsushima. After the war, he worked on compiling war history at the Naval General Staff. He published Kono Ichi Sen (This Battle), a record of the Battle of Tsushima that he wrote in his spare time, in 1911 (Meiji 44), which made him an instant literary celebrity. In 1918 (Taisho 7), he was promoted to naval captain. The following year, in 1919, he studied in Europe, touring battlefields after World War I. His experiences with the horrors of war led to a change of ideology, and he embraced an anti-war and pacifist stance. In 1921, he was suspended due to an article he contributed to a newspaper, and retired the same year. After that, he was active as a critic of militarism and pacifism, declared the independence of supreme command to be unconstitutional, and was one of the first to predict the outcome of the Pacific War, continuing to advocate non-war between Japan and the U.S. His papers were often banned, and after 1938 (Showa 13) he was effectively banned from writing. He died suddenly in October 1945 at his evacuation site.

[Kenzo Kitagawa]

"Mizuno Hironori" by Matsushita Yoshio (1950, Shishusha)" ▽ "Modern Japanese Thought Series 3: Democracy" edited by Ienaga Saburo (1965, Chikuma Shobo)" ▽ "Mizuno Hironori: Rebellious Man" edited by Mizuno Hironori Publishing Committee (1978, Keizai Oraisha)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

海軍軍人、軍事評論家。愛媛県生まれ。1898年（明治31）海軍兵学校卒業。日露戦争では水雷艇長として従軍、旅順方面の作戦、日本海海戦に参加。戦後、海軍軍令部で戦史編纂(へんさん)に従事。余暇に書いた日本海海戦記『此(この)一戦』を1911年（明治44）に刊行、一躍文名をあげた。1918年（大正7）海軍大佐に進級。翌1919年からヨーロッパに留学、第一次世界大戦後の戦跡を巡歴し、戦争の惨禍に触れて思想的転換を生じ反戦平和思想を抱く。1921年新聞への寄稿記事が原因で謹慎処分を受け、同年退役。以後、軍国主義批判・平和主義にたつ評論家として活躍、統帥権の独立を憲法違反と断じ、太平洋戦争の帰結をいち早く予測し日米非戦論を唱え続けた。論文はしばしば発禁処分にあい、1938年（昭和13）以後は事実上執筆禁止状態にあった。昭和20年10月疎開先で急死。

［北河賢三］

『松下芳男著『水野広徳』（1950・四州社）』▽『家永三郎編『現代日本思想大系3　民主主義』（1965・筑摩書房）』▽『水野広徳著作刊行会編『反骨の人・水野広徳』（1978・経済往来社）』

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