Sanehiko Yamamoto

Publisher. Founder of Kaizosha. Born in Kagoshima Prefecture. Studied at Nihon University and Hosei University. After working at Yamato Shimbun, he became president of Tokyo Mainichi Shimbun (1915). In 1919 (Taisho 8), he founded Kaizosha and launched the general magazine Kaizo. It gained a reputation along with Chuokoron in the Taisho democracy. From the end of the Taisho period to the beginning of the Showa period, he published Modern Japanese Literature Collection, which was successfully mass-produced and sold at low prices, sparking a boom in books that cost one yen each. He was also interested in politics, and in 1930 (Showa 5), ​​he was elected as a member of parliament from the Minseito Party. After World War II, he formed the Cooperative Democratic Party (later the National Cooperative Party) and became its chairman, but was banned from public office in 1947 (Showa 22). He was released from the ban in 1951 and returned to his position as president of Kaizosha, but died of an illness the following year in 1952. It is said that he had a life with many ups and downs. His works include Man and Nature (1937).

[Yoshiaki Kiyota]

"Publishers' Posthumous Writings, Volume 2, Kaizosha and Yamamoto Sanehiko" (Kurita Shoten, 1968) edited by Katsuya Kurita

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

出版人。改造社の創業者。鹿児島県生まれ。日本大学、法政大学に学ぶ。『やまと新聞』を経て『東京毎日新聞』社長に就任（1915）。1919年（大正8）改造社を創業、総合雑誌『改造』を創刊。大正デモクラシーのなかで『中央公論』とともに声価を得る。大正末期から昭和初期にかけて『現代日本文学全集』を出版、大量生産、廉価販売が成功して1冊1円の円本ブームの契機をつくった。一方、政治にも関心をもち、1930年（昭和5）に民政党から代議士に当選。第二次世界大戦後、協同民主党（のち国民協同党）を結成して委員長となったが、1947年（昭和22）公職追放された。1951年に追放解除され、改造社社長に復帰するが翌昭和27年病死。明暗の多い生涯だったといわれる。著作に『人と自然』（1937）などがある。

［清田義昭］

『栗田確也編『出版人の遺文　第二冊　改造社・山本実彦』（1968・栗田書店）』

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