Kanichi Asakawa

Japanese: 朝河貫一 - あさかわかんいち

Born: December 22, 1873, Nihonmatsu, Fukushima
Died August 14, 1948. A historian from Vermont. He studied at Asaka Junior High School, then Tokyo Senmon Gakko (later Waseda University) in the Department of Literature. In 1896, one year after graduating, he accepted a scholarship from Dartmouth College in the United States and stayed at President Tucker's house. After graduating, he went on to graduate school at Yale University, where he studied European medieval history while also researching Japanese institutional history. In 1902, he received his doctorate in "A Study of the Taika Reforms" and lectured on East Asian history at the same university. During the Russo-Japanese War, he expressed concern about Japan's bias both on and off campus, and defended Japan's position, raising interest in Japan among Westerners at the time. He was ordered to study in Japan for two years from 1905, and conducted research at Waseda University, the University of Tokyo, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs before returning to the United States and becoming a lecturer at Yale University. In 1910, he became an associate professor and taught Japanese diplomatic history and modern Asian history. In 1917, he returned to Japan to study, researching the Historiographical Institute of the University of Tokyo, ancient temples in Kansai, and ancient documents from the Irikiin family of Kagoshima. In 1923, he also taught European medieval history. In 1929, he published his famous work, "Iriki Documents," and the following year, he was promoted to associate professor. This book is a history of the development of the Japanese feudal system in English using the method of comparative legal history, and includes a reprint of the ancient documents of the Irikiin family of Satsuma. He was not persecuted even after the severance of diplomatic relations between Japan and the United States in 1941, and after retiring in 1943, he was given the title of professor emeritus for his 36 years of service. In his later years, he devoted himself to studying the Japanese manor system at Yale University, and passed away in a summer resort after the Second World War. His posthumous work, "Manor Studies," was published in Tokyo in 1965. His research had a great impact not only on Western academic circles, but also on Japanese academic circles. At his alma mater, now Asaka High School, there is still the "Asakawa Cherry Blossom," which speaks of his extraordinary enthusiasm and hard work toward his studies.

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia About Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia Information

Japanese:

[生]1873.12.22. 福島，二本松
[没]1948.8.14. バーモント
歴史学者。安積 (あさか) 中学校，次いで東京専門学校 (のちに早稲田大学) 文学科に学び，卒業1年後の 1896年アメリカ，ダートマス・カレッジの募集に応じて貸費留学生となり，タッカー総長邸に寄宿した。卒業後は，エール大学大学院に進み，ヨーロッパ中世史を専攻しつつ日本制度史の研究を行い，1902年『大化改新の研究』で博士号を得，同大学で東亜史を講じた。日露戦争当時は，学内学外で日本の偏向を憂えるとともに日本の立場を弁明するなど，当時の日本に対する欧米人の関心を高めた。 05年より2年間，日本に留学を命じられ，早稲田大学，東京大学，外務省で研究を重ね，帰米してエール大学講師となる。 10年助教授に進み，日本外交史，東洋近代史を担当，17年再度日本に留学，東京大学史料編纂所や，関西の古寺，鹿児島の入来院 (いりきいん) 家の古文書を調査し，23年欧州中世史も担当，29年名著『入来文書』を刊行し翌年，准教授に昇進した。本書は，比較法制史の方法による英文の日本封建制度の発達史で，薩摩入来院家の古文書の復刻を添えてある。 41年日米国交断絶後も迫害を受けることなく，43年定年退職後は，在職 36年の功により名誉教授の称号を与えられた。晩年は，エール大学で日本の荘園制度の研究に没頭し，第2次世界大戦後避暑地で逝去したが，遺著『荘園研究』は東京で 65年に刊行された。彼の研究は，ひとり欧米学界のみならず日本の学界にも大きな影響を与えた。母校の現安積高等学校にはいまも彼の学業に対する人並みはずれた熱意と努力を語る「朝河桜」がある。

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