Asahina Chisen - Asahina Chisen

A newspaper journalist in the Meiji period. His pen names include Rokudo and Kanan. He was born into a family of samurai from the Mito domain. He attended the preparatory school of the Imperial University of Tokyo before entering the law department. While still a student, he contributed to Kokumin no Tomo and other publications, earning him a literary reputation. In 1888 (Meiji 21), he became the first editor-in-chief of the Tokyo Shimpo newspaper, which was affiliated with Yamagata Aritomo. When Ito Miyoji became the owner of the Tokyo Nichi Nichi Shimbun in 1891, he was in charge of the paper's editorials, and later became editor-in-chief. He spoke on behalf of the Choshu faction on issues such as treaty revision. His debate with Kuga Katsunan of the Nippon newspaper is particularly famous. He lost his passion for journalism around the time of the Sino-Japanese War, and left the newspaper when the Tokyo Nichi Nichi Shimbun was handed over to Takaaki Kato in 1904. After that, he was involved with several newspapers and magazines, and was commissioned by the Ministry of the Army to compile a history of the army.

[Teruo Ariyama]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

明治期の新聞記者。号は碌堂(ろくどう)、珂南(かなん)など。水戸藩士の家に生まれる。東京帝国大学予備門を経て同法科入学。在学中から『国民之友』などに寄稿し文名を得る。1888年（明治21）山県有朋(やまがたありとも)系の新聞『東京新報』の初代主筆となる。1891年伊東巳代治(みよじ)が『東京日日(にちにち)新聞』社主となるや、同紙の社説を担当し、のち主筆に就任。条約改正問題などでは長州閥を代弁する論陣を張った。とくに『日本』紙の陸羯南(くがかつなん)との論争は有名である。日清(にっしん)戦争ごろから新聞記者としての情熱を失い、1904年（明治37）『東京日日新聞』が加藤高明(たかあき)の手に移ったのを機に退社。以後、いくつかの新聞、雑誌に関係したほか、陸軍省嘱託として陸軍史の編纂(へんさん)にあたった。

［有山輝雄］

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