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Masahiro Yasuoka
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About
<p><b>Masahiro Yasuoka</b> was a Japanese scholar of <a href="/pages/w/235234706533433">yangmingism</a> who, through his philosophy, reportedly exerted considerable influence on many Japanese politicians, including postwar prime ministers of Japan. He has been considered a backroom <a href="/pages/w/164243317103246">power broker</a> or <a href="/pages/w/110441588977177">eminence grise</a>.</p><h2>Early life</h2><p>He was born in <a href="/pages/w/108206999203128">Osaka</a> city on February 13, 1898. When he was a child his parents taught him to read the Chinese classics, the <a href="/pages/w/115808958431139">Four Books</a> (<i>The Great Learning</i>, <i>Doctrine of the Mean</i>, <i>The Analects of Confucius</i>, and <i>Mencius</i>).</p><p>He studied at <a href="/pages/w/106045216100220">Tokyo Imperial University</a> and his graduation paper <i>A study of <a href="/pages/w/138279686202128">Wang Yangming</a> </i> caught the attention of many intellectuals and politicians in the area. After graduating in 1922, he worked for six months at the Ministry of Education.</p><p>He established an institute of Asian studies and insisted on the traditional nationalism of Japan when <a href="/pages/w/111007585588595">Taisho democracy</a> was in vogue (1912–1926). While working as an instructor at the Department of Asian Thought, <a href="/pages/w/107787665908666">Takushoku University</a>, he wrote books such as <i>Studies on the Japanese Spirit</i> and <i>Studies on Emperors and Government Officials</i>, attracting the attention of some noblemen and military officers. In 1927, he established a private school, <i>Kinkei Gakuen</i>, in the house of Sakai Tadamasa who was a member of the <a href="/pages/w/204539486241949">House of Peers (Japan)</a>. In 1931, with the help of <a href="/pages/w/104118179624287">zaibatsu</a>, Japanese conglomerates, he established a private school in <a href="/pages/w/101899039852224">Saitama Prefecture</a>, <i>Nihon Nōshi Gakkō</i>, (or, Japan Farmers' School) to teach Asian thought and his philosophy. In 1932, he founded a right-wing group called <i>Kokuikai</i>. <a href="/pages/w/107472235949313">Fumimaro Konoe</a>, <a href="/pages/w/107861402643598">Koki Hirota</a> and other influential figures joined, but the group came to be perceived as an <a href="/pages/w/110441588977177">eminence grise</a>, leading to its end after two years.</p>
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