Hattori Shiso

Born Sept. 24, 1901, in Shimane Prefecture; died Mar. 4, 1956, in Tokyo. Japanese historian.

In 1925, Hattori graduated from Tokyo University, where he had studied sociology; he went on to work in the university’s research center. He was a professor at Toyo University in Tokyo and contributed to the trade union journal Sangyo oyobi rodo (Production and Labor). In 1928, Hattori joined the committee that reorganized the Workers’ and Peasants’ Party, which was led by Oyama Ikuo.

After World War II, Hattori joined the Communist Party. He was a member of the Association of Democratic Scholars and was a professor at Tatsutani University in Kamakura and at Hosei University. Hattori’s research focused on Japanese history in the mid–19th century and the rise and consolidation of Japanese capitalism.