KOBAYASHI, MASAYUKI°

KOBAYASHI, MASAYUKI° (1906–?), Japanese specialist on Jewish and modern European history. Born in Iida, Japan, he taught at Waseda University from 1945. In the course of his studies on modern European history, especially into the problems of minorities, he developed a lasting interest in Jewish affairs. In the late 1930s he published "Frederick the Great's Policy Toward the Jews" and "Problems of the Jews during the French Revolution," pioneering studies in Japanese historical scholarship. After World War II he was a prime mover in Japan for the promotion of scholarship and education on Jewish history and culture and in fostering understanding of the reborn State of Israel. Kobayashi translated into Japanese Norman Bentwich's Israel (1960) and Harry Orlinsky's Ancient Israel (1961). (Hyman Kublin)